Children’s Institute takes a holistic approach in providing mental health services to the Watts community

Despite Mental Health Awareness Month being observed only during the month of May, this issue often occupies a primary position for Latinos and family members who support them in their mental health journey to recovery throughout the year. 

Between 2011 and 2021, suicide death rates have increased substantially among the Latino community, with a 39% increase per 100,000 people, according to an analysis from the CDC WONDER underlying cause of death data.

As a leader in trauma-informed care in the city of Watts and across Los Angeles County, Children’s Institute provides counseling services to children, adolescents, transition-aged youth and parents. Their evidence-based practices include parent-child interaction therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and child-parent psychotherapy, among others. The Children's Institute aims to do whatever it takes to serve the whole family.

CALÒ News spoke with Dr. Liliana Hernandez, a licensed clinical psychologist who has been with the Children's Institute since August 2014. Hernandez began her work at the Children's Institute as a therapist in the school-aged program, providing individual therapy, family therapy and group services.

Now, as the director of School-Aged Behavioral Health & Community Schools, she oversees the implementation and expansion of community schools across their three service areas and the delivery of quality mental health services and their non-intensive programs.

Hernandez graduated from Alliant International University with an emphasis in family and child systems. She has spent most of her career working in community mental health and has a passion for instilling hope and empowering others on their path of growth.

The prevalence of mental health issues among Latino youth in the 12-25 age group has been on the rise, according to Hernandez. “We're seeing an increase in diagnoses such as major depressive episodes and an increase in binge drinking and smoking, whether it's cigarettes, marijuana, illicit drug use or the use of prescription pain relievers,” she said. “There's also a rise in suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts, and that's nationwide across cultures, but specifically among the Latino population. Research also points to Latinos being more susceptible to mental distress, specifically [due to] immigration and acculturation.”

Data from the American Psychiatric Association shows that each year, 243,000 Latinos in the U.S. attempt to take their own lives and that 17% of high school-age Latinos experience suicidal thoughts. The study also reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34.For Latino children 12 and younger, the rate increased by 92.3% from 2010 to 2019, according to a study published in the Journal of Community Health.

Hernandez believes that in the Latino community, mental health and mental illness are still remain stigmatized topics, which results in a lot of suffering and silence. “That silence really compounds with their experiences such as immigration, acculturation, trauma, generational trauma and conflict,” she said.

The fear of stigma prevents many Latinos from seeking help for mental health services, and those who do seek help may face difficulty accessing quality treatment. “In the Latino community, families operate under small family values, the idea of putting the needs of others before their own. That's just so embedded and ingrained in the culture. I think there's also the fact that Latinos really value privacy, and the idea of openly talking about your struggle is difficult. It's not the norm. You talk about that stuff within your family; you don't air your dirty laundry,” Hernandez said. “Then there's the fear of bringing unwanted attention to family or the idea of shame if someone's in therapy because of a lack of information, which perpetuates the cycle of stigma. I think another piece is working with the Latino population and the lack of information. Often, mental illness comes through as physical symptoms.”

Hernandez thinks that there’s a lot of work that can be done to target those institutions and gain more knowledge and encourage good mental health treatment and seeking behavior among Latinos.

She also said that the Latino community has institutional and systemic barriers that are contributing to the stigma and the decreased access and utilization of mental health services. A study of Latino immigrants found the primary barriers to mental health services were cost (59%), lack of health insurance (35%) and language (31%).

“Whether it's a lack of information about what mental health care really is or a lack of information on how to obtain it, whether it's difficulty accessing affordable care or a lack of health care insurance, there's also difficulty accessing care that is culturally and linguistically competent,” Hernandez said.

She also emphasized how crucial it is that the Children's Institute serve the whole family. “While the work can be done with an individual, we see that there are better outcomes when we take a systemic approach, ensuring that everyone involved, or at least the key players, have their basic needs met,” Hernandez said. “For example, it's difficult to just help someone cope with their anxiety or trauma symptoms when they stem from something the person or their family is chronically faced with. At Children’s Institute, we aim to support all the needs that will improve the individual's experience.”

Community members of Watts learn about the resources that the Children’s Institute provides because of other individuals that they have helped in the past. Also, when a child goes to their Head Start program, parents learn more about the other programs that the institute offers for the whole family such as mental health, Project Fatherhood, food distributions, financial help, early childhood education and more. “It does really become a holistic approach to servicing the community,” Hernandez said. 

To Learn more about the Children’s Institute, click here.