Lack of bilingual mental health professionals affects East Texas Hispanic youth, counselors

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A growing number of youth in Hispanic households are in need of mental help; however, when it comes to resources, bilingual counselors are scarce.

Language plays a big role when it comes to communication between a parent, a child and a therapist. However, after talking to East Texas counselors, we found this deficiency in bilingual mental health professionals is affecting families’ ability to get the help they need.

Nelida Medina Perez is a licensed therapist and owner of Purple Crayon Counseling. She works on counseling youth in Tyler, and reports she is one of the few bilingual counselors in the area that she knows of.

“I am one of only two providers that I’m aware of here in Tyler that speak Spanish and are actively taking Medicaid patients.”

And because of this, she is often fully booked.

“Which it pains me, right, because I know that our community needs help.”

According to recent studies by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the third leading cause of death among Hispanics ages 10 to 14 is suicide. In 2021, reports showed one in five Hispanic youth seriously considered attempting suicide.

Nelida says that at a local level the effects can be seen.

“I can tell you off the bat, like this year, I know three or four Latino kids that have died from suicide.”

Despite this, the most recent data available by the American Psychological Association shows that in 2016 only 5.5% of counselors in the nation were able to provide services in Spanish.

Ana Barnson is a Licensed Bilingual Professional Counselor who works with non-profit Monarca Initiative to connect Hispanic and immigrant families to mental health resources in the East Texas region. She says when dealing with young Hispanic clients, language and cultural awareness play a big role in creating a safe space for them.

“Because this is a new generation that is learning that it’s okay to talk about emotions,” she said.

Here in East Texas, steps are being taken. UT Tyler’s Social Work Program is connecting students with local agencies and counselors to talk about needs in the community. Just recently, program lecturers held a conference with bilingual mental health professionals in East Texas to give students an opportunity to see how they can support the community.

“So working with our first conference that we just had for supporting bilingual mental health practitioners was really just an attempt to start those partnerships and those conversations and how we can be a resource for them.”

Conversations that can hopefully lead to more growth in bilingual mental health professionals in the future.

Now, although limited, if you would like more info on bilingual mental health resources in East Texas, Monarca Initiative is a non-profit that can connect you to those resources. You can find more resources by clicking here for their website.