Student-participants in this WJC summer immersion program will participate in a five-week intensive program abroad in coordination with Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN), El Instituto de Neurociencias/ Junta de Beneficencia, and La Fundación Dra.Cynthia Lucero located in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The program involves: a) intensive Spanish language instruction by level of proficiency, b) clinical work alongside local psychologists, and c) social and cultural activities organized by Centro Ecuatoriano and La Fundación Dra. Cynthia Lucero. Students will live with host families contracted by El Centro Ecuatoriano for the summer immersion program. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of clinical situations within the different departments at El Instituto: Substance Abuse, Rehabilitation Center, Assisted living (severe mental illness), Admissions, General Psychiatry Unit, and Psychodiagnostic and Psychometrics (testing and evaluations). There may be opportunities to collaborate at a school for youth with special needs. The general goal of the program is to provide a better understanding of health care systems, and of the provision of social and health services, as well as some of the unique cultural dynamics in serving individuals and families in Latino countries.
Courses:
CC560 - LMH Immersion II Seminar
CC563 - LMH Summer Immersion II
This specialized seminar is provided along with the summer immersion program of the Latino Mental Health Program with the primary objective of providing pre-immersion and in-country support to students participating in an LMH immersion. The seminar consists of 2-3 meetings prior to the students departing to their destination. Students are introduced to theories to encourage students to think critically about cross-cultural issues, Ecuadorian history and contextual issues, self-care and specific clinical issues pertaining to the host country. In this course students will learn research-based concepts that intend to increase the likelihood of having a positive and fruitful immersion experience (e.g. affect-based trust, participatory collaboration, intersubjective practice, witnessing, cultural intelligence). In addition, the class meets through Skype or other electronic video communication with the instructor conferencing in small groups at least twice throughout the student's stay in the Latin American country to discuss clinical, social, language and cultural issues arising during the immersion program. If the instructor has scheduled travel to the students' international site, in-country debriefings wiGHaitill also be scheduled. The instructor convenes the group to meet one last time after they have returned to the U.S. to debrief the immersion experience.
Students will:
- Identify country specific clinical practice issues in mental health.
- Compare and contrast differences in professional regulations, ethics and native clinical practices;
- List at least one cultural practices of the host country that shapes mental health care differently from the U.S.'s culture of care;
- Utilize supervision, consultation and peer supervision as resources for increased efficiency in clinical practice and self-care.
- Identify three approaches to deal with unexpected cultural and clinical situations in which the students' and host country professionals' cultural models may conflict;
- List at least three social and contextual issues of the host country.
Faculty
Paola Michelle Contreras, PsyD
Core Faculty
Counseling Department
Paola_Contreras@williamjames.edu
Mari Carmen Bennasar, PsyD
Director, Latino Mental Health Program
Counseling Department
Mari_Bennasar@williamjames.edu