The recent mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, which claimed the lives of 50 people, mostly affected LGBT Latinos — raising questions about the best ways for the city of Orlando to help the Latino community cope with the trauma.
Even before the tragedy in Orlando, the immigrant population in the U.S. was especially vulnerable to trauma. Now, the situation is worse. People in the Orlando community will likely experience symptoms of PTSD. And LGBT Latinos across the country may be more fearful about being open about their sexuality and more anxious about being targeted in a similar violent attack.
But connecting them with mental health professionals who can help them may be difficult.
We know that are our emotions are coded in our primary language.
Despite the country’s rapidly growing Latino population, there are still a lot of barriers to getting this community into treatment. Not very many Latinos seek out mental health services, according to a 2012 report from researchers at the University of California Davis.
That’s partly because of the cultural stigma surrounding mental health issues in the Latino community. It’s also because of an overall lack of knowledge and awareness about the mental health system, which can be confusing and complicated to navigate. Socioeconomic factors play a role, too, since having to work multiple jobs to provide for themselves and their families can cause Latino immigrants to sacrifice setting aside the time to find a counselor.
But one of the biggest problems is the lack of bilingual and culturally competent mental health professionals who can serve non-English speakers and communities of color.
According to research from Santa Clara University, Latinos are the most underrepresented major minority group in the U.S. health care workforce. While the number of Latinos living in the country has been increasing, the number of Latino physicians dramatically lags behind.
Shahana Koslofsky, a licensed psychologist and the associate director for the Latino bilingual track in Pacific University’s psychology program, knows what a difference it can make to have bilingual counselors. She’s worked with immigrants throughout her entire career, and said that being able to work with them in their first language makes it easier for her to assess their emotional experiences.
“As a psychologist, we know that are our emotions are coded in our primary language,” Koslofsky said. “And so in order to have access to someone’s true emotional experiences we need to be able to talk to them in their language, in their first language whatever that is, and so that is the importance of working with someone in their language.”
The Orlando Shooting Could Have Far-Reaching Effects In The LGBT CommunityLGBT CREDIT: John Raoux, AP Photo The mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida could have a lasting impact on…thinkprogress.orgIn addition to more bilingual mental health services, the country also needs culturally competent providers who are sensitive to the racial and ethnic backgrounds of their patients, according to Majose Carrasco, senior manager at the National Alliance on Mental Illness Multicultural Action Center.
“We also have to look at and think about the culture piece,” Carrasco said. “Because even if the provider speaks Spanish, if the provider is not aware or in tune of the cultural characteristics or preferences of the Latino person that he or she is treating, it could also be that the care he or she provides is not the best necessarily because it’s not impacting or it’s not relating to the person.”
In addition to making patients feel more comfortable, having providers of the same cultural background can help improve the quality of patients’ treatment.
“The provider may also be able to see things that others may not be able to see because it’s a cultural manifestation of the illness that you are showing,” Carrasco said.
Several mental health counseling programs in colleges and universities across the country have also taken steps to bridge the gap between mental health services and the immigrant community. For instance, the psychology department where Koslofsky works at Pacific University offers a specific bilingual track that combines clinical and training experiences to prepare students to work with Latinos and in Spanish-speaking communities.
They may never come back just because they didn’t see themselves reflected in the treatment.
With the increased need for services in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting, city officials are also trying to make progress in this area.
This week, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando met with Central Florida community leaders to identify the need for more certified translators and bilingual mental health professionals to offer counseling. According to NBC News, the HCCMO is collecting names of certified, mental health professionals, who will provide help to those directly impacted by the shooting as well as people looking to have a conversation with their children about the violence.
The stakes are high for the Latino people who need these mental health resources. “They may never come back just because they didn’t see themselves reflected in the treatment,” Carrasco said.
Celisa Calacal is an intern with ThinkProgress.