Guadalupe Nuñez on Why Latinos Avoid Therapy, Finding the Right Fit & Parents’ “I Had It Worse”

Hosts Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito sit down with Guadalupe Nuñez, a licensed therapist who works with Latinos in Los Angeles, for a conversation about Latinos and mental health.
Guadalupe shares what she’s seeing in her clients as ICE raids, discrimination and the pressure to “blend in” weigh on the community, and how the clash between cultures at home and at school takes a toll on young Latinos. Then they ask why Latinos are less likely to get mental health treatment, from the belief that you don’t air the dirty laundry outside the household to the classic Latino parent comebacks: “You have God” and “I had it worse.”
Then they get practical. Guadalupe explains how to find a therapist who’s the right fit, from asking for a free consultation to saying you want to speak Spanglish, and why you have permission to switch therapists or ask for a specialist. Suzy tells the story of the first therapist she ever fired, and she and Fidel share what finally worked for them. Guadalupe also breaks down EMDR, a therapy where you don’t have to retell your trauma in detail. They also dig into the barriers: language, cost, stigma and machismo.
Plus: Fidel and Suzy’s Goldilocks search for the right therapist, and why some people love therapy homework while others don’t.
And because this is De Los Podcast, they end with a reminder: you’re allowed to change therapists.
Produced by Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Studios, and Sonoro.
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