Demand for Culturally Competent Therapy with Latino Clients is More Urgent Than Ever!
The demand for mental health professionals who can interact with their clients in a culturally competent fashion is more urgent than ever. Nowhere is this more evident than with the Latino population. With estimates suggesting that their numbers will triple by 2050, these individuals will be an increasingly important consumer base for counseling services by professionals who can interact with them in a respectful manner.

This webinar teaches mental health professionals crucial communication skills that are the basis of culturally sensitive services to their Latino clients. You will learn to respond in a way that fits the clients' communication style and cultural values. Ms. Lambert emphasizes the applicability of these skills to a variety of clinical situations, as she takes you through cultural competency in intake, in-person therapy, phone therapy, and crisis situations.

Course Content

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN MENTAL HEALTH
• Latino population in the U.S.
Who are Latinos?
Spanish language
• Latinos and mental health
Why serve Latinos?
Language and cultural barriers
Latinos and language choice
Language and emotions
Language and the use of “Dichos”
• Culture matters
Guidelines and constructing cultural competence
Post-modern views of culturally competent therapy
Therapy as healing in different cultures
Espiritism and Latino traditional medicine
COMMUNICATION SKILLS WHEN WORKING WITH LATINO CLIENTS
• How Latinos communicate
Nonverbal communication and verbal communication
• Use of Spanish in the U.S.
Issues with interpreters
Standards necessary for competency in interpreting
• Latino values as a way of communication (familismo, personalismo, confianza, etc.)
• Therapeutic strategies
APPLYING CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN VARIETY OF SETTINGS
• Intake
Introducing yourself and what to expect
The importance of structuring your intake session
• In-person therapy sessions
The role of religiosity for many Latinos - and different topics
Your male client and “machismo”
Time and cancelations
• Crisis situations
“Ataque de nervios” and “susto”
The time to seek services for many Latinos
CASE STUDIES
• The Gracia Family
• The Case of Alma