Suicidal behaviors constitute a series of public health concerns. Although more research and understanding have been gained in the last years, stigma and myths still permeate this topic, particularly among Latino communities. Data from the CDC indicates that the death rate from suicide for Latino men was four times the rate for Latinas in 2018. However, the suicide rate for Latino is less than half that of the non-Hispanic white population. For the Latino age group of 15-34, death by suicide was the second leading cause of death in 2019, and for Latinas in grades 9-12, suicide attempts were 30% higher than for non-Hispanic White girls in the same age group. Psychological and social factors play a role in suicidal behaviors. If we think of culture as a social factor, then it provides us with a greater understanding of suicidal behaviors. Social influencers such as stigma, poverty, lack of access, and culturally responsive services continue to play a role in providing services for suicidal behaviors among Latinos. In fact, in 2018, Latinos were 50 percent less likely to have received mental health treatment than non-Hispanic whites. This Conference will provide a forum for mental health services providers working with Latino populations to increase their knowledge and understanding of suicidal behaviors among Latinos. The Conference will address culturally grounded prevention and intervention strategies to serve Latinos at risk of suicidal behaviors best.
The goal of the conference
Provide a forum for providers of mental health services working with Latino communities to learn and understand the intersection of culture as a social factor in suicidal behaviors among Latino communities.
Learning objectives
1. Address contributing psychological and sociocultural factors in suicidal behaviors among Latino populations.
2. Discuss culturally grounded strategies to address suicidal behaviors in school settings.
3. Identify culturally responsive approaches to prevent suicidal behaviors in Latino groups.
J Rocky Romero, PhD, LMSW
CEO and owner of JR Romero & Associates
Dr. J Rocky Romero, LMSW is the CEO and owner of JR Romero & Associates, a company he started 21 years ago that focuses on behavioral health program development, program evaluation, consultation, and specialized training. Dr. Romero completed his doctoral studies at the University of New Mexico in Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) with a focus on analyzing legal discourse related so Spanish colonization while applying a critical race theory lens and a fellowship for El Centro de la Raza at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Romero has been a trainer and consultant for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded National Hispanic & Latino-Mental Health Technology Transfer Center for the last 13 years. Also, locally Dr. Romero provides program evaluation and training services for the McKinley County DWI program in Gallup, NM and has done so since 2016. Through his substance use prevention work he is a national and international senior trainer for Clare|Matrix, formerly the Matrix Institute on Addictions, for the last 14 years.
Jacalyn P. Dougherty, PhD, MA, MS, RN
State Coordinator for Suicide Awareness and Prevention
New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology & Response Division
Jacalyn Dougherty has served as the Department of Health‘s Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the past 4 years where she is continuing her life-long interest in health promotion. She received a BS in Nursing from the University of New Mexico, a MS in Nursing from the University of Colorado, and completed a Masters and doctoral study at the University of Denver in Developmental Psychology. She worked in the past as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, a school nurse, and as a nursing faculty member in Colorado educating nurse practitioners and traditional and second-degree undergraduate nursing students.
Carolina Hausmann-Stabile, PhD
Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research
Bryn Mawr College
Dr. Carolina Hausmann-Stabile is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Bryn Mawr College. Her work applies sociocultural perspectives to the study of suicidal behaviors among minority youth in the United States and adolescents in Latin America. She is the co-founder of the Youth Suicide Research Consortium.
Luis H. Zayas, PhD
Dean & Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health & Social Policy
Steve Hicks School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Austin
Luis H. Zayas, Ph.D., is dean and the Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work and Professor of Psychiatry at the Dell Medical School of The University of Texas at Austin. Zayas is both a social worker and developmental psychologist. His clinical work and research have focused on disadvantaged families, particularly Hispanic and other ethnic/racial minorities.
Enedina Enriquez, DSW, LCSW
Clinical Associate Professor
School of Social Work
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Enedina Enriquez is a DSW, LCSW-S, Lecturer III. She holds a doctoral degree in social work from USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in California. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Social Work. She is a graduate of the University of Texas Pan American where she got her bachelor and master's social work degree. In 2011, she became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and in 2019, became a Texas State Board Approved Clinical Supervisor for licensed master level social workers and marriage and family therapy clinicians. She has worked as a school social worker, conducted case management in a rehabilitation hospital, worked in an outpatient behavioral facility conducting individual, family, and group therapy services and in hospice and palliative care. She serves on the board for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention South Texas Chapter.
Shante Ortega – Invited Panelist
Rosa Gallegos Zamora – Invited Panelist
Myeshia Price, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
The Trevor Project
Myeshia Price (she/they) is a Senior Research Scientist at The Trevor Project. Dr. Price has more than fifteen years of experience in adolescent public health research, with a focus on sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ youth from an intersectional perspective. After completing their Ph.D. in developmental psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with research focusing on predicting early sexual behaviors during adolescence, they were an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Old Westbury prior to taking a postdoctoral research associate position at the Center for Innovative Public Health Research (CiPHR). Her primary research interest areas include developmental understandings of adolescent gender and sexuality and reducing LGBTQ youth mental health disparities with a particular focus on the role of protective factors.
Yovanska Duarté-Vélez, PhD
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Brown University and Bradley Hospital
Dr. Duarté-Vélez received her PhD from the University of Puerto Rico and is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University and Bradley Hospital. Dr. Duarté-Vélez is also a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience with children and families from diverse backgrounds. Her research interests are to develop and tailor treatments for diverse populations (e.g. ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender) according to their needs and cultural values. Dr. Duarté-Vélez completed a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) of the SCBT-SB versus Treatment as Usual (TAU) in a “real world” setting with positive results. Currently, she is conducting a randomized clinical trial to test the efficacy and effectiveness of the SCBT-SB funded by the National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities.