Today's Date: March 28, 2024
VIRGIN HOTELS CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVE TRAVEL FOR NEURODIVERSE TRAVELERS   •   Coachella Concerned That People Have Sex, Says AHF   •   YMCA of the USA Partners With Old Spice To Increase High School Graduation Among Boys And Young Men Of Color Through Mentorship   •   Suffolk Kicks off 2024 “Build With Us @ Suffolk” Program in Boston for Trade Partners, Opening Doors for Minority-,   •   PMI Foods Gives Easter Donation of 15,000 Pounds of Prime Rib to New Life Church in Arkansas   •   John Legend to Perform at City Year Los Angeles’ 13th Annual Spring Break Event   •   Make-A-Wish and celebrity wish granters announce goal to recruit 1 million people to become "WishMakers"   •   More $10-a-day child care spaces   •   Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink   •   Visit Visalia Recognizes Autism Awareness Month in April   •   Carnegie Learning Named 2024 SIIA CODiE Award Finalist for Best Educational Game and Best AI Implementation in Ed Tech   •   Sypher Secures Strategic Partnership with FAIA to Fuel Growth   •   Amerex Group Unveils Red Carter Swimwear's Revitalized Collection   •   Empire State Realty Trust Receives WELL Health-Safety Leadership Award; Becomes Among the First Commercial Office and Multifamil   •   Parkland Corporation Announces the Results of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders   •   Fastenal Releases 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report   •   Jamieson Wellness Publishes Inaugural Sustainability Impact Report   •   Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. Expands OTC Portfolio for Children with the Introduction of bébé Bottoms™   •   Torrid Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results and Initiates Fiscal 2024 Guidance   •   Equalpride Partners with TransLash Media for Trans Day of Visibility, Amplifying Voices of Black Trans Femmes in the Arts
Bookmark and Share

Medical Leaders Advocate For Minorities With Mental Health Issues

 

 

BOSTON,  -- Supporting clinical training programs that develop language skills and cultural competence and forgiving educational loans for psychology graduates who have this kind of training can help meet the critical need for mental health providers to care for Latinos and other underserved populations, said leaders of Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), who spoke at the state Health Disparities Council meeting earlier this week.

Dr. Nicholas Covino, MSPP president, and Dr. Amaro Laria, who directs the MSPP Latino Mental Health Program, were asked by the Council to describe their efforts to create a workforce pipeline to help address the disparities in mental health services in Massachusetts and recommend ways the state can help further such efforts.

While depression and other mental disorders have an enormous impact on all elements of society (affecting nearly half the populations at some point), the burden is greater among Latinos and other minorities, said Covino. "This is not because of greater incidence or severity, but because they have less care or poorer care than their Caucasian counterparts," he said, adding that even where mental health services exist, cultural and language differences inhibit the therapeutic relationship.

"And because of the stigma attached to mental illness in many cultures and the sensitive and personal nature of the therapeutic relationship, using interpreter services has not been effective," said Laria, adding that research has shown that patients are more likely to continue and benefit from therapy when the therapist speaks and understands the nuances of their language and displays sensitivity to their culture.

The fastest growing segment in the US, today Latinos make up more than 15 percent of the population (US Census Bureau, 2008). Yet, only two percent of mental health professionals have the linguistic skills to work competently with this population.

The Latino Mental Health Program at MSPP is designed to immerse graduate level psychology students in the Spanish language and cultures of Latinos. The program includes courses aimed at helping students attain a deep understanding of the psychological experiences of Latinos by focusing on the social factors that drive them to migrate into the US, as well as the characteristics of their lives in this country. These courses are taught initially in English and then progressively in Spanish, and students receive constant training and practice to refine their language skills; they also do their internships in community mental health settings with high Latino populations, In addition, they are required to research some aspect of Latino mental health for their doctoral or master's theses.

A major highlight is the summer immersion programs, said Laria. Students are immersed in intensive study of Spanish and provide volunteer mental health services in Latin American countries for at least two summers of their academic programs.

The LMHP not only trains non-Latino psychologists, but also actively recruits Latinos to enter the field.

Juan Rodriquez, an MSPP student, who will receive his doctorate in clinical psychology this Fall spoke eloquently of the experience, especially of the summer programs. "Being able to experience life in their native countries-these are things you don't get from reading a book. Going to Costa RicaEcuador and Guatemala allowed me not only to provide services, but also to understand some of the cultural nuances."

According to Laria, by the years 2013, the program will have graduated 43 non-Latino and 14 Latino psychologists prepared to care competently for Latinos in the community.

In addition to expanding Loan Forgiveness and supporting more culturally sensitive training programs, Covino and Laria urged the Council to increase their attention to mental health in their measures of health disparities and to be aware that interpreter services are generally ineffective, if not inappropriate, for mental health treatment situations. They also recommended that the state collect information about the cultural and linguistic competency of psychologists during the licensing process to accurately assess the workforce needs in serving particular groups.

Founded in 1974 as a non-profit institution of higher education, the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology is a preeminent school of psychology that integrates rigorous academic instruction with extensive field education and close attention to professional development. The School assumes an ongoing social responsibility to create programs to educate specialists of many disciplines in order to meet the evolving mental health needs of society. MSPP is committed to bringing psychologists into nearly every facet of modern life. For more information, go to www.MSPP.edu.

 

SOURCE Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

 


STORY TAGS: medical, leader, leaders, leadership, advocate, minority, health, issue, issues, healthcare, health, care, treatment, disease, illness, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, Health Disparities Council, Latino Mental Health Program, black, african, american, news, black radio network, minority news

Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News