Dr. Manny Casas, an emeritus professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara, is one of six authors of the Report of the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration. The recently released report studies trends in immigration to find best practices for psychologists, educators, and other service providers to serve this growing group of approximately 39.9 million people.
The report, entitled “Crossroads: The Psychology of Immigration in the New Century,” focuses on immigrant resilience, social influence, and multicultural education. Casas, one of the elite members of the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration, was chosen out of 99 qualified applicants to share his expertise on immigrant studies. The executive summary of the report is available on-line.
“This report describes, in broad strokes, the diverse population of immigrants and then addresses the psychological experience of immigration,” says Melba J.T. Vasquez, President of the American Psychological Association. “I appreciate tremendously the dedication and expertise of the task force members, advisors, and APA staff members who devoted a significant part of their working lives to contribute to this important project.”
As a counselor, Casas worked with children from diverse backgrounds, low income families, and those at high risk for failure within the traditional educational system. His most recent research and publications focus on Hispanic families and children who are at risk for experiencing psycho-social problems. Casas is one of the editors of the Handbook of Multicultural Counseling, which was used in the APA report.