For Mental Health Awareness Month, Dr. Kitzia Moreno-Garza, a clinical psychologist who focuses on children and adolescents, shares her experiences in researching and working with Latino/a/é young people. Below is an excerpt of her post that appeared on our Psychology Today blog, Young People Decoded.  

In the past, many therapists were trained that showing respect to a person from a different background or culture meant not bringing up their background or culture—that wasn’t meant to be part of the therapeutic space. Now, we’re teaching future therapists that the way to be respectful is to bring that conversation into the room. It’s important to show it’s okay to talk about those pieces of yourself. 

This is especially true for Latina/o/é individuals. Stigma in Latiné communities (among other structural barriers) often prevents Latinés from seeking and receiving mental health care; young people who face increased stigma around mental health in their communities are especially reticent to talk to the adults in their lives about it. While Latiné young people report rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma comparable to their white peers, they are less likely than their peers to have seen a mental health professional. This disparity in mental health care underscores the need for trusted adults in the lives of Latiné teens and young adults. But while the benefits of trusted adults in the lives of young people are clear, becoming a trusted adult is easier said than done. In my clinical work, I’ve seen non-family adults become trusted adults by having conversations with the young Latinés they serve in culturally informed—and sustaining—ways. This means acknowledging and celebrating young people’s cultural identities, values, practices, and ways of being. This kind of care from non-family adults supports Latiné young people’s positive emotional development, reduces mental health concerns, and decreases the internalization of stigma associated with mental illness.     

While becoming a trusted adult may seem like a daunting task, it simply starts with a desire to help and a commitment to care. Here are practical steps adults can take to begin having culturally responsive and sustaining conversations about mental health with the Latiné young people in your life.