1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Immigration Detention is presented by Virginia Barber Rioja, PhD.

This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts toward a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards the Correctional Mental Health Certificate and share your new digital credentials.

This program explores the conditions, policies, and procedures related to immigration detention, focusing on the legal and human rights aspects of detaining individuals awaiting immigration proceedings. It examines the psychological and physical impacts of detention on individuals, particularly vulnerable populations, and the ethical considerations of detention practices. The program also highlights alternatives to detention and strategies for improving the treatment and support of detainees within the immigration system.

This program is geared toward mental health and other allied professionals at all training levels who work in carceral settings or with clients involved in the criminal justice system. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the policies, procedures, and legal frameworks related to immigration detention, with a focus on the human rights implications for detained individuals
  • 2 Describe the psychological and physical effects of immigration detention on individuals, particularly vulnerable populations, and explore the ethical considerations surrounding detention practices
  • 3 Describe alternatives to detention and identify strategies to enhance the treatment, care, and support of detainees within the immigration system, focusing on ethical and humane practices

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who work with individuals in detention settings or those involved in the immigration or criminal justice systems. It is particularly relevant for professionals in psychology, counseling, social work, and related fields who address the mental health, legal, and human rights needs of detained or vulnerable populations. The training is suitable for practitioners at any stage of their career, from early-career to experienced professionals, and is applicable to those working in a variety of settings, including detention facilities, community organizations, and advocacy programs.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

  • Practice Setting

    • Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and allied mental health professionals

    • Professionals working in immigration detention centers or correctional facilities

    • Staff in community organizations serving justice-involved or immigrant populations

    • Advocates and case managers addressing legal and human rights issues

    • Those supporting vulnerable or marginalized individuals in detention or post-release

Presented By

Virginia Barber-Rioja, PhD

Dr. Virginia Barber-Rioja earned her Ph.D to the Clinical Psychology at John Jay Training Area, a discipline within the Graduate Center’s PhD Program in Psychology, in 2009. Upon graduation, she became the Clinical Director of Queens TASC Mental Health Diversion program, an alternative to incarceration program that works in collaboration with the Queens Mental Health Court, the District Attorney’s office and the defense bar. In this position, she helped reshape the program into a clinically informed diversion program that utilized testing and evidence-based risk assessments to aid the courts with eligibility decisions. She subsequently worked for three years as an attending psychologist in the Forensic Inpatient Unit of Bellevue Hospital Center, which provides treatment and assessment to incarcerated individuals with acute psychiatric conditions. In 2012, Dr. Barber Rioja became the Clinical Director of EAC Network’s Brooklyn and Staten Island court mental health diversion programs and jail and prison re-entry programs. In this job, she helped developed the Staten Island Mental Health Court, as well as a prison re-entry program for individuals with Severe Mental Illness.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Virginia Barber-Rioja, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Overview of the policies, procedures, and legal frameworks related to immigration detention

  • Overview of the psychological and physical effects of immigration detention on individual

  • Overview alternatives to detention and identify strategies to enhance the treatment, care, and support of detainees within the immigration system

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
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CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.