A Psychoeducational Group for Limited-English Proficient Latino/Latina Children

Abstract

According to Cummins (1994), the presence of linguistically and culturally diverse children is becoming the norm in classrooms across the country. Nationwide, ESL/ESOL enrollment has increased by 104% between 1989 and 1999, compared to an overall increase in school enrollment of 14% for the same time period (National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, 2000). The growing numbers of the Latino/Latina population in the United States has led to recent publications showing some common needs and trends for this unique group. According to Garcia and Marotta (1997), 29% of Latinos/Latinas live below the poverty line as compared to 14% of the general U.S. population. Their report also indicated that Latinos/Latinas have high-school dropout rates above the national average, and only 9% hold college diplomas compared to a nationwide average of 21%. Unemployment also is more prevalent among Latinos/Latinas than among the general population (August & Hakuta, 1997).

Culture‐Specific Assets to Consider When Counseling Latina/o Children and Adolescents

“…The U.S. Census (2003) also reported that Latinas/os children and adolescents are more likely to live in poverty and are less likely to have completed a high school education. The regrettable results of these social, physical, and economic experiences for Latinas/os contribute to systemic challenges for Latina/o children and adolescents, such as personal-social and academic concerns associated with their educational attainment, limited post-high school occupational opportunities, poverty, high dropout rates, cultural identity issues, gang activity and violence, and an inability to adjust to new academic and social environments (Brigman & Campbell, 2003;Gibson & Bejínez, 2002;Pew Hispanic Center, 2004;Santiago-Rivera et al, 2002;Smart & Smart, 1995;Villalba, 2003).…”

“…Counselors and other mental health providers are in an advantageous position to empower Latina/o youth by encouraging them not to forget or forego their Spanish fluency (Clemente & Collison, 2000;Villalba, 2003). Collatos et al (2004) particularly emphasized the need for adults working with Latino/o adolescents to focus on the strengths these children derive from their culture and language, as opposed to focusing on a deficit model of what these children do not possess.…”

“…The clinician may then direct the client to focus on the positive factors (e.g., through journaling, audio recording on benefits of being bilingual in English and Spanish) while developing strategies for dealing with the negative factors associated with being bilingual (e.g., making a list to be discussed in session with a clinician). Also, the use of a psychoeducational group designed to empower Latina/o students by having them focus on their overlooked language strengths may also instill feelings of universality and mutual support (Torres-Rivera, 2004;Villalba, 2003).…”

Externally Funded Research in Counselor Education: An Overview of the Process

“…The first author's research interests have focused on Latina/o children and adolescent mental health since his doctoral studies, specifically around determining the mental health and academic needs of Latina/o children in emerging Latino communities (see Villalba, 2003; Villalba, Brunelli, Lewis, & Wachter, 2007). However, despite little early success in securing external funding, his research interests were made known to a colleague in the school of nursing at his institution who was the principal investigator for an NIH project to study the health disparities in African Americans and Latinas/os.…”

Incorporating Wellness into Group Work in Elementary Schools

“…Topics for which group work has been recommended to help children include coping with depression (Auger, 2005), parents who abuse substances (Arman, 2000), natural disasters (Shelby & Tredinnick, 1995), and parental divorce (Yauman, 1991). In addition, group work interventions have been designed to enrich the school experiences of children from diverse backgrounds, including African-American children (Baggerly & Parker, 2005), Latino children in English language learner programs (Villalba, 2003), Native American students in at-risk schools (Boyer, 2003), and Southeast Asian refugee children (Huang, 2001). Addressing individual challenges to children's healthy development can be effective; however, often times these specific challenges can have a wide-range impact on a child's overall wellness (Villalba & Borders, 2005).…”