In this powerful episode of The Immigrant Experience in America, Simone W. Johnson sits down with Dr. Leide Porcu, psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, and author of Neither Here Nor There: A Guide for Immigrants and the Therapists Who Walk With Them.
Drawing from her own lived experience as an immigrant and decades of clinical practice, Dr. Porcu unpacks the emotional and psychological realities many immigrants carry but rarely name, identity fragmentation, suppressed distress, and multilayered grief. This conversation explores why immigrants often feel unseen in their mourning, how cultural dissonance and acculturation stress show up in mental health, and what culturally responsive care actually looks like in practice.
Dr. Porcu also shares practical tools for managing daily stressors such as visa uncertainty, financial pressure, and caregiving burden, without pathologizing survival. This episode is for immigrants, first-generation families, third-culture people, therapists, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the inner world of migration.
"Neither Here Nor There" : A Guide for Immigrants and Those Who Walk With Them by Leide Porcu was published by Routledge in February 2026. The book draws on more than seven years of focused writing and clinical work with immigrants and multilingual families. It addresses a wide range of immigrant experiences — from trauma and hardship to the disorientation, identity conflict, loneliness, and pressure to succeed that can affect even privileged newcomers. It also speaks to the second generation. The book offers practical therapeutic tools, case vignettes, culturally adaptive exercises, and guidance for therapists and allies supporting those living between cultures.
Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Neither-Here-Nor-There-Immigrants/dp/1041091184 Routledge https://www.routledge.com/Neither-Here-Nor-There-A-Guide-for-Immigrants-and-the-Therapists-Who-Walk-with-Them/Porcu/p/book/9781041091189
#immigrantmentalhealth neither here nor there immigration psychology culture shock mental health immigrant grief identity fragmentation acculturation stress imposter syndrome immigrants therapy for immigrants mental health and migration third culture identity The Immigrant Experience in America Decoding America #immigrantexperience
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Disclaimer: The Immigrant Experience in America podcast is produced in my personal capacity. The views and opinions shared by me and my guests are our own and do not reflect the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. government or USCIS.
Please note: I do not provide immigration legal services or case-specific guidance. My work focuses on cultural adjustment, financial empowerment, and personal growth.
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