The Intercultural Counseling Connection

The Intercultural Counseling Connection provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed therapeutic services for asylum seekers, refugees and other forced migrants living in Maryland. Since its inception in 2012 through an Open Society Baltimore Community Fellowship grant, the Connection has established a referral network of more than 35 mental health professionals who provide compassionate pro bono therapy for survivors of torture, targeted persecution, sexual and gender-based violence and conflict-related harm. The Connection focuses on serving individuals who are uninsured and who do not receive Federal benefits or supportive services from refugee resettlement agencies. The Connection is the only program in Maryland specifically dedicated to providing specialized mental health services, at no cost, for asylum seekers and other forced migrants in need of culturally and linguistically appropriate care. Through the Connection, these resilient yet vulnerable new community members can engage in the process of healing with the support of caring clinicians, and move forward with renewed strength and hope for the future. The Connection is co-located in northeast Baltimore with partner organization Asylee Women Enterprise (AWE), and operates in collaboration with the Refugee Mental Health Program in the Office of Immigrant Health, Maryland Department of Health; the International Rescue Committee-Baltimore; the Episcopal Refugee and Immigration Center Alliance (ERICA), and other concerned organizations.