The hope is that 4Youth will offer a scalable, culturally responsive digital tool that can help connect youth in these communities with mental health care when they need it. Also, Latinx mental health professionals often better understand cultural differences such as family dynamics and variations in the way mental health is discussed (for example, using physical symptoms to describe psychological pain). And while it’s clear that mental health is a crosscutting issue that affects all communities, providing effective services for people of color requires acknowledging and understanding their different lived realities.

• Future research needs to explore how efforts to improve coordination with the child welfare system may have ancillary benefits in improving connection with mental health services.
• Road drawings were used during the clinical interview with an art therapist to evaluate an inmate’s risk for suicide in a Midwestern County jail.
• For comparison, 17% of all U.S. adults have a mental health condition, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
• There are several resources available for locating culturally competent therapists.

Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Hispanic and Latino Youth

Always consult a qualified health or mental health professional with any questions or concerns about your mental health. The founders of Melanin & Mental Health (two licensed therapists) also host a mental health podcast you can listen to. FYI, depending on what state you’re searching in, the psychiatrist database will show other providers who can prescribe mental health medication like psychiatric nurse practitioners. You can filter both databases by gender, language, price, mental health issues, and more. This group of Latinx psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health pros set out to expand Latinx mental health research and advocate for Latinx communities. The Alejandre Foundation’s Therapy Dinero grant program covers eight therapy sessions for Latinx adults (regardless of immigration status) who don’t have mental health insurance coverage.

Families

The earliest trial of Familias Unidas did not have a set number of sessions (Pantin et al., 2003), making it difficult to assess intervention dosage. Familias Unidas was developed specifically for Latinx families using a socioecological framework, and it aims to target several socioecological levels to promote family cohesion and parental investment (Pantin et al., 2003). Indicates the intervention was only effective for a specific subsample (e.g., only U.S.-born). A moderate risk of bias indicates that there could have been some issues in the implementation or design of the trial in at least one domain, which should be considered when interpreting the results. Overall, most articles were deemed to have a low risk of bias (see Figure 2), and five (22%) were considered to have moderate risk of bias (Liddle et al., 2018; Robbins et al., 2008; Santisteban et al., 2003; Santisteban et al., https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/the-loveland-foundation-therapy/ 2011; Smokowski & Bacallao, 2008).

Latinx Mental Health and Social Justice Symposium

Additionally, suicide is a concern for Latinx youth. Joining forces with organizations like LBHC offers an opportunity to contribute to a collective effort toward a healthier, more equitable future for Latino individuals and families. For instance, integrating traditional Latino family values into therapy can enhance engagement and outcomes. Embrace the power of Latinx therapy and take that first step towards a healthier, happier you. Let’s talk about it openly, seek help when we need it, and support each other in our journeys towards healing and growth.

All but one article (Wong et al., 2017) reported and discussed their interventions’ cultural and linguistic elements. Moreover, other studies have shown that Latinos/as adults with limited English proficiency reported low mental health literacy (Bauer et al., 2010; Cabassa, 2016). Mental health literacy is different from stigma as it focuses on people’s knowledge and understanding of mental disorders and treatments rather than attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes.

When seeking help, the Latino/a population encounters language and cultural barriers from the predominantly white mental health field. Latinos/as face a number of barriers that obstruct their access to mental health services. The disparity of access to mental health treatment among the Latino/a population compared to the national average highlights an unmet need. Schools support mental health in college students indirectly as well, such as by increasing mental awareness and reducing mental health stigma on campus. Colleges can provide mental health support by offering access to support networks, centers, programs, and learning resources. There is a significant need for specialized Latino/a mental health services, including culturally and linguistically appropriate programs.

Data were collected from direct service providers to the Latinx community utilizing semi-structured, in-depth interviews. ” and “Has your organization continued to provide all services since the pandemic began? The interview included questions related to the type of work the provider conducted with Latinx immigrants, the wellbeing of Latinx immigrant families, and how these families’ needs were altered during the pandemic. Interviews were conducted by KR and KD, research assistants trained by the study principal investigator, MPL.