Presentation given at Family and Children Services agency in San Jose, California to MSW and MFT interns.

1. PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
TO LATINX CLIENTS
Presented by Lucia Merino, LCSW

2. 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?"

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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…

6. 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

7. BESTTREATMENT APPROACHES

8. 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

9. TIME FOR AVIDEO?

10. TIME FOR QUESTIONS

11. THANKYOUVERY MUCH FORYOURTIME AND FOR
SERVINGTHE LATINX COMMUNITY

12. 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