During the assessment and treatment phases of a client’s therapy, they will talk about things that have happened to them during their lifetime. These include births, developmental events, education, relationships, family, travel, conflicts and tragedies. It is important for therapists to be able to understand and relate to these experiences as well as to support their clients in processing them. Often times this is difficult to do as a therapist without adequate language and cultural competency.

In the United States, there is a shortage of mental health services providers who are bilingual and culturally competent to provide care for the growing number of Spanish speaking Latinx communities. This specialization, offered within the Counseling Consejeria en Espanol Psychology program within the Department of Counseling Psychology & Human Services, equips students with the skills necessary to address these needs.

Students in this graduate specialization take coursework that will increase their knowledge and understanding of the unique social, historical, political, and cultural contexts that shape the lives of Latinx populations in the U.S. They will also have opportunities to obtain supervised experiences working with Spanish speaking clients and to engage in research with Spanish speaking participants.

The ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking clients is an essential skill for any mental health professional. Many clients will be more comfortable sharing their intimate stories with a therapist who speaks their native language. This can help them feel safe and accepted as they work through a variety of challenges that are often more complex when compared to issues experienced by English-speaking clients.

One of the most common errors that people make when learning to speak Spanish is mistaking the genders of nouns. The product EL y LA: Article Agreement Task Cards: Regular and Irregular helps people learn to identify the genders of nouns through an engaging, interactive experience that reinforces article agreement rules.