Therapists for the Latinx Community

Find therapists who support the Latinx community.

Therapists Supporting Members of the Latinx Community

Why Cultural or Community Alignment Can Matter

For many Latinx people, cultural identity, language, and family roles are closely connected to how they understand stress, relationships, and wellbeing. Some people feel more at ease exploring sensitive experiences with a therapist who has familiarity with Latinx cultures, speaks Spanish or Spanglish, or understands specific migration, generational, or community experiences.

Cultural or community alignment may support:

• Feeling seen and understood: Shared or well-studied cultural context may reduce the need to explain customs, values, or community dynamics from the very beginning.
• Comfort with language: Being able to express feelings in Spanish, English, or a mix can make it easier to describe emotions, family roles, or spiritual beliefs.
• Honoring family and community: Many Latinx cultures center family, community care, spirituality, and respect for elders. Some people appreciate when these values are understood and treated with respect.
• Reducing stigma: In some Latinx families, talking about mental health or seeking support may be misunderstood. A culturally aware therapist may be sensitive to this and hold space for mixed feelings.
• Acknowledging systemic experiences: Experiences related to immigration systems, language barriers, racism, colorism, or documentation status can be complex. Community-informed support may help people name these pressures safely and at their own pace.

Some Latinx people prefer working with therapists from their own background; others prefer a different background as long as there is respect, humility, and interest in learning. There is no single right choice.

How Therapists Adapt Approaches Respectfully

Therapists who center Latinx experiences often aim to approach their work with cultural humility, curiosity, and respect. This may include:

• Inviting preferred language use: Allowing space for Spanish, English, or code-switching so people can speak in the language that feels most natural in the moment.
• Being mindful of family and community roles: Recognizing that decisions and emotions may be influenced by extended family, chosen family, faith communities, or community leaders.
• Respecting spiritual and religious practices: Many Latinx people connect with Catholic, Christian, Indigenous, Afro-Latin, or other spiritual traditions. A respectful therapist may make room for these beliefs as important parts of a person’s life.
• Considering migration and generational stories: Experiences of moving between countries, mixed-status families, or being first-, second-, or later-generation can shape identity, belonging, and pressure to succeed.
• Using culturally relevant examples: When explaining concepts, some therapists may choose examples that relate to familiar family structures, traditions, or community experiences, while checking that they fit the individual’s reality.
• Checking assumptions: Latinx communities are diverse in race, language, nationality, class, gender, and sexuality. A culturally aware therapist may avoid assuming that one person’s experience represents an entire culture.

Examples of Considerations (Soft, Non-Specific)

Every person’s story is unique, and not all Latinx people share the same values or experiences. Still, there are some common themes that culturally aware therapists may keep in mind when supporting Latinx clients:

• Family expectations and boundaries: Some people navigate expectations about respect, obedience, or staying close to family, while also wanting independence, privacy, or different life paths.
• Gender roles and identity: Ideas about machismo, marianismo, or traditional gender expectations may bring up complex feelings, especially for women, LGBTQIA+ people, and non-binary or gender-expansive Latinx individuals.
• Language and “in-between” feelings: People who grew up translating for family, moving between Spanish and English, or feeling “not enough” of one culture or another may have mixed feelings about belonging.
• Immigration and safety concerns: Some Latinx individuals and families carry stories of migration, separation, uncertainty, or fear related to legal status or discrimination. These experiences can influence a sense of safety, trust, and stability.
• Racism, colorism, and anti-Blackness: Latinx people can be Indigenous, Black, white, Asian, mixed-race, and more. Experiences of racism from outside and within Latinx communities can be painful and confusing.
• Faith, spirituality, and questioning: People may find comfort in faith traditions or may be questioning beliefs they grew up with. Both devotion and doubt can be important parts of someone’s story.
• Intergenerational stories: Patterns, strengths, and hurts may be passed down through families. Some people are interested in exploring how previous generations’ experiences affect them today.

Some survivors of relationship or family harm in Latinx communities also explore supportive, non-crisis resources like https://www.dv.support to learn more about options at their own pace.