The Social Work with Latinos/as Certificate: An Exceptional Learning Opportunity
by Frank Jadwin, MSW ’11
Outpatient Child and Family Therapist
As a profession, social work has a proud history of offering services to populations that have been placed at risk by economic, political and social factors beyond their control. In general, the Latino demographic in the United States fits this profile of risk. While the Social Work with Latinos/as Certificate was just one factor that influenced my decision to attend GSSW, it subsequently became an indispensable piece of my MSW education and a defining feature in my identity as a social worker.
Before attending DU, I had the privilege of living, working and studying in several countries, with the majority of that time spent in Central and South America. This left me with an adequate fluency in Spanish and a fair understanding of the diversity and complexity of Latin American culture. But as I steadily learned social work terminology and concepts in English during my foundation year at GSSW, I began to realize that applying theoretical concepts to work with Spanish-speaking clients was more complicated than simply making direct translations.
It soon became obvious that the concepts and strategies I was learning would have to be modified in order to best serve people from cultural backgrounds different from those for which the concepts were originally intended. My desire to competently make these alterations and become an effective advocate became my motivation for enrolling in the Latino Certificate.
Being culturally competent with a group as heterogeneous as what is categorized as Latino requires much more than an adequate fluency in the Spanish language. “Latino” and “Latina” are broad, umbrella terms that represent a diverse group of national origins, unique ethnicities and cultures, and even different languages. Certainly, there are several characteristics not uncommon to find among the Latino demographic, such as the importance of family, respect for authority, collectivism, fatalism and spiritual beliefs in partnership with the Catholic Church. However, even these attributes exist on a spectrum, and no person’s or group’s experience is identical to another’s. Moreover, these distinctions are made more complex by factors such how many generations a family has been in the United States, citizenship status and level of acculturation.
Although other classes at GSSW provided a forum to discuss cultural competency, nothing quite compared to the depth and breadth of the multicultural and multilingual learning I experienced while earning the Latino Certificate. The Certificate allowed me to build upon my previous experience in working with populations with historical ties to Latin America, helped me develop my clinical vocabulary in my second language, and taught me how to tailor interventions to be more effective for my clients and more respectful of their unique backgrounds.
In my current position as an outpatient child and family therapist, I often realize the degree to which the Latino Certificate has made me a better clinician and colleague, and allowed me greater successes in community engagement. It has also opened the door to unique professional experiences, like the week three co-workers and I spent in Costa Rica recently, as part of an international exchange. Accompanied by members of the Aurora Police and Fire Departments, we presented at the International Symposium of Nurses in Mental Health, received intensive tutorials on the status of mental health in Costa Rica, toured several facilities and mingled with mental health professionals from 11 countries throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. These types of opportunities not only demonstrate the value of educational programs like the Latino Certificate, but are essential in building networks to refine mental health practices in an age of globalization. These networks enable us to share knowledge, gain familiarity and experience the diversity of Latin American culture.
As the number of Latinos in the United States continues to grow, there will be an ever-increasing need for social work education to provide culturally sensitive training to students. In fact, I believe our profession’s current lack of preparedness for satisfactorily meeting the needs of this population is alarming. Because providing effective, culturally competent services is a complex task that requires ongoing education and lifelong commitment, I highly recommend that any aspiring social worker take advantage of the exceptional learning opportunity offered by GSSW’s Latino Certificate.
