A Latina Counselor's Perspective on Counseling

As a Latina counselor, I often find myself walking between two different worlds. I was born and raised in California, so my psychological framework correlates more with Western mental health systems. However, my roots, my heart, and my background is rooted in something deeper. My life was shaped by familismo, spirituality, resilience, and cultural pride, but that also came with intergenerational wounds, immigration trauma, and daily microaggressions.

Counseling Latinos/as is not just about translating therapy into Spanish, because anyone who knows the language can easily do that. My perspective of counseling a latino/a comes from understanding the language, but also the dynamics, the culture, the pain of microaggressions and intergenerational wounds, the history of our people, and the feeling of being from here and having roots from another country, but never truly feeling like we belong in either place. I believe it is important to understand the interconnectedness of all the aspects of our being; spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. 

Understanding Our Comunidad (Community)

Latinos/as in the United States are not a monolith. We are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Colombian, Peruvian, Afro-Latino, Indigenous, and multiracial. Some of us speak fluent Spanish, some speak Spanglish, and some speak only English. Some of us are third-generation Americans; others crossed multiple borders to be here.

Despite this diversity, we all tend to be bound by shared values and experiences that deeply influence how we view and relate to mental health.

Familismo: Family as Identity

One of the most central values in Latino/a culture is familismo. This is the deep commitment to family, both immediate and extended. This deep commitment to our families can be beautiful, especially because of the communal culture that strengthens the family; but also challenging because of the family expectations, obligations, sacrifices, and sometimes, secrets. Our families aren’t just a  part of our lives, they define us. This could explain why some clients do not see their struggles and issues as individual problems, rather as a family issue.

In therapy, I believe it is important to make space for family voices—even when they’re not physically in the room. When appropriate, it is important to invite parents, siblings, or partners to participate in the healing process. For some clients, especially those who are more traditionally oriented, therapy that excludes the family system can feel wrong or even threatening.

Respeto, Simpatía, and Personalismo

To build trust, you have to honor people’s cultural background, values and respect them. Many Latino/a clients tend to be hesitant at first. They might feel that therapy is too clinical or cold compared to the warmth associated with healing within our cultures—like sitting with our elders, talking to a priest, or a curandera. So it is important to take time to build rapport. Creating a warm, safe, trusting and culturally appropriate environment is essential before diving straight into the trauma. 

Sometimes, ethically self-disclosing can be an important piece to create that rapport. This might help clients feel seen and understood. It is just as important to understand someone’s language as it is to understand who they are as a whole. 

Addressing Mental Health Stigma

Mental health stigma is very  real in many parts of the Latino/a community. Growing up, I heard things like “lo que es de familia se queda entre la familia” (what happens in the family stays in the family) and “los psicólogos son para los locos” (psychologists are for crazy people). These negative messages still echo in a lot of clients’ lives.

This is why psychoeducation is a big part of our job as counselors. It is vital to  normalize therapy. Seeing a therapist does not mean someone is bad or broken, it means they are brave and breaking the cycle.

It is important to share these truths, but also to honor their culture and to use language that resonates with them. 

Trauma, Migration, and Generational Pain

Many Latino/a clients carry intergenerational trauma. It might be rooted in poverty, war, domestic violence, colonization, racism, or displacement. For immigrants, there is often unspoken grief, loss, and trauma related to crossing the border, leaving family behind, or enduring hardship in a new land.

In sessions where people are struggling with these traumas, it is important to talk about the strength and resilience it takes to move to another country, learn a new language, start a life and heal from the grief of leaving their old life. Correlating resilience to strength, and not just pain, helps people connect with the sacrifices, strength and love their ancestors endured, and not just the wounds.

Integrating Spirituality and Faith

Many of my clients are deeply spiritual. This can mean Evangelical Christian, Pentecostal, Catholicism, Curanderismo, or Indigenous healing traditions. It is important to always ask about spirituality, not as a checkbox, but as a potential resource, a supportive community, and guiding values. Praying can help people redirect their thoughts and heal some wounds. When appropriate, it can be beneficial to collaborate with religious leaders or incorporate some of their religious traditions into their therapy. Therapy doesn’t have to separate someone from their culture, it can live simultaneously.

Addressing Racism, Discrimination, and Systemic Barriers

Mental health can’t be separated from the systems we live in. Many of my clients experience racism, colorism, anti-immigrant sentiment, language discrimination, and economic injustice. These aren’t just side issues, they are central to their emotional well-being.

In therapy, it is important to validate these experiences and name them. This can help clients move from internalized blame to external understanding. It is also important to advocate for people and communities struggling with racism, discrimination and systemic barriers to services and mental health.

Challenges and Reflections

As a Latina counselor, I sometimes carry the same weight my clients do. It is important to show up for my clients, but also to hold space for my own wounds and history. This is why having a community that understands you and shows up for you is so important in the day to day work. 

One of the hardest parts of this work is knowing how many of our people still don’t have access to therapy due to cost, language barriers, fear, or lack of representation. This is why I am passionate about the career I have chosen; it is important to show representation and to push for a systemic change.