What is it?
Being forced to migrate is one of the most demanding experiences a human being can go through. It means leaving everything familiar behind, facing the uncertainty of a new process, and carrying the weight of what was left behind: family, identity, belonging.
The psychology space at IRCA CASABIERTA isn't a clinical office; it's a place to let out your emotions, a spot where we talk about what's weighing on us without anyone labeling it, diagnosing it, or judging it.
The care can be in-person, virtual, or over the phone, depending on your availability and specific situation. Each person gets 12 completely free and confidential individual sessions. The process moves at your own pace, from wherever you are and not from where the system thinks you should be.
In the IRCA CASABIERTA rooms, there’s space to cry, to breathe, to start over.
What many people end up experiencing
If something sounds familiar to you, this space is for you.
Migration grief
Leaving your home country involves multiple losses: family, friends, routines, identity, culture, language, landscapes… and that’s a real grief that deserves to be experienced and processed with support.
Anxiety and uncertainty about the migration process
Not knowing what's going to happen with the process, when they will get an answer, if they'll be able to stay, if they'll be able to work.
Sustained uncertainty over time creates an intense emotional load that the body and mind feel in different ways.
Aftermath of violence and persecution
Many people arrive having experienced physical, psychological, or sexual violence in their home country, including hate crimes because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Those experiences leave marks that need a safe space to be named and worked through.
Conflicts in relational bonds
Forced displacement deeply disrupts relationships: with the family left behind, with potential partners, with the new community.
Role changes, breakups, distance, and loneliness create relationship tensions that deserve attention.
Worries about sexuality and identity
For many LGBTIQ+ people, the migration process happens at the same time as a process of accepting and recognizing their own identity.
The anxieties about who you are, how to relate to others, what it means to live openly in a new context— all of that has a place in this space.
Living with HIV in a migration context
Being diagnosed with HIV in a situation of forced displacement adds an extra layer of uncertainty: access to treatment, continuity of ART, stigma, fear of discrimination.
The Psychology space also supports these realities with confidentiality and without judgment.
What we can do and what we can't
We are a space for emotional release. Here you can talk without fear or judgment
We Do
- Active listening and emotional support without diagnosis or labeling.
- Up to 12 free and confidential individual sessions.
- In-person, virtual, or phone assistance depending on availability and specific situation.
- Support in dealing with migration-related grief.
- Emotional support in situations of crisis, violence, or persecution.
- Tools for dealing with anxiety and uncertainty.
- Safe space to explore anxieties about identity and sexuality.
- Support groups facilitated along with the Social Work team.
- Referral to specialized mental health services when the situation requires it.
We Don't Do
- Psychiatric care nor prescription of medications.
- Clinical diagnoses nor the preparation of psychiatric reports.
- Conversion therapies or practices that question sexual orientation or gender identity. These practices are unethical and are rejected by the College of Psychology Professionals of Costa Rica.
- Replacement of specialized clinical care when it is needed. In those cases, the appropriate referral is coordinated.
How does the process work?
Reference or first contact
Access to psychology usually happens through a referral from Social Work, which assesses the person's overall situation and coordinates access.
It can also be requested directly by contacting IRCA CASABIERTA if you already have an open file.
First listening session
The first session doesn't have a set agenda. It's a space to get to know each other, for the person to share whatever they want, and for the team to understand where to start from.
There are no mandatory questions or forms to fill out before entering.
A process made for you
From the first session, the team and the person jointly decide which topics to cover, how often to meet, and in what format (in-person, virtual, or by phone).
The process is flexible and adapts to changes in the person's situation.
Up to 12 individual sessions
The service includes up to 12 free one-on-one sessions.
If at the end of them the person needs additional support or specialized care, the team arranges a referral to the appropriate services either inside or outside of IRCA CASABIERTA.
Support groups
In addition to individual care, IRCA CASABIERTA provides support groups or shared spaces for listening, reflection, and exchange among people going through similar experiences.
Participation is voluntary.
- The whole process is strictly confidential. What’s shared in a session stays in the session.
Access requirements
To access Psychology you need:
To access Psychology you need: - Being an LGBTIQ+ person in a situation of migration, forced displacement, or seeking refuge in Costa Rica.
- Having an open file at IRCA CASABIERTA (Social Work is the usual entry point).
- Giving your consent for the support process.
Not required:
Not required: - Knowing exactly what they want to work on.
- Having a previous diagnosis.
- Having experienced an acute crisis to gain access.
- Explain why you need emotional support.
Impact story
I arrived at IRCA CASABIERTA's Psychology department at 21, with way too many things happening at the same time. I had grown up in a hostile environment where my sexual orientation was a reason for rejection, mistreatment, violence, and sexual abuse. On top of that pain, I also felt like I had to bear the financial responsibility for a family that often made me feel guilty and not enough.
Today I still face challenges. But I relate to myself in a very different way. I set boundaries with my family and at work without feeling the same guilt as before. I went back to my studies. I trust my abilities more. And I can think about my future, not just about surviving the present.
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Story built from a real case.
Protected identifying information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to talk about everything from the first session?
No. The first session is simply a space to get to know each other. You don't have to tell your whole story, nor address topics you don't want to touch yet. The process moves at its own pace, without pressure or a set agenda.
¿La atención es presencial o virtual?
What happens when the 12 sessions are over?
Does what I say in the session reach other people on the team?
Can I access it if I have HIV?
Are support groups mandatory?
Can you refer me to psychology if I'm on medication?
Psychology works with the whole household
Do you need a space to talk?
You don't have to be in crisis to contact us, you just have to want to.
