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Counselor aims remove barriers to mental health for Latinx
Bronson Health’s Priscila Dieguez-Moya offers counselling in Spanish
By: Nick Buckley For New/New Opinión
Editor's note: This report is made possible by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Battle Creek, MI - Priscila Dieguez-Moya knows what it means to be far away from home and family.
A counselor at Bronson HelpNet Behavioral Health Specialists in Battle Creek, she says that as an Argentinian, she better understands the feelings and anxieties of patients who left their own native countries.
“I’m an immigrant myself. I miss my friends, my family,” she said. “I understand what you are going through. I experienced it. I experienced it at the beginning when my English was not perfect. …I think when we’re talking about feelings and about how deep we feel, or depressed or sad, I think it’s important that someone understands you without interpretation.”
BARRIERS TO TREATMENT
Dieguez-Moya is one of the few bilingual licensed professional counselors in the region. Born and raised in San Nicolás in the Buenos Aires Providence of Argentina, she came to Michigan to further her studies and pursue a career in healthcare. She said she is one of four counselors who are fluent in Spanish at Bronson Health, which offers free translation services for limited English proficient patients and families by phone (269-341-7654), tablet or in-person.
An overall lack of healthcare providers who are fluent in Spanish is one of the barriers to mental health treatment for many Latinx. Other factors include higher poverty rates – particularly among recent Hispanic immigrants; the cost of therapy; a shortage of culturally relevant mental health services; and cultural stigmas.
According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 22% of Latinx reported having a mental illness, compared to 23.9% of non-Hispanic whites. However, only 36% of Latinx received mental health services compared to 52% of non-Hispanic whites.
“A lot of it is the language barrier,” Dieguez-Moya said. “I always say the person can be totally sad, depressed and crying and expressing it in their own language, and the interpreter could tell you without any emptions or anything. That connection you make with someone, the rapport that you feel with someone in the same language is totally different.”
Due in part to cultural taboos, Dieguez-Moya said that very few of her Latinx patients are men.
“Men can be lonely too,” she said. “I think that’s the part of the immigrant that society doesn’t see; the loneliness that you feel you left behind your language, your family support, even your food, everything that is your culture that you can find here, but it’s not the same.”
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions impacting the Latino community. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among Latinx ages 10 to 24, and for men ages 25 to 34.
“I think it’s hard for the Latinx community to ask for help,” Dieguez-Moya said. “There is a lot of taboo about mental health. There is a lot of, ‘You’re crazy if you go to a counselor,’ or ‘You have family, why don’t you talk to your family?’
“There is nothing wrong with going to therapy or looking for help,” Dieguez-Moya continued.
Also, it’s not forever. Sometimes, you need brief therapy; five or six sessions to know how to deal with a problem or learn coping skills that you can put into practice. Therapy is not forever. I believe therapy is to help you get through what you are going through in that moment.
ENDING SUFFERING IN SILENCE
In July, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (CA-31) and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Bob Menendez (DN.J.) introduced the Mental Health for Latinx Act of 2023, which recognizes the unique mental health challenges of the Latino community.
The bill aims to reduce cultural stigma and rectify the health care disparities that prevent people from receiving life-saving mental health services, while also seeking to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental and behavioral health of Hispanic and Latino populations across the country.
“We must eliminate barriers to mental health care, because no one should suffer in silence,” Senator Padilla said in a release. “By accounting for the cultural and language needs of the Latinx community, the Mental Health for Latinx Act will improve mental health outcomes by strategically reducing stigma and encouraging people to reach out for help. As we craft legislation that addresses mental health challenges, it’s critical that we acknowledge the distinct needs of our diverse communities to develop a comprehensive, equitable, and effective response to the growing mental health crisis.”
Dieguez-Moya is currently accepting new patients and can be reached on her direct line at 269-2453850. For more information, visit bronsonhealth.com/en-espanol.