Have you or someone you cared about ever experienced a panic attack, and you didn’t know what to do? Most people will experience a time in their lives where life has become overwhelming, and the body and mind begin to respond in ways that can be confusing for both the individual experiencing the symptoms, but also for those of us who care about the individual who is struggling. 

Many have gone through CPR training or first aid training to help someone in physical danger or injury, but what should we do when someone is having a mental health crisis? What signs and symptoms should you look for? 

To further develop their expertise in supporting individuals with mental health and substance abuse concerns, Women’s Services Case Managers at CMC, Bella Burns and Lucia McNeal, completed the Mental Health First Aid training at the Abbe Mental Health Center. 

Through this training, Bella and Lucia learned tips on what to do when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, and also gained tips on what not to do. Below, they share some of the key takeaways from the training that have helped inform their work as case managers, as well as helpful tips for anyone who may be experiencing or responding to a mental health crisis. 

The first tip is to remember the acronym ALGEE. Mental Health First Aid teaches participants a five-step action plan, ALGEE, “to use when providing support to someone who may be experiencing a distressing situation, just as you would if you were administering first aid for a fall.”

What are everyday signs that someone, including ourselves, is in struggle with their mental health? 

A person may be struggling with disordered eating, like not eating for hours or unable to stop eating, sleep disturbance, anger that doesn’t match a given situation, missed deadlines, and lack of concentration. Another person may be experiencing withdrawn behavior, emotional outbursts, lack of personal hygiene, and no interest in their usual activities. Sometimes these changes can be subtle and can look different from person to person. It is important to always respond to others and ourselves with compassion and understanding, and to look at the person, and the reasons why they may be struggling.

How do we recognize someone is in crisis? 

Someone may be at a breaking point, feeling hopeless, experiencing dark thoughts that nothing will ever get better, or any number of things. But it’s helpful to know what symptoms to look for that can be seen from the outside as clues that someone may be in crisis, such as:

• Agitated behavior
• Panic attacks
• Shortness of breath
• Paranoia, feelings of surveillance
• Irritability, rage attacks, anger outbursts
• Sentences that don’t make sense and are hard to follow
• Unaware of what day or year it is
• Unable to use logic to think through what they are experiencing
• Acting in ways they would not usually act, and unable to calm themselves down

You’ve identified that someone is in crisis –now what? 

Bella and Lucia shared from professional experience, strategies that could be both helpful and unhelpful to someone in crisis. While it’s difficult to plan for every situation, here are some tips they shared: 

• Keep your cool 
• Try to look at the person with empathy
• Listen to what that person is saying
• Monitor yourself and how you are doing
• Be aware of what your resources are
• Stay with them while they are in distress
• If you must leave, ask if they are comfortable with you contacting someone for them, and remain with them until someone else can come help if it’s safe to do so 
• Speak in calm tones
• Realize that now is not the time to try to be relatable
• Understand that saying things like “it’s going to be okay” can be unhelpful
• Better things to say are “I’m here, I’m listening, I care about how you’re feeling and what you’re going through.”

What are some ways our community can support mental health first responders?

Being a mental health first responder is both exhausting and rewarding, and has the capability to save lives. But how can we help ‘the helpers’? “I wish people knew more about secondary trauma and how it is different than burnout,” Lucia shared. “Being a crisis responder, the situations replay over and over in your head, just like anyone doing front line work. Just because first responders know how to do this work does not mean we are invincible.”

Social workers and case managers are only human, after all, but they play a very important role in the work at CMC. Take time out to thank a provider, a friend, or someone you know who supports others! Care for yourself, and find ways you can prepare to help someone else. We can help share the burden of care by educating ourselves, taking action, and being prepared! 

Mental Health First Aid is a nationally acclaimed program, available through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Folks who are interested in becoming an instructor can find more information here. 

As always, the Catherine McAuley Center stands ready and willing to resettle any displaced person when called upon to do so by our D.C. partners, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). We believe that every person has the right to safety and freedom from violence and persecution, and we are proud to help refugee newcomers make their new homes in Eastern Iowa.

The U.S. response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is subject to change quickly. Check back to this post for updates regarding U.S. resettlement of Ukrainians as new information becomes available!

Latest Updates

April 21, 2022: The Biden administration announced news of Uniting for Ukraine, a parole program allowing Ukrainians with familial, community or organizational sponsors, to apply for temporary refuge in the United States for a period of up to two years. To qualify, Ukrainians must have a sponsor in the U.S. who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their stay.

Ukrainians approved via this process will be authorized to travel to the U.S. and be considered for parole, on a case-by-case basis. Once paroled through this process, Ukrainians will be eligible for work authorization. At this time, the Uniting for Ukraine program does not authorize resettlement benefits or federal public benefits, such as refugee cash assistance or Medicaid, nor does it provide a clear pathway to permanent residency for those who desire to stay in the U.S. long-term.

For more information, or to apply for sponsorship, please see the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) website. Please note: the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services is coordinating this program for the state of Iowa. Though resettlement agencies like CMC are not conducting these resettlement efforts, CMC remains available to support the needs of any immigrant or refugee looking for support to navigate community resources and pursue employment goals.

March 24, 2022: President Biden announced that the U.S. will admit up to 100,000 Ukrainians, presumably over the next year and a half, though the exact pace of resettlement is uncertain. For comparison, 75,000 Afghans were resettled nationwide between September 2021 and February 2022.

It is uncertain what immigration statuses the 100,000 Ukrainians may arrive with, though it may be a mix of humanitarian parole, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and refugees.

Important information to note:

• Refugee resettlement agencies like CMC are contracted to provide comprehensive support for a refugee’s first 90 days in the U.S. and have a full picture of a refugee’s history, needs, and progress toward self-sufficiency (see more on the resettlement process). We ask that community members and partner agencies who may develop connections with our newest neighbors coordinate with us in this work.
• Refugee resettlement is a federal process. While legislators, state officials, other nonprofits, and community members may be able to support additional resources for refugee families, only refugee resettlement agencies can conduct resettlement.
• To-date, no special pathways (like Special Immigrant Visas or Humanitarian Parole, statuses available to Afghans) have been created for Ukrainians, meaning they will have to follow the traditional refugee resettlement process, which can be a lengthy process of up to two-years.

What you can do:

While the humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Afghanistan are especially prominent in current media coverage, the reality is that people across the globe have been displaced from their homes due to humanitarian crises. The Catherine McAuley Center also resettles refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma, and other locations throughout the year.

Regardless of the status of Ukrainian resettlement, you can help refugees from across the world feel welcomed in Eastern Iowa in the following ways:

• Volunteer on a Saturday to help set up a new home for refugees as a moving volunteer.
• Donate furniture, household items, or other supplies on our wish list to meet the basic needs of our newest neighbors. You can also ship items from our Amazon wish list directly to CMC.
• Teach English or sign up for another volunteer role at the Catherine McAuley Center.
• Donate at cmc-cr.org/give. Unrestricted donations are the most helpful in responding to new or quickly-developing needs.
• Share leads on housing available for rent (full apartments or homes are preferred to shared spaces with other families) by contacting info@cmc-cr.org or 319-363-4993.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and while everyone’s experiences are unique, maintaining a healthy mind is an important part of our overall health and well-being, as it affects how we think, feel, and act. Taking care of mental health can look different for everyone, whether it involves spending more time with friends and family, forming a new hobby, exercising more, or speaking with a counselor – there are many tools to help build positive mental health. One of the strategies for better management of stress or trauma recovery can be awareness of self, and reflecting on inner emotions that are experienced throughout the day.

“Inside every one of us is a garden, and every practitioner has to go back to their garden and take care of it” – Buddhist monk and mindfulness teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh

One way to tend your inner garden is to tend to a physical one! Today is National Garden Meditation Day, celebrated every year on May 3. It is the practice of taking time out from one’s hectic routine and going to a garden, picking a nice spot, and then meditating to relax your mind and body. 

At the Catherine McAuley Center, the Community Garden creates opportunities to learn new skills, practice self-care, and form meaningful connections. Clients, residents, and community members can learn about and grow their own plots of produce, and take time to relax in nature. 

Garden groups at CMC: Q & A with Kristin Bratton, Director of Women’s Services 

Helping residents and clients access nature in a hands-on and inclusive way, Director of Women’s Services, Kristin Bratton shares about the programs at CMC that encourage women, adult learners, and refugees and immigrants to enjoy gardening and reconnecting with themselves and nature. Kristin, a longtime gardener and Master Gardener intern, loves Gerber daisies, carrots and potatoes, but has yet to grow a zucchini that she’s satisfied with.  

What is your personal experience with gardening? 

I started gardening as a tiny tot with my mother and grandmother. It has been in my family on a small scale of backyard gardening. I’ve grown my own garden for close to a decade, but CMC was able to provide professional development for me to become an intern as a Master Gardener. Master Gardeners utilize and rely heavily on the sciences like botany and other sciences, and apply researched knowledge to gardening. I’ve been able to share that knowledge with my clients so they can accomplish their goals in gardening. 

How did the garden program get started?

It started over 5 years ago, first focusing on helping clients and residents become more food secure. Now things have shifted to take on more of a therapeutic approach toward gardening, and with the help of the Master Gardeners program, CMC was able to install raised beds for residents and clients. We currently have 7 women who are set to participate this year!

What are the benefits of therapeutic gardening programs?

Physical activity creates endorphins, getting Vitamin D from sunlight, and the grounding aspects of the grass, soil, the trees. Having our hands in the soil exposes us to good kinds of microbiology. Gardening lowers blood pressure and when you’re gardening, you can focus on the now rather than the future or past goals. You’re helping life and you are seeing it first hand! 

What is your hope for the gardening group? 

My hope is to practice hands-on mindfulness, for it to become an automatic practice to see nature as a grounding tool. I want clients to find pleasure not just from gardening, but from the food that they grow and prepare into satisfying and beautiful dishes. 

What are ways that anyone can experience more meditative peace in gardening?

You don’t even have to be actively gardening! Start by engaging your senses, smelling, touching and listening, becoming grounded and present.

Join CMC in demanding that Congress pass an Afghan Adjustment Act in order to provide at-risk Afghans a permanent legal pathway to safety. Follow the steps at the bottom of the page to tell your Congress Representatives: Afghans deserve safety that lasts.

The following information was developed by the Evacuate Our Allies Coalition. For additional information, visit their Afghan Adjustment Act Fact Sheet.

Following the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of U.S.-affiliated and at-risk Afghans were evacuated to the United States via humanitarian parole, a temporary allowance to enter and remain in the United States for one or two years. Despite receiving this life-saving evacuation, Afghans under this status will soon find themselves under a cloud of legal uncertainty, and in a worse position in terms of immigration status than had they entered as Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs) or refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

To resolve this, Congress must pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, patterned after similar adjustment acts passed following previous U.S. wartime evacuations, including for Cubans after the rise of Castro, Southeast Asians after the Fall of Saigon, and Iraqi Kurds during the rule of Saddam Hussein.

What is the Afghan Adjustment Act?

The Afghan Adjustment Act allows certain Afghan evacuees to apply for permanent status after one year of being paroled into the country. It prevents Afghans paroled in the U.S. from losing their jobs or being deported while their applications for these statuses are pending. 

How did the U.S. government vet and screen evacuees?

Intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals conducted a robust, multi-layered screening and security vetting process that includes review of biographic and biometric data checked against U.S. and Interpol intelligence databases, as well as pre- and post-arrival medical screenings and vaccinations. These screenings were conducted for all Afghans before they arrived in the United States and again once when they arrived in America, while most were housed over months on military bases across the U.S. If at any time an individual does not pass a screening, they are deemed inadmissible or deportable, depending on where they are in the process. As a result, that individual and their family cannot enter the United States or are subject to deportation from the U.S. 

Who supports the Afghan Adjustment Act?

National security experts, refugee resettlement agencies, Afghan-Americans, faith leaders, veterans groups, attorneys, and local communities representing a broad spectrum of political and social views have called for an Afghan Adjustment Act.

What happens to Afghan evacuees if the Adjustment Act isn’t passed?

Without an Afghan Adjustment Act, tens of thousands of recently arrived Afghans will have to find an existing immigration pathway in order to remain in lawful status once their parole expires. In all likelihood, that will mean tens of thousands of new asylum claims at an estimated cost of $700,000,000 in legal services to support Afghans through the arduous asylum application process. The current affirmative asylum backlog is more than 600,000 cases with a broader immigration backlog of 1.4 million cases.  Many Afghan evacuees were forced to destroy important documentation during the evacuation in order to avoid Taliban violence across a patchwork of checkpoints around the country. Many Afghan visa applicants (and others) had important documentation destroyed by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as the city fell. Such complications could make asylum claims more difficult and increase the likelihood that Afghan parolees will end up in already-overwhelmed immigration courts and eligible for deportation.

The Afghan Adjustment Act meets well-established precedent, but it does something else which is fundamentally important: it meets the moral obligations we have to those who served alongside the U.S. mission and it provides lasting stability to Afghans who were brought to safety by the U.S. following the longest military engagement in American history. 

Congress must act now to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act.

Follow these steps to contact Senators and Congress Representatives:

• Step 1: Find your Congressperson’s email address here.
• Step 2: Find your Senators’ email addresses here. 
• Step 3: Copy and Paste each email address into an email window, and enter in the Subject Line “Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act”
• Step 4: Copy and paste the following text into the email body – feel free to adjust and/or add any personal messages!

Dear Congressperson/Senator Name,

As your constituent from city/town, I am writing to ask for your support for an Afghan Adjustment Act to allow Afghans who entered the United States on humanitarian parole to have a pathway to permanent legal status. Creating a track to apply to become lawful permanent residents after one year in the U.S. will strengthen arrivals’ integration in their new communities. This is urgent, as humanitarian parole is a temporary allowance to enter and remain in the United States, and is only viable for two years. We have already supported the resettlement of these parolees with money and resources, and they will undoubtedly contribute greatly to our communities – this indefinite limbo of unstable immigration status creates a chasm between Afghan evacuees and their ability to fully settle into their new home. I urge you to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act so that our Afghan allies can live prosperous lives as Americans, something which they all deserve. 

Sincerely,

Your Name

Thank you for taking action to ensure your new Afghan neighbors can have a safe and stable life in the United States!

Meet Louren, who served as a RefugeeRISE member this past summer with the LIFE (Learning is for Everyone) Program. Read on to learn more about academic support programming CMC is providing for refugee youth, and how you can get involved!

How did you learn about the Catherine McAuley Center ?

While in college at the University of Northern Iowa, I was introduced to the AmeriCorps RefugeeRise program through EMBARC Waterloo. My perspective on the world and education was transformed through my experiences there. When I moved to Cedar Rapids, a friend of mine was interning at CMC. He invited me to collaborate with the Catherine McAuley Center to create a summer learning curriculum for the inaugural summer of the LIFE program. Even through Zoom, I was drawn to the strength and passion of the people who make up CMC. I was excited and honored to be on that team this past summer.

What is your role, and what do you do?

Over the summer, I served as an AmeriCorps RefugeeRISE member with the LIFE Program at the Catherine McAuley Center. I collaborated with a team of AmeriCorps members and CMC staff to plan, prepare, and lead a summer learning program for high school students in the refugee and immigrant community.

What did a typical day in your role look like?

For me, a typical day in the LIFE program included arriving at the center, greeting students trickling in for the day’s programming, putting together breakfast, and playing Uno as more students arrived. No matter what other games were introduced, the students wanted to play Uno … and only Uno! I had time to connect with my team and review plans for the day, pack our CMC vans, and depart for programming.

Some days this programming took place at Bever Park, where I led conversational games with the students and facilitated literacy rotations. At the park, we would engage in a movement activity where I was the reason for a great number of losses suffered by my teams. We wrote and shared writing, ate some good snacks, and often, would take a field trip to offer the students the opportunity to explore their community. We took students bowling, we were able to volunteer, and create art.

Other days, our students separated into small groups around Cedar Rapids. Partnering with community organizations, we were able to offer students courses in a variety of areas including soccer, photography, cooking, and personal fitness. These enrichments became tools students used to connect with their peers, using language in a meaningful way to drive learning tailored to their passions.

What have you gained so far from this experience?

My time with the Catherine McAuley Center has made me better. I am slower to judge, more aware of those around me, and more at peace because of my time at CMC. I have been inspired by the commitment of the staff at CMC and my heart has been changed by the students I have met there.

What are you planning to do after you finish your AmeriCorps service?

Since my term of service has ended, I have continued on in education at LaSalle Catholic Middle School where I teach middle school religion and lead campus ministry. I am excited to reconnect with the LIFE after school program this fall!

What are your long-term goals?

I have so many dreams for the future, but I am learning more and more that I simply desire to be who God has created me to be, loving the person He has placed in front of me.

Would you like to help refugee and immigrant youth navigate their education and learn more about their community?  We are currently seeking volunteers to assist with various roles related to the LIFE Program:

ESL Tutor on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6pm (open to high schooler or adults)

Mentors on Wednesdays from 4-6pm (adults only)

Chaperones on Fridays from 1:30-5pm or Saturdays 9am-12:30pm (high need for Friday availability)

Please email volunteer@cmc-cr.org to learn more.

Written by CMC’s Director of Refugee & Immigrant Services, Sara Zejnic

As the resettlement agency serving Eastern Iowa, the Catherine McAuley Center (CMC) stands ready to welcome and support Afghan refugees and Special Immigrant Visa-holders (SIVs) as they settle into our local communities and work to establish the safety and stability that every person deserves.

To date, the majority of refugees that CMC has resettled have come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burma, but CMC will support any refugee or SIV referred to our office by our partners at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).

Our local communities are strengthened when we are welcoming and supportive of people from different backgrounds. CMC is fully committed to assisting any and all Afghans when they arrive, and we are waiting for the opportunity to do so.

Refugee vs. Special Immigrant Visa holder (SIV)
It is important to remember that there are several different immigration statuses at play, and that the resettlement process has evolved over the 40 years of the U.S.’s formal Refugee Resettlement program, with a goal of helping refugees become self-sufficient, and includes an extensive vetting process that is trusted to protect Americans.

• Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs) are people who have contracted with the U.S. government, often as interpreters or security forces. They have already undergone extensive security screenings prior to working with the U.S. military. These are the cases that are currently being expedited and processed at U.S. military bases.
• Refugees are people who fled their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for their race, sex, ethnic group, or membership in another social group. Refugees undergo a great deal of screening overseas prior to entering the United States including interviews, background checks, and health screenings. This process usually lasts at least 18 months.

We know that the refugee processing professionals are working around the clock to be certain that the security protocols are followed as they quickly process cases.

More information:
If you have questions, need support, or resources for yourself or others, please visit USCRI’s webpage for the most up-to-date resources to support those seeking safety and stability.

How to help:
If you want to help CMC and our resettlement partners across the country, there are many ways you can get involved:

• Advocate – call on the administration to do everything in its power to facilitate evacuations for every single American-affiliated Afghan.
• Donate – USCRI is collecting an Afghanistan Assistance Fund to provide urgently-needed assistance to Afghan refugees and their families as they rebuild their lives in the United States.
• Volunteer – Fill out our survey to share how you’d like to help welcome and support refugees arriving in our community.
• Amplify – share this post!

Learn More:
Check out the latest news coverage at the links below for more information on CMC’s commitment to supporting Afghans.

Even red states like Iowa are lining up to accept Afghan refugees – August 20, 2021

Cedar Rapids nonprofit ready to accept Afghan refugees amid chaos – August 17, 2021

Iowa exploring accepting more refugees from Afghanistan – August 17, 2021

For Paula and Elena, volunteering at CMC is something they enjoy doing together.  The mother and daughter team have been helping out in the food pantry for about 6 months.

Prior to that, Paula had been a volunteer in the early 2000’s, for about a year.  When her and her husband moved to West Liberty, she stopped volunteering.  Needless to say, a lot has changed since then!  “CMC has always been a great place of support for many in our community who are trying to improve themselves, make a good life, and find support with each other. Coming back many years later, this has not changed and only been enhanced! The biggest most recent change is, of course, to the new building. When my daughter and I started coming to help with the food pantry last fall things were in transition! It is so wonderful to see everything start to take shape.  All of the cooler and freezer space available for the pantry is very helpful! Families are able to access more fresh, nutritious foods they can enjoy,” says Paula.

In the interim years between volunteering, Paula and her family moved to Guatemala – and she experienced the other side of the coin – from what refugees experience here.  “Some of my time in Guatemala was spent with people who had been refugees or internally displaced due to the 36-year civil war in that country. I want my community to be a welcoming place and to give support to those who need it, especially when people have lived through trauma and violence whether that has happened right here in Iowa or anywhere else. As a foreigner and immigrant in these countries I was welcomed by most people in most places I traveled or lived. If I stumbled with a terrible accent in Spanish or when I said or did things in a strange way because I came from another culture and way of life, people were patient and kind with me; they were forgiving and helped me learn. I hope that through CMC, I can help create a place in the community where people are given the opportunity to learn and grow and experience kindness and patience,” says Paula.  Elena says she enjoyed bringing food to the people in need.

For both mother and daughter, the highlight to volunteering was seeing the smiles of delight on children’s and parent’s faces when they delivered food boxes.  Paula sums it up when she says she “wanted to help reduce food insecurity in the community.”  Paula and Elena have enjoyed the opportunity to help CMC further its outreach in the community.