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Lucia Merino, LCSW Bilingual Psychological Services, profile picture
Uploaded byLucia Merino, LCSW Bilingual Psychological Services
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Providing mental health services latinx clients

The document discusses providing mental health services to Latinx clients, highlighting the distinction between the terms 'Hispanic' and 'Latino' and their cultural implications. It details the demographic makeup of Latinx individuals in the U.S., particularly in California, and emphasizes the importance of treating clients as unique individuals while avoiding stereotypes based on culture and socio-economic status. It also outlines common mental health issues faced by Latinx clients and suggests appropriate treatment approaches and resources available in the community.

Health & Medicine◦
PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO LATINX CLIENTS Presented by Lucia Merino, LCSW
LATINX IS IT HISPANIC OR LATINO?  Hispanic–Latino naming dispute. ...While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, "Hispanic" is a narrower term that only refers to persons of Spanish- speaking origin or ancestry, while "Latino" is more frequently used to refer generally to anyone of Latin American origin or ancestry, including Brazilians.  The difference between Latino and Hispanic:  Latino refers to countries (or cultures) that were once under Roman rule.This includes Italy, France, Spain, etc. Brazilians are considered to be Latino but are not considered to be Hispanic.  Hispanic describes cultures or countries that were once under Spanish rule (Mexico, CentralAmerica, and most South America where Spanish is the primary language).  One way to pose the question is to simply ask, "Are you of Hispanic or LatinAmerican origin?"
LATINX POPULATION IN USA AND CAL THE LARGEST ETHNIC OR RACIAL MINORITY  How many Hispanics are in the United States?  As per July 1, 2015: 56.6 million 63.4% of Mexican origin 9.5 % Puerto Rican 3.8 % Salvadoran 3.7 % Cuban 3.3 % Dominican 2.4 % Guatemalan  The remainder were of some other Central American, South American or other Hispanic or Latino origin.  Latinos are expected to make up 39 percent of California's population, edging past non-Hispanic whites who will make up 38.8 percent.This places California as the second state, behind New Mexico, where Latinos make up the largest percentage of any racial or ethnic group.
WHO ARETHE LATINX CLIENTS WE SERVE?  As a mental health provider, we serve a great variety of individuals: children, adults, single mothers, couples, families, broken families, foster children, children with special needs/disabilities, victims of DV, victims of substance abuse, victims of unfair treatment, victims of crime, victims of immigration laws, and victims of social status. (anecdote: ornitorrinco/platypus)  Avoid stereotyping. Be aware of the impact of culture, language, immigration status, socio-economics, but treat each individual as a unique being with a set of unique circumstances, past experiences, and coping style. Each person has a unique way of making sense of the world. Treat each client as a unique individual.
AVOID STEREOTYPING: READING NON-VERBAL CUES  Non-verbal communication cues include: facial expressions, hand and body movement, physical touch, voice pitch, voice sounds (not the articulation of the words), physical appearance, emotional appearance (like teary eyes), and even smell. (anecdote: uniform, cocinera)  Respect to authority in Latino/Hispanic culture: lack of eye contact means respect, but may indicate lack of self-esteem, victimhood, deceit…  Anecdotal stories of my clinical work: immigration letter, victim of sex assault (sobador), victim DV, substance abuse (ecstasy)  Latinos prefer to interact at an emotional or spiritual level (gut feeling).This heightened level of communication means going further than the articulation of words and connecting by relying on information that transcends the spoken language.  Anecdotal stories of my clinical work: duelo, presencia, visiones, spiritus…
MOST COMMON PRESENTING PROBLEMS  Latinos are no different when it comes to prevalence of mental health conditions when compared to the rest of the population. However, their concerns or experiences and how they understand and cope with these conditions may be different.  Depression, Anxiety, Panic attack, Post traumatic stress, substance abuse  Marital Problems: DV, Infidelity, Alcoholism, rigid gender roles  Family Conflict: anecdote transgender teenager  Paraphilia: zoophilia anecdote
BESTTREATMENT APPROACHES
RESOURCES INTHE COMMUNITY FOR LATINX CLIENTS Next Door Solutions to DomesticViolence ECCAC Latino Community Ethnic & Cultural Communities Advisory Committee Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services En Español Counseling Groups Classes Gardner Projecto Primavera: Substance Abuse Victims of Crimes
TIME FOR AVIDEO?
TIME FOR QUESTIONS
THANKYOUVERY MUCH FORYOURTIME AND FOR SERVINGTHE LATINX COMMUNITY
Sources: www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2016/cb16-ff16.html www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/23/latino-population-california_n_5017038.html www.latinoopinion.com/category/marketing-and-market-research/ www.thebalance.com/which-is-politically-correct-latino-or-hispanic-3514820 https://www.sccgov.org/sites/bhd/info/PeerSupport/ECCAC/Pages/ECCACLatino.aspx