As someone who has worked with several new immigrant groups, I know that mental health services are often the most needed, yet most under-utilized service for such populations. Stigma about mental illness, the need to conform to two (or more) sets of cultural expectations and unfamiliarity with western talk therapy are just some of the barriers. It's exciting to have multicultural staff like Maria Hess and Claudia Avalos involved in this effort. They are well known to, and respected by, both community members and service providers. Check out their program.
Humanidad Therapy & Education Services (HTES)is a multicultural community mental health agency and Marriage and Family Therapist training program. HTES offers low-fee, psychological and court affiliated services in Sonoma County. Their mission is to help bridge the gap between cultures, to reduce the stigma of utilizing community mental health resources, and to increase early bilingual, bicultural involvement in community mental health. Their focus is on nurturing culturally aware, qualified therapists to serve diverse populations. http://srosahtes.org/
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