Cultural Immersion Workshop in Mexico: See What Participants Had to Say
This past September, LifeSpring Counseling Services facilitated our 2nd cultural immersion workshop in Mexico for mental health providers. Providing culturally-informed counseling services is required by our code of ethics, but many times mental health providers are left to learn about cultural competence in the classroom. Melissa Wesner, LCPC and Owner of LifeSpring Counseling Services decided it was time to take providers outside of the classroom to achieve these goals with first-hand experience.
Upon return, we asked for participants who would be willing to share about their experiences, and here’s what they had to say.
Caroline Brady, LCPC
Q: What is your biggest takeaway from the workshop?
A: The push/pull factors that tug at a person’s decision to leave their country, to seek a better opportunity, to earn a living, are strong and conflicting. The struggle to determine what is right for one’s family is heartbreaking. It separates families and creates a profound sense of homesickness and loneliness. When I considered what would make me leave my family, my home, my friends, I could not imagine what would compel me to do this. As I listened to the stories of people who made this decision for themselves, I came to understand that their love for family was such that the overwhelming need to provide for them was greater than the desire to be with them while doing so.
Q: What recommendations do you have for others back home after having had this experience?
A: Consider this: a day’s wage in Jantetelco Mexico is, in some cases, $10.00 a day. Many people are in debt merely because they need to provide food and shelter for their family. In order to get out of debt, they have made the agonizing decision to leave small children and spouses. They have gone to a country where they do not know the language and therefore have difficulty with the most mundane tasks such as shopping for food or clothes. If you were in such a predicament, would you not want to be with people who speak your language and carry a small piece of home with them? Welcome the LatinX community; do not begrudge them the ability to communicate with one another, to create a piece of home in a foreign country. Be kind, welcoming and understanding. Get to know their story and who they are, you will be all the richer for it.
Q: What is the reason that you decided to attend this workshop?
A: I want to become fluent in Spanish and serve the LatinX community in my role as a mental health therapist in East Baltimore. I studied Spanish in high school and college. I continue to do so as a continuing education student. In order to become fluent, I want to find as many opportunities as I can to hear and communicate with native Spanish speakers. Understanding culture is just as important as understanding the language in order to connect with people. When I found out about this workshop, it was the perfect opportunity to practice my Spanish, learn about the Mexican culture and get CEU’s. How could I pass it up?
Want to know more about Caroline?
Caroline is a Clinical Supervisor in the Expanded School Behavioral Health program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Her role as Clinical Supervisor is twofold as she supervises school-based mental health therapists and works as one in an East Baltimore elementary school.
Claire Fultz, LCSW-C
Q: What was your biggest take away from the workshop?
A: I was incredibly moved by the tenacity, resilience, and generosity of everyone I met in Mexico and could see first-hand how services in the U.S. fail to recognize or acknowledge the many lived experiences of individuals from Mexico who now live in the U.S.
Q: What recommendations do you have for others back home after having had this experience?
A: Take every opportunity for cultural immersion and learn first-hand accounts from people of different backgrounds and communities.
Q: What is the reason you decided to attend this workshop?
A: I learned from our clinic intake coordinator that there is a need for culturally competent and bilingual providers who have an understanding of Mexican culture. It is something we should all have as we continue to grow and transform to meet the needs of the community.
Want to know more about Claire?
She is the Senior Director of Inpatient & Outpatient Clinical Operations & Chief of Staff at Axis Healthcare Group, and we’re glad she was able to be part of the team that traveled to Mexico!
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Looking to Address Multicultural Concerns?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Multicultural and Bilingual counseling aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Melissa Wesner, LCPC
Melissa is the Founder of LifeSpring Counseling Services in Maryland, and she is a Certified Brainspotter and Brainspotting Consultant who specializes in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and sex therapy.
