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NLPA Statement

The National Latina/o Psychological Association (NLPA) is a national organization of mental health professionals and students whose mission is “to generate and advance psychological knowledge and foster its effective application for the benefit of the Hispanic/Latino population.” Collectively we are interested in (a) the mental health needs of individuals who live in the U.S. and have a Latina/o background and (b) addressing the clinical work, research, training and teaching of our members to better serve those individuals. Although NLPA traces its roots to the 1970s, we formally reorganized in 2002 and incorporated in Arizona, where our first national conference was held. Further, many of our professional and student members work in the cities, communities, and universities across Arizona. Therefore the executive committee has decided to issue this statement.

We are concerned about a pattern of behavior by legislators and the Arizona governor that is counter-productive and potentially harmful to both our clients and ourselves as advocates for Latino/a clients. We speak not only of immigration enforcement legislation but laws that ban teaching and scholarship focused on the more than one hundred million Americans who trace their ancestry to places other than Europe, and laws that impose arbitrary standards on bilingual teachers.

As students of American history in the United States we recognize that harsh economic times have historically been followed by anti-immigrant sentiment. Like other immigrants, Latinos have been used as a scapegoat during difficult economic times such as the current financial crisis faced by our nation. During this period of economic distress anti-Latino sentiment has the potential to cause increased levels of stress and anxiety in Latino families, regardless of immigrant status. For example there is research conducted by our members (e.g., Flores, et al., 2008) that documents the toll that discrimination takes on Mexican American adults. We are concerned that in the current political climate that stress, discrimination and overt racism will be targeted towards many Latino people and families, regardless of immigration status.

By our very nature, NLPA is a group focused on our collective ethnicity. Within our profession of psychology we are a small but growing group. We focus on the strengths and resilience of the Latino culture. Banning ethnic studies and instead forcing a focus on only the individual is an invalidation of our scholarship, practice, and our very purpose for existing. We stand with our colleagues of all ethnicities to say that there is a valid need for ethnic studies in the U.S. and in Arizona. The study of the many cultural groups that have informed and shaped the American dream is a valuable and important endeavor. It is incorrect to assert that the study

1 Flores, E., Tschann, J.M., Dimas, J. M., Bachen, E., Pasch, L. A., & deGroat, C. L. (2008). Perceived discrimination, perceived stress, and health among Mexican-Origin adults. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 30(4), 401-424.

and teaching of cultural contributions to American society detract from an understanding of Americans as individuals. Indeed, it is the many heritages and cultures of these individuals that have shaped the unique experiment that is America.

One of the strengths of American higher education is a tradition of academic freedom that allows for innovation, facilitates free speech, and increases the dialogue essential to our nation’s global success. Although it is politically expedient to ban ethnic studies, this misguided measure threatens the very strength of our higher education traditions and invalidates the lived experiences of all Americans who value their cultural and ethnic heritages. Although it is politically expedient to ban ethnic studies, there are indications that a focus on a strong ethnic identity may in fact, prove beneficial to Latino youth. Given the epic dropout rates of Latino youth from our schools, it would be wise to evaluate intervention programs on outcome criteria such as graduation and retention rates.

Furthermore, we believe the bill as worded, might also prevent the implementation of psychological interventions in schools that research has shown can increase school completion and reduce risk factors for Latino youth. Consequently, this legislation may restrict practice for psychologist and therapists and reduces access to care for under served populations.  Arizona’s legislative activities have important potential restrictions for the delivery of appropriate services to all individuals, especially those that have been historically underserved. Moreover, these restrictions run counter to existing policies from the U.S. Health and Human Services Administration and best care practices as supported by most professional organizations. We also note that such mindset may also target federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institutions, 10 of which operate in Arizona.

In response to the recent events in Arizona and states that might seek to emulate the pattern of anti-Latino behavior enacted by the Arizona legislature, NLPA will focus on educating psychologists, clients, and the general public about (a) the positive role that a healthy ethnic identity plays in mental health and (b) advocate for providing support to those who will suffer psychological distress over the implementation of such legislation. To this end NLPA:

  • Will not hold any meetings in Arizona
  • Will partner with ethnic minority psychology organizations and the American Psychological Association to provide relevant research and best practices for the culturally competent care of all Americans.
  • Will have a dedicated page on our website (www.nlpa.ws) that highlights research on the mental health of individuals of Latino/a heritage. And we will have a page that highlights research on the role that a healthy ethnic identity plays in mental health.
  • Will provide dedicated forum at our national conference to discuss current research and best practices with regard to the impact of immigration policies on the mental health of Latino/a people.
  • As a group remains committed to our colleagues, students, and clients in Arizona and will provide them with increased support and encouragement.

 

In closing we note that we do not assume that our membership is of one mind on social and political issues. Our membership represents a rich diversity of national background, ethnic and cultural origin, and political ideology. We do not presume to speak for all Latino psychologists or psychologists interested in Latino psychology. However, we believe our members would like to see a physical and psychological environment for Latinos in the US to reflect the ideals of respect for mental health, dignity and human and civil rights.

In closing NLPA members realize that in these controversial and difficult times there is a need to re-focus on our mission “to generate and advance psychological knowledge and foster its effective application for the benefit of the Hispanic/Latino population.”

 

Edward Delgado-Romero, Ph.D.

President