Join Immigrants Rising’s Wellness Support Groups to stay grounded and connected with your community while you explore new immigration options.

Cover graphic for the Wellness Support Groups for People Pursuing Legalization

Are you a DACA recipient in the San Francisco Bay Area pursuing permanent legal status? We understand that this journey can often be isolating. It can also stir up a mix of emotions – curiosity and excitement about the possibilities, frustration with the process, and anxiety about what lies ahead. With the vulnerability of the DACA program and the upcoming presidential election, you might be feeling the weight of these uncertainties.

That’s why we’re here. Immigrants Rising is offering a series of 6-week Wellness Support Groups designed for DACA recipients like you who are pursuing permanent legal status. These groups are not legal information workshops or legal consultations. Rather, they are safe and supportive spaces, led by trained mental health providers with shared lived experiences, to help you stay grounded and connected.

Note: Though participation can be therapeutic, the groups are not a form of therapy.

Are These Groups for You?

If you’re wondering whether our Wellness Support Groups are the right fit, here is what you need to know. These groups are right for you if:

  • You are a DACA recipient.
  • You live, work, or study in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • You are 18 or older.
  • You have an option for more permanent legal status, including a green card through work or marriage, H-1B, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), asylum, U-Visa, or Advance Parole as a way to open up more permanent immigration options.

Even if you’re unsure or haven’t decided whether to take the next step in your legalization process, this group is a supportive space to explore your options. You don’t have to have it all figured out – just come as you are.

Please check out our Participant FAQ for more details.

New Groups Starting in October 2024

For People Pursuing Family-based Options and/or Advance Parole (facilitated by Jose Perez, LMFT)
Dates: Six consecutive Wednesdays from October 16, 2024 to November 20, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET

This group is specifically intended for Bay Area DACA recipients interested in or already pursuing a family-based option and/or advance parole as a step toward pursuing permanent legal status. This group is not a workshop or intended to replace legal consultations. It is a processing space led by a trained mental health provider with shared lived experiences. This group is a safe and supportive space to help you stay grounded and connected.

Register Here

For People Pursuing Employment-based Options (facilitated by Mayra Almanza, LMFT)
Dates: Six consecutive Wednesdays from October 16, 2024 to November 20, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET

This group is specifically intended for Bay Area DACA recipients interested in or already pursuing an employment-based immigration option. This group is not a workshop or intended to replace legal consultations. It is a processing space led by a trained mental health provider with shared lived experiences. This group is a safe and supportive space to help you stay grounded and connected.

Register Here

New Groups Coming Soon

For People Pursuing Humanitarian-based Options
This group is specifically intended for Bay Area DACA recipients interested in or already pursuing a humanitarian-based immigration option. This group is not a workshop or intended to replace legal consultations. It is a processing space led by a trained mental health provider with shared lived experiences. This group is a safe and supportive space to help you stay grounded and connected.

Registrations have not yet opened for this group. Please check back later.

Meet the Facilitators

Our facilitators are licensed mental health professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and empathy to their roles. Having personal experience as undocumented individuals, they understand the challenges of not having legal status. Some have navigated the process of adjusting their own status, enabling them to offer both professional insight and personal understanding of the mental health aspects of this journey.

Photo of Mayra Almanza
Mayra Almanza, LMFT (she/her) is a formerly undocumented Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist living in Southern California. She has worked in the non-profit mental health sector for over 10 years in various roles ranging from administrative coordination to clinical work and supervision. Her lived experiences guide the way she engages clients in therapy. Mayra’s commitment to providing mental health services that are equitable, accessible, and affordable led to the creation of her business, Contigo Counseling Inc., which is focused on serving the undocumented community.
Photo of Jose Perez
Jose Perez, LMFT (he/him) is a DACAmented Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jose has the privilege of running the mental health department at Samaritan House San Mateo where he helps increase access to mental health for uninsured immigrants. Additionally, Jose has a private practice specializing in immigrant mental health and treating trauma, depression, anxiety, and acculturation difficulties. Jose aims to provide a collaborative approach to care utilizing strength-based approaches to help clients reach self-actualization, resilience, and healing. In his spare time, Jose is finishing his PsyD in clinical psychology and enjoys hiking and trying new foods and eateries.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions, please check out our Participant FAQ. If your question is not answered there, please contact our Mental Health Senior Manager, Mayra Barragan-O’Brien, at mbarraganobrien@immigrantsrising.org.