Assessment of the Mental Health Treatment Process: Eliminating Service barriers for Mexican Americans
Author: Sepulveda- Hassell, Sharon
Date Published: 1980
The mental health intervention process, which entails the 12 essential services to be offered by community mental health centers, is studied as an interactive process involving: (1) the cultural foundations within which mental health and illness are defined; (2) the range of cultural variability of Mexican American service recipients and their service needs; (3) the culturally based attitudinal and behavioral responses of the mental health service providers to Mexican Americans; and (4) the treatment approaches utilized with Mexican American clients. Mental health literature regarding the intervention process involving Mexican American service recipients and treatment models developed for use with Mexican Americans is reviewed. A treatment team service approach that incorporates clinical professionals and indigenous paraprofessionals in the delivery of a comprehensive range of community mental health services is proposed. The perceptions and attitudes of Texas community mental health center administrators and providers regarding the delivery of mental health services are explored. Underrepresentation of Mexican Americans at professional levels and the limited awareness of cultural treatment factors are discussed as indicators of the community mental health system's currently limited capacity to offer culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate services to Mexican Americans. Implications of offering bilingual/bicultural community mental health services are considered.
Date Published: 1980
The mental health intervention process, which entails the 12 essential services to be offered by community mental health centers, is studied as an interactive process involving: (1) the cultural foundations within which mental health and illness are defined; (2) the range of cultural variability of Mexican American service recipients and their service needs; (3) the culturally based attitudinal and behavioral responses of the mental health service providers to Mexican Americans; and (4) the treatment approaches utilized with Mexican American clients. Mental health literature regarding the intervention process involving Mexican American service recipients and treatment models developed for use with Mexican Americans is reviewed. A treatment team service approach that incorporates clinical professionals and indigenous paraprofessionals in the delivery of a comprehensive range of community mental health services is proposed. The perceptions and attitudes of Texas community mental health center administrators and providers regarding the delivery of mental health services are explored. Underrepresentation of Mexican Americans at professional levels and the limited awareness of cultural treatment factors are discussed as indicators of the community mental health system's currently limited capacity to offer culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate services to Mexican Americans. Implications of offering bilingual/bicultural community mental health services are considered.
