TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – A local mental health initiative is breaking down barriers in East Texas, helping the Hispanic community confront and heal from “generational wounds.”
For many families, opening up about mental health is an entirely new concept.
“There’s a little bit of breaking down stigma or misunderstandings around what counseling is,” said Emmanuel Diaz, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) therapist.
Diaz says he encounters this cultural barrier daily within the Hispanic community.
“Something that I’ve seen is that, as we encounter topics related to family, there’s always a huge amount of love and gratitude, and at the same time, there’s a huge amount of grief that comes with that,” Diaz said. “You know, our families bring a lot of love. They can also cause a lot of grief. And it’s important to learn how to honor both.”
Diaz said he works with the Latino community and regularly encounters stigma around counseling.
“I work with 14-year-old boys and they’re like, ‘We don’t do counseling in our culture, what is this about?’” Diaz said.
That is why Sense of Self Counseling and the Monarca Initiative partnered for their fourth annual workshop in Tyler. It is an effort Diaz says is designed to break apart those cultural walls and show families that asking for help is a sign of strength.
During the sessions, participants are encouraged to look closely at family dynamics and the patterns they carry.
“Our families bring a lot of love. They can also cause a lot of grief,” Diaz said. “And it’s important to learn how do we honor both, because it’s not about neglecting one over the other. It’s about being able to honor both.”
For participant Adriana Garcia, the emotional impact of the workshop was felt almost immediately.
“You realize how each exercise awakens something hidden inside you,” Garcia said. “Then feelings surface, and those wounds you thought you had healed tell you, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ But it even changes your posture. It is something very renewing and healing. I loved it.”
It is those moments of breakthrough that organizers hope will ripple outward, bringing long-term healing to families across the community.
“We can bring some change to our new generations and future generations in that it’s okay to talk about emotions and it’s okay to talk about mental health,” said coordinator Ana Barnson.
The first workshop was held at a library and focused on what mental health is and its purpose for individuals and the community, she said.
Barnson said each year the workshop has covered a different topic, including resiliency and self-compassion. This year’s topic is intergenerational healing, she said.
“So how to take care of all those wounds or all those things that we learn from previous generations that they didn’t know at that time.” Barnson said. “But noticing that we’re still carrying them and what we can do different now, and what kind of ancestor, what I want to be for my next generation.”
Barnson said mental health professionals have noticed a belief within the community that emotions and struggles should be kept to oneself or one’s family rather than shared with others.
“We are trying to educate our community. It’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to talk to somebody and that we can change,” Barnson said. “We can bring some change to our new generations and future generations in what’s okay to talk about emotions, and it’s okay to talk about mental health.”
Barnson said the goal is to notice and acknowledge what is being carried, without assigning fault, and to identify what support is needed to make a change.
“We tend to be repetitive in some patterns,” Barnson said. “Maybe unhealthy behaviors like substance abuse or maybe aggressive behaviors, but doesn’t mean that I cannot change. I can change that if I choose to. It’s a process and requires support and help.”
The community’s response shows the message is hitting home. The annual event had nearly 70 registrations this year, a major jump from just 20 participants during their first year at the library.
Organizers expect participation to continue climbing next year.
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