Mind On Mental Health · Penn Medicine - Princeton House Behavioral Health

How to Support the Hispanic Community

·16 min

Andy Dean welcomes Yulitza Avalar back for a conversation about how providers can better support the Hispanic population. Yulitza is a licensed social worker and primary therapist at Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health at the Hamilton, New Jersey intensive outpatient site, and she speaks from the perspective of someone doing this work every day. The first question is direct: what can providers do better? Her answer begins with cultural competence, but she treats it as an ongoing habit of learning rather than a box to check. She says clinicians need to know where clients come from, what they value, and what cultural or religious details shape the way they ask for help. Sometimes that means doing your homework. Yulitza gives the example of learning more about Guatemalan culture when more clients from that background began coming through her door. She mentions slang, family structure, and religious background as the kinds of details that can change how trust is built. The conversation then shifts to the family system. Yulitza says family involvement can be a strength when it is paired with clear psychoeducation and real support. Families often want to learn, especially when they are given plain explanations of warning signs for suicidal crisis or anxiety. Clinicians, though, sometimes have to challenge a parent's first read on what an adolescent is going through. That tension is part of the work, not a sign it is failing. The show keeps circling back to family ties, because that is one of the strongest values in the room. From there, Yulitza turns to machismo. She describes how boys can be taught not to show feelings because they are expected to be the man of the house. She also talks about feminismo and the way girls can be pushed toward domestic and caretaking roles. Those expectations can weigh on adolescents before they have language for what they feel. The back half of the conversation gets practical again with Spanish-language resources, including a suicide risk assessment and a safety plan that can be printed out for families. The episode closes on a simple idea: making care more understandable, more visible, and less stigmatized helps people get closer to help.

As heard by us

Practical guidance for culturally aware mental health care with Hispanic families.

Andy Dean and Yulitza Avalar keep the focus on practical support for Hispanic clients without turning care into a checklist. The most useful guidance is plain but steady: learn a client’s cultural background, pay attention to family dynamics, and stay aware of the values that…

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Why you'd press play

When you support Hispanic families, cultural details and family involvement do the heavy lifting.

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