The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center

Latino Mental Health Program

The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center’s Latino Mental Health Program (LMHP) offers a unique opportunity for Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) students who are interested in working with individuals from Latino cultures. Through intensive immersion in Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, students are prepared as culturally sensitive clini­cians with expertise to meet the particular mental health needs of this rapidly growing and underserved segment of the U.S. population.

Today, one in every eight individuals living in the U.S. is Hispanic or Latino, and by 2050, one-quarter of the population will be of Hispanic descent. Despite this looming popula­tion explosion, only about one percent of the nation’s psychologists identify themselves as Latinos. The need for professionals, Latino and non-Latino, trained to care competently for Latino patients/clients is already critical and will only increase in severity over the next few years.

Given that many Latinos in the U.S. have limited English proficiency, the ability to provide services in Spanish is essential in providing competent services to this population. Even among Latinos who are fluent in English, many communicate more effectively in Spanish. There are also unique and richly diverse values, beliefs and traditions among the various Latino cultures, as well as common experiences of immi­gration and diversity as Latinos in the U.S., that must be well understood by providers in order to make competent clinical assessments and implement effective interventions.

Given the complex interaction of social and cultural factors in the mental health of this population, it is not surprising that most Latinos who seek mental health services do not return after the first visit, primarily because of a lack of “cultural fit” with the provide.r

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Latino Mental Health Program

MSPP students in the Latino Mental Health Program will complete the MSPP core curriculum in their individual program. In addition, they will demonstrate competency in advanced Spanish fluency and Latino cultural knowledge to work as competent clinicians with this population. This specialty training will emphasize an awareness of the social and cultural similarities and differences among Latino groups, and an understanding of the social context of Latinos living in contemporary U.S. society. Graduates of the program will acquire greater sensitivity, not just to the role of culture, but also, of economics and other social factors in the developmental, emotional, relational and behavioral aspects pertinent to the mental health of Latinos.

For students of Hispanic/Latino descent, regardless of their level of Spanish fluency, the program will foster self-awareness of the influence of their own cultural beliefs and values in their clinical work with Latino patients/clients. It will also promote a deep appreciation of the rich diversity and idiosyncracies among the Latinos cultures and how these impact on clinical work. For Latino students with limited Spanish fluency the program will offer an opportunity to enhance their linguistic competence.

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Program Highlights

• • Intensive Spanish language training in different Latin American countries during two consecutive summers, each involving a five-week full-immersion experience.
• Opportunity to conduct volunteer mental health work in various Latin American settings.
• Participation in weekly conversational Spanish  group during all regular semesters at MSPP.
• Opportunity for Latino students to expand their cultural training in a Spanish-speaking country different from their own country of origin or heritage.
• Extensive clinical training in field placements serving Latino patients to enhance the students’ sensitivity to the specific mental health needs of Latinos.
• Clinical Seminars (years 2 and 3) conducted in Spanish to increase fluency and introduce the metaphors and language of psychotherapy with Spanish-speakers.
• A two-part core course (summers 1 and 2): “Latino Mental Health in the U.S. Social Context” that will be integrated with the summer immersion experience.
• A variety of activities (e.g., conference, lectures, films, social and cultural events) throughout the year that expose students to various aspects of Latino cultures.

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Who Can Apply?

Applicants with an Intermediate level of Spanish language fluency who have been accepted into an MSPP academic program.

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Dr. Cynthia Lucero Scholarship*

The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Scholarship will be awarded to one entering student from any academic program with an interest in Latino Mental Health and a serious commitment to working with underserved Latino/Hispanic communities in the U.S.  The “Lucero Scholar” will be selected among entering students who enroll full time in an MSPP program and will receive $15,000 each year she/he is enrolled in 11 credits or more. Selection criteria will be based on a student who exemplifies the work and dedication of the late Dr. Cynthia Lucero (MSPP graduate who passed away in 2002 while running the Boston Marathon) who will work to address the specific mental health needs of Latinos. Good academic standing is required in order to maintain the scholarship.

Click here to learn more about the Latino Mental Health Program.

* Please see Policy and Procedures Manual for more details.

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About the Lucero Center

The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center was founded by friends and family of Dr. Cynthia Lucero, a graduate of MSPP, who died in the spring of 2002 after collapsing during the Boston Marathon. The new Latino Mental Health Program is the latest creation of that center, which also sponsors lectures and scholarships in Cynthia’s memory.

Updated 9/26/08