La Familia Brings Attention to Latino Behavioral Health Week

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Sept. 26, 2023 - La Familia Counseling Center, a pillar of the
Sacramento community for five decades, is proud to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month by
hosting a vital discussion during Latino Behavioral Health Week. Partnering with the Health
Education Council and their Ventanilla de Salud Program, this event highlighted cultural
practices and the significant strides made to support the Latino/Hispanic community mental
health.

Mental health is not commonly talked about in the Hispanic-Latino community. Studies indicate
only 34% of Hispanic-Latino adults with mental illness seek treatment annually. Cultural beliefs
that stigmatize mental health, language barriers, financial difficulties, and legal status hinder
many people from accessing the necessary and rightful care.

The observance of Latino Behavioral Health Week serves as a moment to reflect on the Latino
perspective on wellness and bring to light the opportunities to talk about mental health.

During a luncheon held at La Familia Maple Neighborhood Center, La Familia and the Health
Education Council reviewed the progress achieved through the California Reducing Disparities
Project (CRDP). This is a State initiative aimed at reducing mental health disparities for
underrepresented groups, including African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, and Pacific
Islanders and LQBTQ groups through Community Defined Evidence Practices (CDEP).

La Familia has been at the forefront of dismantling the stigma and breaking down barriers to
mental health access through its Centro Apoyo Latino Program (CAL), a crucial component of
the state’s CRDP research project dedicated to assessing cultural practices. CAL has achieved
remarkable success in reaching a segment of the population that traditionally refrains from
seeking mental health support.

“It was an opportunity to bring awareness to mental health, to promote resources, and to share
our results with the community on the research project. This state project shows that addressing
cultural practices in our community significantly benefits one’s mental health,” said Jessie
Armenta, Clinical Director for La Familia Counseling Center.

The CAL program offers a range of services to provide information, support, and short-term
mental services to Latinos while providing a warm handoff to longer-term healthcare providers.
CAL also offers specialized group therapy sessions tailored for Latino men. Since the program's inception, it has positively impacted more than 800 individuals through counseling sessions, engaged almost 2,000 older adults through senior activity groups, and delivered over 100 community mental health workshops to the Hispanic/Latino Sacramento community.

In addition to providing the CAL program, La Familia is a Medi-Cal provider for Flexible and
Integrated Treatment programs for Medi-Cal eligible children aged 0-21. They also offer
Supporting Community Connections programs (SCC) for Older Adults and one for Latinx
community. La Familia was recently awarded Selena Gomez’s Rare Impact grant to work
with youth on mental health issues.

Celebrating its 50th year of service in the Sacramento community, La Familia remains steadfast
in its commitment to providing culturally responsive services within a compassionate and
nurturing environment. The organization embraces the resilience and strengths of each individual
it serves, making a lasting impact on the mental wellness of the community it has been privileged
to serve for half a century.

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ABOUT LA FAMILIA COUNSELING CENTER
La Familia Counseling Center, Inc. (La Familia) provides multicultural counseling, outreach, and
support services for children, youth, families, and individuals of diverse backgrounds to help
them overcome adversity and become empowered to succeed. For more than 50 years, La
Familia has successfully operated programs that have been recognized on the local, state, and
national levels. All of La Familia’s services are free, and bilingual staff members are available to
meet the needs of our diverse community.