This opportunity is open to the general public as part of our Lifelong Learning initiative.

About the Workshop

This 2-hour interactive workshop focuses on the impact on the mental health of immigrants and refugees’ populations, their specific needs, strengths and resilience. It provides an opportunity for participants to gain new insights about the immigration process and the unique needs of immigrant communities based on their specific journeys. The workshop offers practical skills to enhance therapeutic interventions with these populations and provide more culturally evidence-based, trauma informed care.

Register by October 29, 2025.

Cost to Attend

Registration is $50 per person.
Please note: Registration is non-refundable and non-transferable.

All portions of the workshop will take place via ZOOM only.

MFT CEU Credits Available

Participation in this virtual workshop can count for two MFT CEUs. You will be required to fill out an evaluation survey at an allotted time during the workshop and submit it to qualify for the CEU credits. Your certificate will then be mailed to you.

About the Instructor

Dr. Maria Casal Porto is a bilingual licensed professional counselor who is also credentialed in Maternal Mental Health. She is the proud daughter of immigrants, born and raised in the Caribbean. Dr. Casal Porto completed her Doctorate in Counseling and Masters in psychology (Minor in Industrial-Organizational-Psychology). She has worked both in the United States and internationally in outpatient and inpatient clinics, hospitals (ER), substance abuse clinics, shelters, prisons and community mental health. She has significant experience working with expatriates, refugees and clients who struggle with trauma and addictions.

Originally, Dr. Casal Porto trained in Humanistic theories. Over the course of her professional career, she has increasingly employed an integrative approach that incorporates evidence-based techniques. She tailors treatment to the needs of each person while embracing a collaborative, culturally-responsive, person-centered approach to therapy using the following practices: Cognitive Behavioral – Mindfulness therapy, Somatic Therapy, Dialectic Behavioral therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). and Solution Focused Therapy, among others.

Passionate about the impact of life changes and adjustments in mental and emotional stability, her focus is to support clients in addressing personal, sociocultural, familial, and professional challenges that are often encountered while going through life transitions. Her primary goal is to help individuals on their journey towards wholeness, by “walking” through their narratives, helping them to recognize strengths, redesigning goals and identifying any obstacles that may prevent them from living a fulfilling life. She believes in the wisdom of each individual and is aware of the importance of respecting how each person shows up just as they are-and in wherever form that may be on their life path. She believes that we do not heal in isolation but rather [as a collective] in community.

Favorite Quotes:

“The curious paradox is when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change”.

“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”

“The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change”.

~Carl Rogers

To learn more about Lifelong Learning Opportunities, visit: lpts.edu/lifelong_learning

*This event may be photographed and/or recorded. By registering and participating, you understand that your image may be included in the recorded video or still photography, and you consent to this and its use in any and all media throughout Louisville Seminary and its partners.

Refugee and Immigrant Mental Health: An Overview of Clinical Strategies and Interventions

A lifelong learning opportunity.