Multicultural Counseling Competence: Individuals and Families of Latin American and Latino Descent

Latin American History

Latina/o is considered most appropriate because it honors the indigenous heritage of Spanish-speaking individuals with Latin American ancestry.
Hispanic is derived from the Spanish word “Hispano,” referencing Latin America’s colonial period and European heritage (from 1492 through the early 1900s).
Counselors should ask their Latina/o clients how they identify themselves.

U.S. Latinas/os account for over 17.4% of the U.S. population.
Latinos living in the U.S. come from 19 different countries, with variations in many aspects such as food, dialects, and opportunities.
Fewer U.S. Latinos have a high school diploma or 4-year degree compared to non-Latina/o Whites.
Fewer U.S. Latinos earn more than $50,000 per year compared to Whites, African Americans, and Asian Americans.
The median age of Latinos in the U.S. is 28 years compared to 42 years for Whites.

Latinos with Mexican heritage account for 64.1% (34.6 million) of all U.S. Latinas/os.
Issues of discrimination and limited socioeconomic advancement are compounded by large high school dropout rates and low 4- year college completion rates.

Puerto Ricans are the 2nd largest group of Latinos in the U.S., making up 9.5% of the U.S. Latino population.
Because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, all Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens.
Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. have experienced drops in median household income since 2000, but have increased the rate at which they finish high school.
Puerto Ricans are more likely to have health insurance, but are less likely to own a home compared to Cubans and Mexicans living in the U.S.

Cubans are the 3rd largest U.S. Latino population, accounting for 3.7% (1.98 million) of all U.S. Latinos.
Most Cuban immigrants came to the U.S. for political reasons and most immigrated within the last 50 years.
Cubans have higher mean earnings than all other U.S. Latinos.
U.S. Cubans may still experience economic hardship, acculturative stress, and educational barriers.

The remaining U.S. Latina/o population comes from the Dominican Republic, Central American countries, and South America.
Immigration patterns are much more difficult to characterize with many reasons for leaving native lands, including political persecution, economic hardship, and educational barriers.

“Somos immigrants (“We are Immigrants”) - An attribute that binds most U.S. Latinos is their identification as non-native U.S.-born residents or being descendants of immigrants.
The use of and familiarity with Spanish has helped promote a sense of understanding and community among U.S. Latinos from different countries of origin.

The vast majority of U.S. Latinos are Christian (89.9%), with most identifying as Roman Catholic (67.6%).
U.S. Latinos are more likely to turn to a priest, minister, or curandero (healing man) in a time of emotional difficulty than a counselor or other mental health expert.

Resiliency helps mitigate the stressors of acculturative stress and immigration policies, as manifested in lower anxiety and improved cardiovascular health.

Machismo represents a strong, virile, omnipotent man who takes care of his family by providing food and shelter.
Marianismo requires a woman to be pure, make sacrifices for the husband’s and children’s benefit, not engage in premarital sex, and be a nurturing female role model for her daughters.
Counselors should assess the importance and observance of traditional gender roles.

Familismo signifies an individual’s consideration of one’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even close friends of the family and religious godparents when making decisions.

Core cultural values are mediated by immigration, generational, and socioeconomic status.
Latinos with legal residency or U.S. citizenship typically have access to economic, educational, and physical wellness resources that undocumented U.S. Latinos do not.
Counselors must not be afraid to discuss the anxiety, doubt, and frustration associated with undocumented status, as well as to check for psychosomatic physical health concerns.

24.6% of Latinos live at or below the poverty line compared to 11% of Whites.
28.6% of Latinos in the United States lack health insurance, compared to 10.3% of Whites.

Communication barriers may contribute to or complicate mental health concerns for U.S. Latinos.
U.S. Latinos experience barriers and discrimination in the workforce and school settings, which adversely affect and compound mental health.

Acculturative stress refers to the internal psychological reaction to balancing the strains of learning about a new culture while longing for the familiarity of one’s previous surroundings.
Counselors should regularly assess and monitor U.S. Latino clients’ acculturation levels.

Feelings can lead U.S. Latinos to substance abuse, suicidal ideation, acts of domestic violence, and even heart disease.

Experiences with discrimination are often correlated with high levels of stress and depression, low self-confidence and self-efficacy, and overall limited quality of life for Latinos.
For Latino adolescents, discrimination-related stress was affected by the immigration status of their parents.

Counseling theories and techniques effective with Latino clients include cognitive-behavioral, person-centered, psychodynamic, and solution-focused counseling approaches.

Compared to those born in the U.S., children who were born in their native country and immigrated to the U.S. are more likely to experience academic difficulty, be less likely to attain cognitive fluency in Spanish or English, and face greater risk for acculturative stress.

Typical developmental adolescent experiences are exacerbated by English proficiency, a need to balance home and school cultures, and limited parental involvement in school and social interests.
The concept of caballerismo (being a gentleman) promotes a more pro-social type of masculinity for adolescent Latinos.
Brief Strategic Family Therapy (B S F T) has been shown to be effective for helping Latina/o adolescents with substance abuse and behavioral problems.

1st generation immigrants may experience constant stress over undocumented immigration status, a sense of pride for achieving citizenship, or guilt for having to “sacrifice” affiliation with their county of origin.
Culture-centered genograms could help enhance family therapy objectives, exercises, and goals.