As a part of Latinx Heritage Month, the keynote address was delivered by Adriana Alejandre, the founder of the Latinx Therapy Center.
Alejandre furthered students’ understanding of the stigma surrounding mental health from the perspective of someone who not only saw the stigma play out in her own life but continues to address it through her private practice.
Though mental health complications are faced by all communities, Alejandre identified the factors that make the issue uniquely challenging for Latinx individuals.
“While Latinx communities show similar susceptibility to mental health realities as the general population, unfortunately, our community experiences disparities in access to treatment, and in the quality of treatment that we receive,” Alejandre said. “This inequality puts us at a greater risk for more severe and persistent forms of mental health conditions.”
Alejandre added that the disparity continues when looking at the frequency that members of the Latinx community seek out mental health services. According to Alejandre, one in 10 Latinx with mental health disorders use services from a specialist.
It was these stark disparities, as well as her personal mental health journey, that led Alejandre to pursue psychology and ultimately serve as a mental health professional for her community.
Though Alejandre’s venture into the mental health field occurred later in life, the first step in her mental health journey began at a young age.
“I thought it was normal to feel scared every day,” Alejandre said. “I thought it was normal for a mother to cry to you, warning you about scary men that can come after you. I thought it was normal to see violence. I thought it was normal to have an aching jaw every morning because of my grinding teeth most nights.”
The realization that her experiences weren’t normal became clear when she entered college. Though she knew there was an issue, she was left feeling that there weren’t any options to address her mental health needs.
“There I was,” Alejandre said. “Straight A student, no detention history, perfect attendance and I was very naive at UC Santa Barbara. I was 19, pregnant, alone and afraid.”
It was at this point, after being left alone to care for her pregnancy, that Alejandre noted the beginning of her depression and dissociation.
“I would complete my assignments from school,” Alejandre said. “I made sure I requested the respective quarters I needed off and signed up for classes at UCLA, and my closest community college, so I wouldn’t fall behind in credits and still be able to graduate on time. I needed to make my parents proud somehow. I was on automatic pilot.”
She characterized her state as survival mode, where her body was present, but mind was not. Though she said she was able function at a high level that allowed her to complete her necessary duties, her internal state was far different from her outward appearance.
It was not until Alejandre’s psychology professor asked how she was that she realized the depth of her situation.
“For once I was honest, I hadn’t been because my mom had told me that we never share secrets outside of the family,” Alejandre said. “Subconsciously I needed a relief from all the weight that I was carrying during that time, and I answered, and he said words that I’ll never forget, ‘It’s no wonder you’re depressed.’”
After the exchange, her professor recommended visiting the university’s resource center or pursuing therapy. Therapy, though not a foreign concept to Alejandre, was not something she felt would ever apply to her.
“I guess I had thought that therapy was for moments when you needed to go to an asylum,” Alejandre said. “I thought it was for people with money, for white people, and since I didn’t fall into these, I never considered it.”
Through her experience in therapy, Alejandre was able to live in a way that was true to herself and absent of the blame, a profound experience that she was able to bring into her professional work.
“Therapy liberated me to live more authentically and without shame,” Alejandre said. “Without shame that I am a mom, without shame that I can parent, that I am educated.”
Alejandre went on to graduate on time and eventually got licensed to begin her own practice, helping those experiencing the same shame she had.
Much of Alejandre’s work as a professional has been aimed at addressing the stigma unique to her community. To better understand how stigma perpetuates in the realm of mental health, Alejandre presented an equation: discrimination plus shame equals stigma.
Due to her background, Alejandre can address a need in the Latinx community for therapists that understand the way that culture influences mental health treatment. According to Alejandre, providers that lack the proper training can end up misdiagnosing patients as a result of the cultural disconnect.
Opening her first Latinx Therapy Center in 2019, Alejandre began her private practice on the cusp of a surge in demand for mental health resources.
“COVID has absolutely changed…everybody’s situation financially, emotionally, resource-wise, health-wise,” Alejandre said, adding that while her practice began as a solo therapist venture, she has had to adjust to demand and shift to having a total of five clinicians on staff due to the heightened demand.
Due to the incredible demand for mental health services nationwide Alejandre recommended that all individuals seek out care sooner rather than later.
“I want you all to just also know that you don’t have to be in crisis to attend therapy,” Alejandre said. “It is a place where you can build upon skills, therapy can be preventative. You don’t have to wait until you’re feeling like the worst of the worst … you can advocate for yourself and help yourself heal.”
Royce McCandless can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @roycemccandless