Latino Mental Health Program (LMHP)

The Latino Mental Health Program aims to increase the number of Latino mental health service providers in the United States by providing specialized master’s and doctoral level training in clinical, counseling, and school psychology. The program provides mental health professionals (both Latino and non-Latino) with the language skills, cultural sensitivity, and clinical competence that will enable them to deliver high-quality care to Latino populations. By training mental health leaders who can create, direct, and deliver high-quality services, the program hopes to aid in eliminating societal disparities that exist in relation to access and quality of mental health care.

The concentration focuses on teaching cultural competence through didactics and practice that give students the opportunity to learn about cultural and sociopolitical differences amongst Latin countries, the impact of immigration and acculturation, and other contextual factors that impact the health and access to care of Latinos in the United States.  Students participate in a four-week immersion trip to Ecuador where they stay with local families and work with local psychologists in different rotations. Students also engage in clinical work with individuals of Latino backgrounds through their field placement experiences at WJC. Opportunities for local immersion experiences are available for students who cannot travel internationally to fulfill the concentration requirements.    

All courses are offered every other Wednesday evening from 6:40 pm to 8:30 pm. The summer immersion group travels from third week in July to third week in August.

All Doctoral level students in the clinical psychology and school psychology programs can use electives to fulfill LMHP requirements. Masters level students in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and School Psychology MA/ CAGS who are enrolled in LMHP, will graduate with extra credits.

The Latino Mental Health Program (LMHP) concentration is open to William James College students with a strong interest in providing culturally sensitive services to Hispanic individuals, families and communities. Applicants should have a beginning/ intermediate level of Spanish language fluency in order to apply. The LMHP routinely admits both students who have a Latino ethnic background as well as those who do not. The LMHP concentration is offered at two levels: Major Area of Study and Area of Emphasis (see coursework for details). Students are welcome to enroll in two concentrations (e.g. CFAR and LMHP; Neuropsychology and LMHP; Forensic and LMHP; Health and LMHP).  

To apply and enroll, students should download and complete the Concentration Application Form (.docx) and send to the LMHP director Dr. Mari Carmen Bennasar at mari_bennasar@williamjames.edu. Once accepted, students must fill out and submit a Concentration Declaration Form from the Registrar’s Office webpage before registering for spring semester. The Concentration Declaration Form must first be reviewed by the student’s advisor and signed by the concentration director. Students typically apply in the fall semester of their first year and begin courses during the second semester of their first year.

Students enrolled in the LMHP concentration need to complete a minimum of 25% of direct clinical experience with Latino/Hispanic populations by the date of their graduation or prior to Year 5/APA internship.

Doctoral level students enrolled in the LMHP concentration will be required to complete a doctoral project with a focus on the Latino/Hispanic population. It is recommended that at least one of their doctoral project committee members be faculty of the Multicultural and Global Mental Health Center or a professional with substantial experience or expertise in the field.

To support student’s professional growth and development, LMHP concentration students must attend at least one Continuing Education (CE) event annually that is sponsored or approved by the Center for Multicultural & Global Mental Health. A variety of activities (e.g., conferences, lectures, film series, social and cultural events) throughout the year are also organized by the Center for Multicultural & Global Mental Health. Students are encouraged to attend to gain exposure to various aspects of the Latino culture.

Each year, we award two Cynthia Lucero Scholarships to deserving students who exhibit a strong dedication and commitment to the delivery of human services to the Latino community. The award is $7,500 per year for a maximum of four years. The Lucero Latino Mental Health Program (LMHP) owes its inspiration to the work of the late Cynthia Lucero, PsyD, a William James College graduate whose career, in part, was devoted to addressing the needs of Spanish-speaking people.

Click here to learn more about the Scholarship.
Click here to learn more about our current Lucero Scholars.

* Please see Policy and Procedures Manual for more details.

WGBH News
Overcoming Cultural Stigmas About Mental Illness And Barriers To Treatment
May 5, 2014

For millions of Americans battling mental illness, the search for proper care can be long and frustrating. But for those in some ethnic communities, deep-rooted cultural stigmas and language barriers combine to make the obstacles to treatment even more formidable. In this week's FOCUS report, we look at the stigma surrounding mental illness in the Latino community and what's being done to improve access to care.

Click here to see the video

Herlinda Tin chose a psychology career following a devastating incident in high school. "One of my friends was assaulted, and I was the first person she approached after that. I had no idea what to do. i felt helpless," recalled Tin, a native of Guatemala who grew up in San Francisco. "I went to counseling with her and saw how it helped her."

Click here to read the full article (pdf)

MicroTech president and CEO Tony Jimenez received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from William James College’s Sunday at the school's graduation ceremony.

Click here to read more

Stacey Lambert, Director of Diversity Education and Inclusion; Director, Latino Mental Health Program; Associate Director, Clinical Psychology Department, recently interviewed by WBUR/NPR on the topic "Providing Therapy Across Different Cultures."

Listen here

The lack of Latino psychologists in this country is affecting Hortensia Amaro. Article Tools

In addition to being a distinguished professor of health sciences at Northeastern's Bouve College of Health Sciences, Amaro founded the Mom's Project , an outpatient drug addiction program for pregnant women in Mattapan, about 16 years ago. Then 11 years ago she created Entre Familia , a residential drug treatment program in Mattapan for Latinas and their children. www.boston.com/news/globe/living.

Read more