I love what I do; as a Latina, it is a privilege to serve a part of our population with limited resources for their mental health needs. Events like this help us care for ourselves, share cultural perspectives, collaborate, learn, build support networks, strengthen the community, and have a unified voice.

As a mental health professional, practicing what I preach is hard. Having a safe space to learn culturally sensitive skills is important to me. I hope that this event will bless us with skills and long-lasting relationships.

As bilingual providers, we excel at problem-solving, creativity, and resourcefulness. We have to be. Most of my training was received in English, and I had to figure out how to bring the same material in a multilingual and multicultural context. I want to be a part of cultivating a space and community for other bilingual mental health providers.

Connection is one of the basic human needs. So, for me, events like these are of utmost importance. These spaces remind us that the most important thing is to take care of ourselves to care for others. There is a great need for services in the area of mental health, and resources in Spanish are limited, so having the ability to rely on each other is crucial to prevent burnout.