Welcome to CIMH
The flowers used in this image were chosen to represent just a small number of the cultures served by CIMH: Tulips (Afghanistan), Jasmine (Syria), Dahlias (Mexico), and Orchids (several Central and South American countries).
Who we are
In response to the anti-immigrant social-political climate, the Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health (CIMH) was created in 2016 by community activists, educators, immigrants, and practitioners.
From its inception, CIMH has been a coalition-building effort, working to build the collective capacity within Illinois to promote the well-being and mental health needs of all immigrants and refugees directly impacted by evolving immigration policies and practices.
We are grounded in an understanding of the structural and systemic factors that contribute to long-standing educational, economic, and health disparities.
CIMH envisions fair, equal, linguistically, and culturally accessible mental health services free from stigma and fear for all refugees and immigrants, regardless of status.
Working Groups
Outreach & Engagement
This working group will work to develop a strategy to support CIMH’s goal, outlined in the recent strategic plan, to adopt a more inclusive approach, expanding beyond binary and systemic definitions of immigrants as documented or undocumented, and instead embracing more inclusive terminology that reflects the diverse communities we serve.
Policy & Advocacy
This working group will contribute a mental health lens to immigrant and refugee policy advocacy and organizing, and help to keep our members informed on actions they can take regarding policy change. The working group will support any relevant community-driven policy campaigns on issues relevant to immigrant and refugee mental health and will monitor, track, and provide guidance to the Executive Director regarding recommendations to cosign legislation or submit witness slips.
CIMH Annual Convening
This working group will utilize the convening brief provided by the CIMH Board of Directors to plan for the 2026 annual convening. This will include identifying/securing a date and location, developing programming for the convening, identification/outreach to speakers/presenters, outreach to community members, caterer, etc.
CIMH Wellness Postcards
The CIMH Wellness Postcards are physically printed cards created to support individual and collective care during moments of uncertainty, stress and systemic harm. These postcards offer reminders and grounding practices for how we can care for ourselves and one another.
Inspired by the importance of Know Your Rights (KYR) cards as tools for safety, these wellness postcards are meant to serve as a companion resource focused on wellbeing, connection, and care.
Currently, the postcards are available in English and Spanish, with Haitian Creole and French coming soon. We are inviting community input on additional languages and design improvements before future print runs.
These postcards are physically printed. To request copies for yourself and your communities, please fill out our Google Form so we can coordinate delivery:
English (Front)
English (Back)
Why we do this work
The mental health and immigrant and refugee experiences are deeply intertwined. The level of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty that most immigrant and refugee communities are experiencing at the moment is unprecedented and leads to isolation, division, and despair.
CIMH believes that access to mental health care is a public health issue and a human right riddled with inequities and limited resources.
Immigrant and refugee families are often economically, socially, and emotionally vulnerable within an antagonistic social environment, exacerbating psychological distress.
When our communities are not well, we will not thrive and can not win. When our communities are well, the possibilities for what we can achieve are endless.
What we do
CIMH takes a healing-centered approach that understands the intersecting structural and systemic factors that have historically contributed to long-standing educational, economic, and health disparities. As a result, we operate from a social justice framework and through our work aim to build:
1) collective capacity in our communities for how we care for ourselves and others;
2) community connections and power that allow us to embody healing-centered wellness and be a powerful force for our communities; and
3) access to vital resources and knowledge that position us to fight, care for, and stand with all immigrants and refugees.
Impact*
824
Of CIMH members
*Data as of 1/28/2026.
715
People participated in CIMH’s convenings
2,537
Number of people attended CIMH trainings and/or presentations
$708,500
Received in grant funding
Urgent Resources for Our Communities
During this time of heightened uncertainty and risk, it is more important than ever that families have immediate access to trusted resources and support. We’ve gathered key tools to help you stay informed, know your rights, and connect with community protection networks:
