Hispanic Mental Health

The Hispanic community in the U.S. has a very diverse makeup, including people from many different areas of the world, such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, and South America. There is a large diversity within the Hispanic community, but there are also many shared cultural elements that connect members of this population. For example, many the Hispanic community speak Spanish, have similar religious affiliations, as well as strong family bonds.

Nearly 8 million Hispanic adults in the US reported having a mental illness, per a study completed by the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Of that population, only 35% receive mental illness treatment each year, compared the US average of 46%, based on reports from the National Alliance of Mental Illness. There are many potential reasons for this difference in services, including: language barriers, lack of cultural competence, acculturation, and stigma.

To help combat these numbers, SCCMHA offers a Hispanic Behavioral Health/Bilingual Therapy Program as an option for receiving mental health services to members of the Hispanic population. This program offers services for a variety of mental health concerns, including Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Loss, Anger Management, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Other Mental Health Concerns. Various therapies used to provide these services include Solution-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. Services can be provided in both English and Spanish to help accommodate Hispanic residents in Saginaw County.

Currently, services available as part of the Hispanic Behavioral Health program are being provided by our Hispanic Behavioral Health Therapist, Lucia Vargas, LLMSW. Lucia has been an employee of SCCMHA since 2009, where she originally started working as a Case Manager/Forensic Worker. Since 2017, Lucia has been a Bilingual Therapist/Intake Specialist as part of the Central Access and Intake (CAI) Department. Within this role, she provides therapy to a small case load of Hispanic individuals to help bridge the gap to services for this population.

Services that are part of the Hispanic Behavioral Health/Bilingual Therapy Program are available at our main location – 500 Hancock, Saginaw, MI 48602. Special Office Hours are also available at the Mexican American Counsel Center, located at 1537 S. Washington, Saginaw, MI 48602.

Please call (989) 272-0232 or email Lucia.Vargas@sccmha.org or information about this program.