The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center

Latino Mental Health Program

The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center’s Latino Mental Health Program is a unique opportunity for psychology doctoral students and other mental health professionals who are interested in working with Spanish-speaking persons. Through intensive immersion in Latino language and Hispanic cultures, students are prepared as culturally sensitive, expert clinicians for this rapidly growing and underserved segment of the American population. The program also offers psychologists trained in Spanish-speaking countries an opportunity to acquire the academic credentials and further training needed to practice in the U.S.

Today, one in every eight individuals living in the U.S. is Latino, and by 2050, one-quarter of the population will be of Hispanic descent. Despite this looming population explosion, only about one percent of the nation’s psychologists identify themselves as Latinos. The need for professionals, Latino and non-Latino, trained to care competently for Latino patients/clients is already critical and will only increase in severity over the next few years.

There are unique and rich traditions among the various Latino cultures, as well as common experiences of immigration and diversity as Latinos in the U.S., that must be well understood by providers. Language fluency is also often an issue. While some Latinos have limited English fluency, others, in spite of their ability to speak English, can communicate more effectively in Spanish. Given this complexity, it is not surprising that most Latinos who seek mental health services do not return after the first visit, primarily because of a lack of “cultural fit” with the provider.

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Latino Mental Health Program

Doctoral psychology students in the Latino Mental Health Program will complete the MSPP core curriculum for doctoral training in clinical psychology. In addition, they will demonstrate, or master, Spanish fluency and Latino cultural knowledge to work as competent clinicians with this diverse population. Specialty training will emphasize an awareness of the social similarities and differences among Latino groups, and an understanding of the social context of Latinos in modern American society. Graduates of the program will acquire greater sensitivity, not just to the role of culture, but also, of economics and other social factors in the developmental, emotional, relational and behavioral aspects pertinent to the mental health of Latinos.

For students of Hispanic descent, the program will foster self-awareness of the influence of their own cultural beliefs and values in their clinical work with Latino patients/clients. It will also offer those with limited Spanish fluency an opportunity to enhance their linguistic competence.

Learm more about this academic program

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Dr. Cynthia Lucero Scholarship

The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Scholarship will be awarded to an entering doctoral student with an interest in Latino Mental Health and a serious commitment to working with underserved Latino/Hispanic communities in the U.S. The “Lucero Scholar” will receive $15,000 yearly for 4 years, and will be selected among entering doctoral students who enroll full time in the PsyD program. Selection criteria will be based on a student who exemplifies the work and dedication of the late Dr. Cynthia Lucero (MSPP graduate who passed away in 2002 while running the Boston Marathon) to address the specific mental health needs of Latinos. Good academic standing is required in order to maintain the scholarship for four years.

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About the Lucero Center

The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center was founded by friends and family of Dr. Cynthia Lucero, a graduate of MSPP, who died in the spring of 2002 after collapsing during the Boston Marathon. The new Latino Mental Health Program is the latest creation of that center, which also sponsors lectures and scholarships in Cynthia’s memory.

Updated 11/7/07