tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87953483812962565312024-03-05T22:35:12.796-08:00MSPP's Rincón LatinoWelcome to the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology's "Rincón Latino", our special Latin corner.
Bienvenidos al "Rincón Latino" del Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, nuestro rincón especial para temas latinos.
This is where we share news and topics in English and Spanish relevant to our training program in Latino mental health.
Aquí compartimos noticias y temas relacionados a nuestro programa de capacitación en la salud mental de los latinos residentes en los EEUU.MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-69553067217968307212010-08-05T06:03:00.000-07:002010-09-20T10:42:57.479-07:00Rotación at Sub-Centro de Salud Luchadores del Norte<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzl8AkipoS4s5AXRch11G2kVGGMGMpDo6Xl59WE_7ScnpNpKA8f2A89XnXPTb_uQAUa1FKWJYDdaQkbM6mqd0iU1HsCd21322nUy0-BaM5qIqOc2czaNsyxR-ptjT9bbTf6BTx-svHk0/s1600/1+Nick.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzl8AkipoS4s5AXRch11G2kVGGMGMpDo6Xl59WE_7ScnpNpKA8f2A89XnXPTb_uQAUa1FKWJYDdaQkbM6mqd0iU1HsCd21322nUy0-BaM5qIqOc2czaNsyxR-ptjT9bbTf6BTx-svHk0/s320/1+Nick.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519052595893845106" /></a><br /><br />What does a mental health professional “do” when she encounters significant poverty, medical need or trauma? The words that we rely on for our talking therapies are quite inadequate, maybe even inappropriate when faced with such suffering. What does a supervisor “offer” to those who are encountering these overwhelming situations and their accompanying emotions?<br /><br />This week our Lucero second-year students are working in (and outside of) a neighborhood medical clinic. These “neighborhoods” exist in several sections of Guayaquil in response to an invitation of the government to rural and mountain people to move into the city. As president Gonzalez explained, the land is essentially free at first to those who settle there and create some kind of shelter. We saw several neighborhoods of bamboo shacks that are the first generation of such settlements with subsequent iterations becoming cinderblock dwellings of several small rooms on dirt streets without sewage. The neighborhood of Dr. Montero’s Sub-Centro de Salud Luchadores del Norte clinic is such a place. The people are poor with many families separated due to parents seeking work in other countries and children being raised by extended family or even friends.<br /><br />Our students are now working this week with these families. Since Dr. Montero and his colleagues will serve these families for many years, a psychosocial history will be a very valuable asset to their work. <br /><br />In addition to seeing families in clinics our students are visiting them in their cinderblock homes with the medical team. On such a visit they met a mother of not one but two young children with crippling illnesses that require her to lift and transport them. She, herself, is physically injured and the family is very poor. They spoke of their ‘needs’ and what would “help”. For this family the needs are basic: food, clothing, shelter, and some assistance with the burden of care of these children. Although there is impressive love, care and commitment, there is real suffering here. <br /><br />Maslow writes that more cognitive and emotional exchanges can only follow individuals’ basic needs being met. It is not only challenging for the mental health professional to help, when words are our medium of exchange, it is challenging for a supervisor to be helpful to the student who is encountering such need. What “words” can make a difference?<br /><br />In such circumstances the mental health professional has little to offer from the panoply of psychological interventions. These moments are not about doing, they are about being. The only real offering, it is hard to call it an intervention, is the connection and compassion that one human being can offer to another in distress. <br /><br />Hopefully, the “turning towards” rather then “turning away”, the being with rather than leaving alone can be comforting to this woman and those of this community whom our students will meet. It is what there is for a mental health professional to offer. <br />Certainly such an experience of mutual helplessness will impact the professional and personal development of our MSPP students. This experience will take some significant time to metabolize, but the emotions, more than any cognition, will be with them, likely, forever.<br /><br />Nick Covino<br />PresidentMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-16674360842391742812010-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:002010-09-02T19:33:13.674-07:00Lo mejor del Ecuador es su gente.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88ctrLZF1d6RxsKfi2lYFiF_2Gszz8qG8ClSpaeVfTT5koRQrqOvc29hIRN4ViZAlg5qFtziJEpn6CKorGsJ9oJj8KgZbowYs796tn73HhETXsRwi9TXb6AfFJtQFcqkUIH2UqW1BZnw/s1600/ECUADOR_4.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88ctrLZF1d6RxsKfi2lYFiF_2Gszz8qG8ClSpaeVfTT5koRQrqOvc29hIRN4ViZAlg5qFtziJEpn6CKorGsJ9oJj8KgZbowYs796tn73HhETXsRwi9TXb6AfFJtQFcqkUIH2UqW1BZnw/s320/ECUADOR_4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512509682206034322" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bCUBwuQ9RwBbv0iwlFK6wDnqcTaUepJ66VlLumXB1G3DWpBXk7-LrQVLaYub0JxFQV9FvRusRKSocrCTZ-UK71ZQ2RaZPxKP76Bzp-B9uocEyvxPW9LECAYvV1qRv2Ch9TpWKpNdk5w/s1600/ECUADOR_3.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bCUBwuQ9RwBbv0iwlFK6wDnqcTaUepJ66VlLumXB1G3DWpBXk7-LrQVLaYub0JxFQV9FvRusRKSocrCTZ-UK71ZQ2RaZPxKP76Bzp-B9uocEyvxPW9LECAYvV1qRv2Ch9TpWKpNdk5w/s320/ECUADOR_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512509676766843762" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5VsGLCeOmewiUz28EZxkGFn5SDh0HDFy3LRYvzswwFNde0u4Pv5VCXkI5MzVwW-TCHS6LokHayswgB-Qpy4zBV8oEOCBKMUxevZHwxKAbPLec-oBcsP9zcKC4QTbcDjNXGQHRdAlqbY/s1600/ECUADOR_2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5VsGLCeOmewiUz28EZxkGFn5SDh0HDFy3LRYvzswwFNde0u4Pv5VCXkI5MzVwW-TCHS6LokHayswgB-Qpy4zBV8oEOCBKMUxevZHwxKAbPLec-oBcsP9zcKC4QTbcDjNXGQHRdAlqbY/s320/ECUADOR_2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512509668514860034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpwzLT0tV1KI86OX5m5eTZx6ZwDpZDR9C6s5iMeLJwiMOZYemZSEXNEUXRnPi8vewulQ_0OYswp-VIxZjQfKs_nYk7-sB5rFL9UusK-5rCSd1-94ARiDcgAtQNGV0CInMjl_wFhCpRg0/s1600/ECUADOR_1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpwzLT0tV1KI86OX5m5eTZx6ZwDpZDR9C6s5iMeLJwiMOZYemZSEXNEUXRnPi8vewulQ_0OYswp-VIxZjQfKs_nYk7-sB5rFL9UusK-5rCSd1-94ARiDcgAtQNGV0CInMjl_wFhCpRg0/s320/ECUADOR_1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512509660708419778" /></a><br /><br /><br />Al regresar a Boston luego de visitar a nuestros estudiantes en Guayaquil, guardo recuerdos muy placenteros de las experiencias adquiridas. Soy testigo de la dedicación y paciencia de nuestros estudiantes en conocer y aprender de las realidades que se viven en una cultura distinta. Por ello, les doy mi sinceros votos de aliento para que sigan adelante!<br /><br />Durante mi estadía en la hermosa ciudad de Guayaquil tuve la oportunidad de asistir a una recepción organizada por la Fundación Dra. Cynthia Lucero. En este evento Marta Lucero nos entregó un Kit Anti-Depresión que me trajo valiosos recuerdos de Cynthia Lucero y su bondad para con el prójimo. Este Kit Anti-Depresión provisto de un borrador, una moneda de un centavo, un elástico, una cuerda, un chocolatito Kiss y otro simbolizando un abrazo, dice lo siguiente:<br /><br />• Un borrador, para hacer desaparecer todos esos pequeños errores.<br />• Un centavo para que nunca estés completamente quebrado.<br />• Un elástico para ayudarte a estirar más allá de tus límites.<br />• Una cuerda para que mantengas todo junto cuando pareciera que se te escapa.<br />• Y un abrazo y un beso para que recuerdes que alguien se preocupa por tí.<br /><br />Pues en adelante esto lo tendré en mente, y tú que lees esto, cuando tal vez estés por un momento dificil y necesitas un apoyo esto te dará ánimo.<br /><br />Mario Murga<br />Director of AdmissionsMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-76599805640246527562010-07-25T18:24:00.000-07:002010-08-05T06:12:06.709-07:00Our Time with the Lucero FamilySpending time with Martha and Hector Lucero was one of the high points of the trip. They are loving, generous people who were highly attentive to me. They travel as a pair, much like my own parents did. They oriented me to the city, took me to Cynthia’s Foundation that works to establish a much needed program of organ donation in the country, arranged several meals for Mario and me, including a lunch in their home. With me only speaking in English, Martha was patient and attentive as her husband translated for us. When Mario Murga came down to join us, he provided a complement to our group by his ability to speak with Martha in Spanish.<br /><br />It is impossible to understand the incalculable loss that the death of a child brings to the parents. The Luceros have done remarkable work with the Foundation Dra. Cynthia Lucero whose purpose is to educate the public about the importance of Organ Donations. Hector is a true advocate; when he was introduced at a meeting of local psychologists and teachers, following a lecture that I gave, he thanked the school for its work in Cynthia’s name then asked the group to consider, “only for a minute” the importance of giving life, as his daughter did, to those who need organs, after we are finished with them. Their grief is palpable and it is concretized in the materials and the heroic pictures of Cynthia running races and growing through life that are in the several rooms that are the Foundation. I learned about her visits to the aged and of the collections of soap and shampoo that she brought with her to them. I learned of her strident feminism from a proud father and of her investment in community. <br /><br />About forty people gathered on Thursday evening for some wine and shrimp at the Foundation. I met some of Cynthia’s teachers and the friends and family who make up some of the Foundation Membership. They showed a brief film about Cynthia to further introduce her to our group. Our students looked beautiful and graciously interacted with the friends and family. They offered introductions of themselves in English and Spanish. It is important for me that they come to know Cynthia and her parents. The work that we are doing in this program is a real effort to extend the tragically cut-short life and work of an inspirational young woman. They clearly got that message and I was proud of the way that they engaged the membership individually and in small groups. I was very proud of them. <br /><br />Nick Covino<br />PresidentMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-58376987760185734312010-07-25T18:20:00.000-07:002010-08-05T06:12:21.191-07:00The DoctorWe have had a number of discussions about the role of "students' working<br />along with professionals in a country where we have limited language and<br />knowledge of customs. How much of this experience is "taking" so that<br />our work with Latino patients in the future will be competent and how<br />much is "contributing" in any way. It is a challenging subject and one<br />that I won't presume to have a final word; it is for our program to<br />continually process.<br /><br />However, in meeting an Ecuadorian doctor who runs a public health clinic<br />where our students will be for a week, it is clear that we can be<br />helpful. He sees hundreds of families and he sees them over and over,<br />like the family doctor. On any given moment he is pediatrician,<br />gynecologist, pulmonologist, neurologist, and cardiologist for this<br />community of very poor people. This is a cinderblock neighborhood that<br />is an iteration ahead of the bamboo shacks that stood in the same place<br />a few years ago. It has no sewage and there is trash in the unpaved and<br />unleveled streets. It is a place that is quite similar to those in<br />which I worked in Jamaica, but it is overwhelming if you haven't been<br />exposed to it. This doctor needs us to do some histories. Since he,<br />like his American primary care counterparts, has only a short time to<br />visit with patients, it will be very helpful to hear from our students<br />about the living situations, family challenges and emotional issues that<br />his patients are experiencing.<br /><br />He spent a good deal of time on the orientation visit giving us an<br />introduction to his work and his community's needs. The fact that he<br />travelled to a welcoming reception and to a lecture that I gave at the<br />Blue Hill College spoke to me of the value that he anticipates that we<br />will provide to his work in only the few days of our visit. At the risk<br />of seeming overly impressed with heroic figures, this is another unusual<br />figure; he is a man from the mountains, he can work anywhere as a public<br />health doctor, his office and his examining rooms are a far cry from<br />those of the Harvard teaching hospitals. <br /><br />One is forced to ask: "Why does he work here?" One is forced to<br />challenge Miss Freud's concept of Altruism as merely a defense against<br />libidinal instincts or her father's ideas about sublimation, reaction<br />formation, etc. He stands as a counterpoint to personal profit. What<br />is there to learn from his commitment to this community? Even with only<br />being able to contribute some good psychosocial histories there seems to<br />be value to the students' presence with this man and his team.<br />Incidentally, we did have a good discussion about the potential that the<br />young people whom he observes compulsively texting: so much that they do<br />not eat, sleep much and become deconditioned due to inactivity might be<br />depressed. These are adolescents whose parents have immigrated to find<br />work and they are now living with neighbors, not necessarily family<br />members. I promised to send him some information when I can speak with<br />some addictions people to get their impressions.<br /><br />Nick Covino<br />PresidentMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-10927021874763940722010-07-25T18:16:00.000-07:002010-07-25T18:20:05.585-07:00Hello from President CovinoSeven days in Guayaquil. I arrived a day prior to our students to meet President Gonzalez and the Luceros and to get acquainted with the area a bit before the students came. <br /><br />This is a highly organized and complex rotation. President Gonzalez is an unusual man; a real humanitarian. He looks after the students with the enthusiasm of an uncle and a master teacher. He speaks passionately about his country and the work that our students will be doing here. He and the host families waited with me until 12:30 am to greet our students when they arrived. He knew everyone by name when they arrived and made sure that they were settled and that each one had a packet of information. The introductory week was manageable and well thought out. A tour of the city, an orientation to the area services, government structure, neighborhoods and customs. Although he has done this work as an educator for many years, he engaged our group with enthusiasm, kindness and energy and he spoke of the customs and needs of the people with compassion. <br /><br />On the second day we met the staff and people of the three placements that the students will be working in: a primary school, a public health clinic in a neighborhood that is being settled by squatters who were brought in from the mountains by the government to become “voters”, and a Foundation that educates street children. The latter is a school that takes all comers regardless of age and groups them into classes according to educational needs and abilities. Many of these children are without families or have been working from a very young age (grades 2 or 3) so that they have had a very spotty education. The students began their work at this Foundation on the very next day.<br /><br />Johnny continued to be present and to mentor the group, giving his time in the morning to make sure that things went well and, again on the next day. Jazmyn is one of the local psychologists (a BA level professional with an additional year of professional training). She interviewed a young child with one of our students in the room and the rest of us behind a mirror. Apart from the heat and the age and condition of the play materials, these mornings looked much like internship training at the Beth Israel Hospital when I was there. If I can get back to this blog, I will write about the young boys that were seen that day by our students and Jasmyn; it was very impressive. <br /><br />I am most impressed by our students. The early days are overwhelming for all of us. If you haven’t lived in another country, it is scary to be in a neighborhood with limited language skills. People on the plane cautioned each of us to “be careful” living in the city. It isn’t staying at the Hilton compound. However, in a brief meeting on the second day, we were all able to talk about the issues of safety and trust that we were experiencing. It was easy to make the leap to understand how patients, especially those whose English mirrors our level of Spanish, feel when they come to a mental health provider for care. By day two or three, however, these students were jumping rope, playing clapping (hand) games and swinging on swings with the Foundation children who were eager to engage, touch, and talk with them. This was impressive “immersion” after only a few days and starting with a good amount of apprehension. They are clearly off to a great start.<br /><br />The “star” of this rotation, though, is Johnny Gonzalez who is ubiquitous, compassionate and a true educator. In short order it is unmistakable that this man has a “calling” to do this work and that it is not in any way a job. He knows the people at the clinics and they have obvious affection and respect for him. He is concerned that people get the maximum outcome from their educational experience. He left a dinner with his wife to pick up two of our adventurous students who had become stranded at a mall. He has been very attentive to me and to the Lucero family to make sure that the work that we are doing in Cynthia’s name is successful. He speaks Spanish with patience to the students and has been the translator of language and culture for me. Anything that moves this program forward is his mission. I meet a lot of people in my work, this is the “real deal” as a man who is concerned about the human race. We are fortunate to have him as our host and teacher….and did I say that he has a family and another job as president of Blue Hill College? Indefatigable as well. <br /><br />Nick CovinoMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-69115944856558499142009-08-19T12:16:00.001-07:002009-08-19T12:27:26.443-07:00Casi en casa...Hola todos!<br />¡¡¡Lo siento por mucho tiempo antes de una entrada!!! El sabado nosotros vamos a regresar a Boston, y el viaje ha sido fantastico! Durante las cinco semanas, nosotros hemos viajado a Manual Antonia, Monte Verde, Arenal y Guanacaste en Costa Rica. Las playas son muy bonitas y la gente muy amable.<br />Nostros hemos aprendido mucho de la lengua aqui, pero tambien hemos aprendido mucho de la cultura de Costa Rica. La comida esta muy rica y las familias estan muy unidas. Todos han hecho Costa Rica una casa segunda para nosotros.<br />Nosotros estamos planeando escribir mas sobre las aventuras de las estudiantes aqui, y esperamos ver todos dentro de poco!<br /><br />Hello all!<br />Sorry for the long period of time without blog entries! Saturdal we are going to return to Boston, and the trip has been fantastic. During the 5 weeks, we have traveled to Manual Antonia, Monteverde, Arenal and Guanacaste in Costa Rica. The beaches are very pretty and the people are kind. We have learned alot of the language here, but also we have learned alot about the culture of Costa Rica. The food is very delicious and the families are very attached to each other. Everyone has made Costa Rica a second home for us.<br />We are planning to write more about our adventures here, and we hope to see you all soon!<br /><br /><br />---Melissa Jenks<br /> Latino Mental Health Program, MSPP<br /> La Guacima, Costa RicaMelissa Jenkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493444258682019730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-6222451914021653912009-07-31T21:18:00.000-07:002009-08-07T17:21:10.188-07:00Me encanta Guatemala<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyqJ9nqDCKxNARbJZGEUH0rZt8DmmYXWx1yfjKyaRFXWTzJRM_tgoCSEtzSsZs8oK_RCqgPQH2C2seWxbvcr5qPw-ncwJB78IJO_QH-vtm_w0_FYYt51geYhiFNixIyqF-WVUzlMp93A/s1600-h/ptown+and+guate+July+2009+293.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyqJ9nqDCKxNARbJZGEUH0rZt8DmmYXWx1yfjKyaRFXWTzJRM_tgoCSEtzSsZs8oK_RCqgPQH2C2seWxbvcr5qPw-ncwJB78IJO_QH-vtm_w0_FYYt51geYhiFNixIyqF-WVUzlMp93A/s320/ptown+and+guate+July+2009+293.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364985483499853170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOfJzEWmZS8RMhge-lnFZe5W-RfNIH3aN5F6k0PcPqpAqtxtqaGaACjiGk3_MgtotfySUVPFrBCVCfQmJ3z0PLYZLnmIp0eo675nbCr2A0k3CQwS0ErQMIgkCKLlXVlXVejcOYUgEtQI/s1600-h/ptown+and+guate+July+2009+241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cVUBKHiUiKaAbgSb6zftBw9QJYDnewpMtSKSULQtVZJ6tIV52-e82USLeiDlc09ohFk8PcAw6MjkyWvc1wxDqX-VgMw84rnt1KEMD5AvCFmoaMQ7ItNgAvZ0w87Fugpj1gRPDeUFDJw/s320/ptown+and+guate+July+2009+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364847360723970114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamwMYnu2dgY74mNa7Z4wq01U4zzlq22yQcdm5ChrZQyveSD9m5lnD_qj1KvfIAOi49IXsAAJHuaJweIC5bHSK0sX8_TIANYGUzGC5w3xOD1af5ETmR69FHdhgG_ba2gORjArJz-jwA2w/s1600-h/ptown+and+guate+July+2009+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamwMYnu2dgY74mNa7Z4wq01U4zzlq22yQcdm5ChrZQyveSD9m5lnD_qj1KvfIAOi49IXsAAJHuaJweIC5bHSK0sX8_TIANYGUzGC5w3xOD1af5ETmR69FHdhgG_ba2gORjArJz-jwA2w/s320/ptown+and+guate+July+2009+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364845691643440498" border="0" /></a><br />Hola mi familia y amigos de MSPP,<br />Our 17 day immersion experience in Guatemala is defiantly worth writing home about :) Thank you to Michelle Contreras, Stephanie Guila, and the clinicians and staff at Boston Clinical Consulting en Guatemala for hosting such a wonderful, memorable, and personally/ clinically enriching experience. In writing this blog I hope to share some highlights from our work, our play, as well as the excitement we all feel about the catalyzing of this important and special professional international exchange program between MSPP and the Boston Clinical Consulting group in Guatemala City.<br />During our 17 day immersion we had the opportunity to get to know personally and professionally the group of psychologists and staff working at Boston Clinical Consulting (“Boston”) in Guatemala City. We were welcomed with open arms. At the clinic we attended Spanish lessons as well as psycho-educational workshops presented by the clinicians, topics included: A workshop on grieving for bereaved parents/ families and Sexual Disorders (2 part). These types of psycho-educational workshops are offered weekly to other professionals and to the public in an effort to provide information and services; to de-stigmatize mental health services in the area.<br />At the end of the first week we visited and did one short play therapy intervention with 25-50 children at an orphanage in Chimaltenango. This orphanage is named Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos and houses over 350 orphans. It is quite a sight to behold. It is a huge pretty well self sustained campus with metal, wood, sewing, cooking/ kitchen workshops, a school, living quarters for the children as well as staff/ volunteers, football field, basketball courts, gardens, green houses, animal shed and more, all back dropped against a surreal mountain and volcano scenery. I remember walking across the field my first afternoon side by side a small boy of 9 years old. I had gone to get him from class to go to his “anger management” group that was being run by a visiting Japanese psychologist. As we crossed the field together, he asked, “So do you like my country?” I said yes, I do. It is very beautiful. He then looked at me, smiled and said, “I know!! just look at the mountains over there!”<br />In addition to the mountains we were also welcomed by the children to snap shots of their lives and some stories of early abandonment and resilience. We used a “paracaida” (for falling)/ parachute in our intervention, and consulted on a case with the only local psychologist for all 350+ children on how to help better support a 13 year old girl who was reported to be having significant behavioral difficulties that included stealing eggs from the chicken pen and going to the green house to make omelets for herself and a couple of other friends all of whom had recently sneaked out of the residence late one night. There is much clinical work that can be done here, however, more appropriate it seems for groups that could consider staying a considerably longer period of time then we had available on this trip.<br />Over the weekend we traveled to Antigua. A special and scared place. A place to relax, chat with the locals, and dance.<br />In the second week we continued with our Spanish classes at the clinic, visited a second orphanage, as well as made several day visits that included going to the National Psychiatric Hospital, visiting an acupuncturist/ local healer, Train museum, and the National Political Archives. At the second orphanage, El Hosicio San Jose (an place for children who are HIV positive) we again did a short play therapy intervention using drawings and a parachute. This was very successful intervention and left us all with active thoughts about how and in what form MSPP could continue to be a presence in these very special children’s lives. I look forward to sharing more on my cross cultural clinical reflections in the future at MSPP :)<br />We ended the trip by visiting one of the largest Mayan ruins in the world located in the Tikal National Park. This was my first time seeing a ruin and I experienced standing in awe of humanity. The jungle is certainly an energizing place. I fell in love with Guatemala.<br />Gracias a Zackarias, Christina, Juan y Michelle por un bien viaje!<br />Gracias to the MSPP community y Boston Clinical Consulting for this first opportunity to be part of such a positive and important international professional exchange.<br />Entonces. Calidad!!!<br />Simpre la paz,<br />JeanineJeanine Bailliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534130645718693298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-89765647079850428112009-07-30T16:11:00.000-07:002009-07-30T16:18:19.199-07:00Reflections at the halfway point: Julio 27, 2009Hola a todos de Ecuador!<br /><br />From my newfound home in La Garzota, I’ve found my personal cheerleader for my Ecuadorian adventure. A block from the house that Darleen and I have come to call home, is a gym where day-in and day-out, a personal trainer yells “vamos, vamos, vamos, fuerte, fuerte, fuerte!” After long and tiring days in the Guayaquil humidity chock-full of observing, translating, learning, and struggling to take in and integrate this experience, the physical trainer outside our window pushes me onward to the next day, next experience, next new and shocking reality that is this cultural immersion experience in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Today marks our halfway point of our summer in Ecuador, which feels incredibly false on all fronts. It’s not possible that we’ve only been here two and a half weeks—for all that we’ve witnessed, done, and experienced, each day feels like at least a week. And it’s certainly not possible that in two and a half weeks we’ll be boarding a plane back to the US—how ridiculously short that feels! Since we stepped off the plane after 16+ hours of travelling and were greeted with the strong hugs and kisses on the cheek from Marta Lucero, it’s been clear to me that it might take years to fully unpack, integrate, and comprehend this experience. But as today marks the halfway point, it seems like it’s time to stop, reflect, and share some of the amazing stories I now carry with me.<br /><br />Although there’s always some culture shock when navigating a new culture, our adjustment was smoothly facilitated by Johnny Gonzales of Blue Hill College, who has done an incredible job of orienting us, organizing amazing clinical opportunities for us, providing us with Spanish classes fit to our varying communicative abilities, and does all this with such a smile, with such charm, and such obvious respect and commitment to the Lucero LMH program. From the psychologists in the sites we’re visiting, to our profesoras, to our Ecuadorian familias, and most especially the Lucero family and the folks at the Cynthia Lucero Foundation, everywhere we go we’re received with such warm and welcoming arms. I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising from the stories we’ve heard about Cynthia, her warmth, generosity, and spirit. Having learned more about Cynthia through the foundation and her family, I feel so honored to have the opportunity to carry out some of the work she had hoped to do, here in the city she was born in.<br /><br />Tonight I will write the “highlights version,” as my time is short so I can get some rest before our 6:30am home-visits to observe family therapy with families of children who attend the Fundación Crecer’s school for children who work on the streets. On my list of personal highlights are my first telephone conversation in Spanish, with my Ecuadorian Mami, the experience of trying cow-foot soup, seeing whales and blue footed boobys (birds) in Puerto Lopez, canyoning (rapelling) down a waterfall in the mountains of Baños, and successfully explaining the history of the LMH program in Spanish to my family—something I was not able to do last summer.<br /><br />While I certainly miss the delicious coffee of Costa Rica and the intensive experience of 6 hours of Spanish class a day, with our time split between volunteer work and classes, I feel I’m getting a much more intimate view of life in Guayaquil. The differences in socio-economic-status are shocking. The majority of us live within a two-minute walk from each other, and I’ve never experienced such a wide range of economic variety from house to house. While this felt striking to me for the first two weeks, Monday I witnessed families living in poverty that I could never imagine. Visiting families this week has really put into perspective the unbelievable privileges I hold. The bedroom that I’m living in here, which is probably half the size of my room in Boston, is slightly smaller than the one-room house that sleeps 13 in one of the homes we visited. The privacy, which I crave here, living with a family again for the second summer in a row, and the second time in my adult life, is simply impossible for the families we visited. After seeing the family situations first-hand, I had a different perspective while meeting with the children this morning. One little boy drew us a picture of his family. He spent a very long time concentrating on making his picture—his Abuelita, Mami, Papi, and 3 hermanos—drawn as small as my littlest fingernail. It was as if he couldn’t allow his family to take up any space. Last week I would have interpreted this solely as being about his lack of self-esteem, possibly pointing to depression. But today I paused and considered what it is like to live in a big world and not physically have room to take up the space one deserves. Big hearts of various colors surrounded the picture, as if to say, “we might be small, but our love is big and strong.” This 10-year-old boy with a hefty trauma history, in his picture, and through his play, communicated his awe-inspiring resiliency.<br /><br />Monday we visited with a family with three adolescent children, one of whom had run away from home. The home was narrow, at the top of incredibly steep stairs that were almost vertical. Like climbing a ladder, it was impossible to ascend the staircase without the use of the banisters. Once inside, the psychologist proceeded to have an hour-long therapy session with the father who struggles with Alcoholism. The entire family (sans the daughter who ran away) was present for the session—there wasn’t another option. While listening to the conversation, I watched the teenage son march an action figure on the ledge of the stairwell. In slow-motion he walked the action figure on the narrow ledge, occasionally flipping him through the air. The figure landed on his feet—most of the time. After quite some time of listening to his father shrug off responsibility, chastise him for behaving like a normal teenager, and lie to the psychologist about his drinking habits, I watched this young man balance the action figure precariously on the ledge of the stairwell. What a long drop it would be if he fell, I thought. I was thankful that action figure stood steady for the rest of our visit, and long after the young man had walked into the room he shared with his siblings. It was hard to peel my eyes from the figure when it was time to leave the house. I wonder if it still stands there, balancing.<br /><br />Although I’m learning so much, understanding more each day and able to communicate in Spanish better and better each day, my ability to express myself and fully comprehend in Spanish still fails me on a daily basis. While this is incredibly frustrating for a psychology student for whom expression and complexity of thought are of utmost importance, I’ve found myself less and less conscious of the moments where I am lost in translation while observing and interacting in our volunteer experiences. Over the past two-and-a-half weeks, I’ve rediscovered the power of nonverbal communication, and of symbolic representation. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to spend some time with the families here, and to witness and participate in these moments. Whether it’s with a 5 year-old boy at a Hospital Leon Becerra who came alive through play with his toy helicopter and the lunch-bag puppets we made, the one-year old little girl who followed my eyes with hers for 20 minutes after a painful procedure, or the young man whose action figure communicated more than the situation would allow, it seems clear that despite language barriers, people will find a way to communicate what needs to be heard. Beyond the language barrier, so much can be understood. While it feels hard to know how my presence in these institutions, with these families and children, could possibly be of use in such a short amount of time, I am acutely aware of the ways in which I am affected by the time spent with the children and families I have had the privilege to know.<br /><br />I’m certainly not a morning person, but I’m looking forward to awakening before the sun tomorrow, to meet three more families. Entonces, porque voy a levantarme muy temprano en la mañana, buenos noches a todos. Espero que todos están felices y seguros en Los Estados Unidos.<br /><br />Hasta pronto! AlizaAliza Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17249839065535270405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-20393994392655170322009-07-30T15:19:00.000-07:002009-07-30T15:37:10.484-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Z7LUEhdyt1sj7P2atBUDkBbxAfCYdZX-1kYeADpe2GPaqVM718K45d4_-2b2ZzVmCGY7cvE5WtL7DRZi_jQVa3dbt8ElcsUbQeW0uQ-Q25eStE-ogOFPBPpo8wd6AOa3Fsfe22FC2ss/s1600-h/student+shots+%40+Rancho+Espanol+002.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Z7LUEhdyt1sj7P2atBUDkBbxAfCYdZX-1kYeADpe2GPaqVM718K45d4_-2b2ZzVmCGY7cvE5WtL7DRZi_jQVa3dbt8ElcsUbQeW0uQ-Q25eStE-ogOFPBPpo8wd6AOa3Fsfe22FC2ss/s320/student+shots+%40+Rancho+Espanol+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364385824536398242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxQjZ9Cj7KOzqq3fYM_SBmH-7mAge4F7U9tSFQaix5JyF8chnn-VQ6DFeSXAr1F-ZW9L946EZq6gX-Lwwr_SoDeYVqaJrsTT8RlzU0yaPpChXrk7ukkjMlqPazA99ZgG9Eb7Hj4vCUkE/s1600-h/Spanish+classes+at+Rancho+Espanol+038.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxQjZ9Cj7KOzqq3fYM_SBmH-7mAge4F7U9tSFQaix5JyF8chnn-VQ6DFeSXAr1F-ZW9L946EZq6gX-Lwwr_SoDeYVqaJrsTT8RlzU0yaPpChXrk7ukkjMlqPazA99ZgG9Eb7Hj4vCUkE/s320/Spanish+classes+at+Rancho+Espanol+038.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364384856744019778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJaJsf0uoGYgDqEcdtDx4XZoACGQCdX3b832KYx_50Ih4mk17nNJeWdX-0_pXzC1qupWw7skD3rLF_WXH6m8b5ICCEVUE98Xsl3rFqw0QMhaVdJIxq0bQq33hozIix_ACHsaQnAeRUiE/s1600-h/Latin+dance+lessons+w+Carlos+016.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJaJsf0uoGYgDqEcdtDx4XZoACGQCdX3b832KYx_50Ih4mk17nNJeWdX-0_pXzC1qupWw7skD3rLF_WXH6m8b5ICCEVUE98Xsl3rFqw0QMhaVdJIxq0bQq33hozIix_ACHsaQnAeRUiE/s320/Latin+dance+lessons+w+Carlos+016.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364383857140696450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2V5CwRAE47Xw94TvXLkBdpNeJPZpcMVyQdz2dj5-QmEsXs8Fdtn26vYhrmtBpJVgs4o_jKrPecZmrABI-aJr16jF2B9_aeUmZG6jv_eX1xok7CSBQ_2-luIrEJh9rs4ELQQBWbFScg3E/s1600-h/Horsebackriding+at+Rancho+Espanol+2009+004.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2V5CwRAE47Xw94TvXLkBdpNeJPZpcMVyQdz2dj5-QmEsXs8Fdtn26vYhrmtBpJVgs4o_jKrPecZmrABI-aJr16jF2B9_aeUmZG6jv_eX1xok7CSBQ_2-luIrEJh9rs4ELQQBWbFScg3E/s320/Horsebackriding+at+Rancho+Espanol+2009+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364383852415862098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOOyt9zgg8ddHFlkzQbomcgtUneMq-q7aFocYZLdgkKtJBBe0pRxALKw_iQTqmmJZk9oilErP3-ZU3hsucfYMDMEMrgE_rM6ZdvlSDPP2X4sOR8Q78FjACrTswlb1HC27izNB2FFDDEk/s1600-h/Welcome+lunch+005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOOyt9zgg8ddHFlkzQbomcgtUneMq-q7aFocYZLdgkKtJBBe0pRxALKw_iQTqmmJZk9oilErP3-ZU3hsucfYMDMEMrgE_rM6ZdvlSDPP2X4sOR8Q78FjACrTswlb1HC27izNB2FFDDEk/s320/Welcome+lunch+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364382358667583058" /></a><br />Queridos amigos y amigas:<br /><br />Queremos enviarles un saludo tropical desde La Guácima, Costa Rica. ¡El programa de inmersión de verano en latinoamérica del Program Latino de MSPP ha comenzado este año con gran éxito! Nuestros compañeros de Guatemala ya regresaron a Boston sanos y salvos. Las que estan en Guayaquil, Ecuador están participando de un programa muy interesante de trabajo voluntario y clases de español. Y nosotras ya estamos inmersas profundamente en la cultura costarricense en la segunda de las 5 semanas que pasaremos aquí. Como se podrán dar cuenta por medio de las fotos, hemos estado bien ocupadas con las clases de español en el Rancho Español y el programa de trabajo voluntario. Pero también estamos sacando tiempo para divertirnos aprendiendo bailes latinos con Carlos, a cocinar deliciosas recetas ticas, y participando en muchas otras actividades divertidas. Amaro ya partió hacia Miami para pasar una semana de descanso después de estar una semana con nosotras acompañado de su esposa, Kim, y sus hijas, Isabella and Mariella. Algunas de nosotras ya hemos ido a bucear, a montar caballo, a disfrutar de las bellas playas de la costa del pacífico de Costa Rica, del bosque húmedo, y estamos muy ansiosas ante las aventuras que aún nos aguardan. Nuestras familias ticas nos están alimentando muy bien y dándonos una calurosa acogida en sus hogares. Y también estamos aprovechando de las clases de español de alta calidad del Rancho Español, al igual que de la cálida recepción de parte de Verónica, Clara, Manuel (Sr & Jr), Alejandro, Yohana, Carlos, y el resto de “La Gran Familia del Rancho.” <br /><br />Les mantendremos informados acerca de todas nuestras aventuras en Costa Rica, y la lección más importante que hemos aprendido hasta ahora es la importancia de disfrutar la vida a su plenitud, lo cual se describe muy bien con la tan versátil expresión tica: “Pura Vida”<br /><br />¡Hasta la vista!<br /><br />Amaro, Andie, Emerald (“Esmeralda”), Jen, Leah, Lissa G, Lissa P, Maddie, María, Meaghan, Melissa, Sarah, Steph, Verónica (+ Chris, nuestro compañero adoptado de Pepperdine Univ, a quien hemos declarado estudiante honorario de MSPP, y Greg, quien se unirá a nosotras muy pronto…)<br /><br /><br /><br />*****************************************************************************<br /><br />Dear friends:<br /><br />We want to send everyone back home a warm tropical hello from La Guácima, Costa Rica. MSPP’s LMHP 2009 Summer Immersion Program in Latin America is off to a great start! Our older siblings in Guatemala are back home and safe. Our close siblings in Guayaquil, Ecuador are getting busy with a very exciting volunteer program. And we’re becoming fully immersed in Costa Rican culture in our 2nd of 5 wks we’ll be spending here. As you can see from the photos, we’re already getting quite busy with Spanish lessons at Rancho Español and the volunteer work program, but also finding time for fun learning Latin dance with charming Carlos, cooking delicious Tico recipes, and other fun activities. Amaro is off to a week break in Miami after having spent a week with us here joined by his wife, Kim, and daughters, Isabella and Mariella. Some of us have already gone scuba diving, horsebackriding, enjoying the beautiful Costa Rican Pacific coast beach, the rainforest, and we can’t wait for many more fun adventures to come. Our Tico families are feeding us well and treating us warmly. And we’re enjoying the high quality Spanish instruction at Rancho Español, as well as the warm family hosting by Veronica, Clara, Manuel (Sr & Jr), Alejandro, Yohana, Carlos, and all the rest of the friendly bunch at this “Big Rancho Family.” <br /><br />So, we’ll keep you updated on our Costa Rican adventure, and the most important lesson we’ve learned here so far is the importance of enjoying life to its fullest, which is captured by the versatile Tico expression: “Pura Vida”<br /><br />¡Hasta la vista!<br /><br />Amaro, Andie, Emerald (“Esmeralda”), Jen, Leah, Lissa G, Lissa P, Maddie, Maria, Meaghan, Melissa, Sarah, Steph, Veronica (+ Chris, our adopted honorary MSPP student from Pepperdine Univ and Greg who’ll be joining us soon…)MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-91418543553072433632009-07-14T17:35:00.000-07:002009-07-14T18:26:59.815-07:00Programa de Inmersión Cultural MSPP en Guayaquil 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXjA3NF3g9zo2bAkYLGhZKTCJ_sJlbGbC4KZcIKKnlctDE6MWnijy1e0lcuhVf8ipaJ6FMKD60XuX_9m3ZPSRkcH7-FMtEeLFdgqd-qT5DssJOrAkm-LrX0x13ay5dznBwxhGrrQGoc0/s1600-h/Guayaquil+summer+immersion+2009+%2818%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXjA3NF3g9zo2bAkYLGhZKTCJ_sJlbGbC4KZcIKKnlctDE6MWnijy1e0lcuhVf8ipaJ6FMKD60XuX_9m3ZPSRkcH7-FMtEeLFdgqd-qT5DssJOrAkm-LrX0x13ay5dznBwxhGrrQGoc0/s320/Guayaquil+summer+immersion+2009+%2818%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358490734801033554" border="0" /></a> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CAMARO_%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CAMARO_%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" > </span>¡Saludos desde <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ecuador</st1:place></st1:country-region>!</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bueno, ya llegamos a <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Guayaquil</st1:city></st1:place> con el programa de inmersión cultural del Programa Latino de MSPP del 2009.<span style=""> </span>Despues de largas horas de viaje, ya estamos aterrizando en esta gran ciudad (la más poblada <st1:state st="on">del</st1:state> <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Ecuador</st1:country-region></st1:place>).<span style=""> </span>Tuvimos una linda recepción de bienvenida organizada por el Arquitecto Johnny Gonzalez, rector del Blue Hill College y principal coordinador de este programa en Guayaquil, junto a la queridísima Marta Lucero, representando a la Fundación Dra. Cynthia Lucero, quien inmediatamente nos di<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CAMARO_%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->ó una muy especial acogida <st1:city st="on">como</st1:city> si fuésemos parte de la familia Lucero (aunque todos ya sentimos una conexión muy especial con Cynthia por medio <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">del</st1:state></st1:place> programa latino).<span style=""> </span>Ya nos estamos adaptando a nuestros nuevos hogares guayaquileños, en los cuales estaremos hospedadas durante las próximas 5 semanas. Ayer co menzamos las clases de español en el <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Blue</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Hill</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">College</st1:placetype></st1:place>, el cual es un “setting” muy interesante, ya que se comparte el campus entre estudiantes universitarios, una escuela elemental y un colegio (Jr High & H.S.).<span style=""> </span>Hoy tuvimos un tour de la ciudad y ya mañana comenzaremos con las rotaciones de pasantías clínicas (¡con nuestros mandiles blancos!).<span style=""> </span>Ya les mantendremos informados mas adelante acerca del trabajo clínico y demás actividades que estaremos llevando a cabo.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Queremos tambien desearle mucha suerte al grupo de estudiantes de cuarto año que están en <st1:country-region st="on">Guatemala</st1:country-region>, así <st1:city st="on">como</st1:city> a los de segundo año que viajarán a <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Costa Rica</st1:country-region></st1:place> el próximo sábado. Esperamos que todos podamos aprovechar lo más que pu<style>- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->édamos (subjuntivo) de estas experiencias interculturales tan especiales.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CAMARO_%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Y <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">como</st1:place></st1:city> pueden ver en las fotos, no hemos perdido nada de tiempo. Ya Aliza comenzó a practicar su español intentando convencer a una pequeña que si le agarraba la cola a la iguana no le pasaría nada (aunque la niña no se ve muy convencida).<span style=""> </span>Y Avi, Laura, Aliza y Darleen (tomando la foto) se fueron a tomar una cerveza con Amaro en la peñas del Centro Santa Ana, mientras Shelly, Sasha y Jamie se fueron al famoso “mall”.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0uHSokB2BCv4hyphenhyphenCuN1VfCD4MS3cNkFXJcgTJ1aPtyTVXJHZPc2TemRWCfj72euSp2pVJlrFjX3MG2Udbr4E7_XAK_RNXF8aX4JhMf_DOSscGbe1srs06g-DvLa3vg8bga3R9Q_WBvNw/s1600-h/Guayaquil+immersion+2009+%2830%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0uHSokB2BCv4hyphenhyphenCuN1VfCD4MS3cNkFXJcgTJ1aPtyTVXJHZPc2TemRWCfj72euSp2pVJlrFjX3MG2Udbr4E7_XAK_RNXF8aX4JhMf_DOSscGbe1srs06g-DvLa3vg8bga3R9Q_WBvNw/s320/Guayaquil+immersion+2009+%2830%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358486494188325506" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrwzxFjk6uJaUKXYjIJ43R3ILQHnkH7SdXIozMjEfq_pvcGUNZAwnJYRfyDjKD7ZaVwcc3qY_Ezrag3cjOLiqpLRUL1YDgT4Rq09noLgkAOH-dcpvAD9ix5uc82iusZRvQbGnAohZsQE/s1600-h/Guayaquil+immersion+2009+%2817%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrwzxFjk6uJaUKXYjIJ43R3ILQHnkH7SdXIozMjEfq_pvcGUNZAwnJYRfyDjKD7ZaVwcc3qY_Ezrag3cjOLiqpLRUL1YDgT4Rq09noLgkAOH-dcpvAD9ix5uc82iusZRvQbGnAohZsQE/s320/Guayaquil+immersion+2009+%2817%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358489174296593170" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Gracias a todos los que trabajaron para la realización de este programa. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">¡Hasta la próxima!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Amaro (representando a Avi, Laura, Darleen, Shelly, Aliza, Sasha y Jamie)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">********************************************************************</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Greetings from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ecuador</st1:place></st1:country-region>!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">So, we’ve arrived in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Guayaquil</st1:place></st1:city> for the 2009 MSPP Latino Mental Health immersion p</p> <p class="MsoNormal">rogram.<span style=""> </span>After long hours of travel, we’re starting to land in this great city (the most populous in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ecuador</st1:place></st1:country-region>).<span style=""> </span>We were welcomed with a very nice reception organized by Arq. Johnny Gonzalez, president of <st1:placename st="on">Blue</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Hill</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">College</st1:placetype> and main coordinator of our immersion program in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Guayaquil</st1:city></st1:place>, and Marta Lucero, representing the Dr. Cynthia Lucero Foundation, who welcomed us warmly as if we were part of the Lucero famiy (although, indeed, we already feel a very special connection to Cynthia through the LMHP).<span style=""> </span>We’re getting used to our new Guayaquilean homes, where we’ll be staying for the next 5 weeks. <span style=""> </span>Yesterday we already started our Spanish classes at <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Blue</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Hill</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">College</st1:placetype></st1:place>, which is located in a very interesting setting where college students share space with elementary, middle, and high school students. <span style=""> </span>Today we had a city tour and tomorrow we’ll be starting some of the clinical rotations (white coats and all!).<span style=""> </span>We’ll keep you updated on how our volunteer work goes, as well as other activities.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We also want to wish good luck to our 4<sup>th</sup> year LMHP siblings who should be in <st1:country-region st="on">Guatemala</st1:country-region> now, as well as our 2<sup>nd</sup> year siblings who will be traveling to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Costa Rica</st1:place></st1:country-region> next Saturday. <span style=""> </span>We hope that everyone can make the most of these unique cross-cultural experiences.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Finally, as you can clearly see from the photos, we haven’t been wasting any time.<span style=""> </span>Aliza already started practicing her Spanish trying to convince a young girl that she would be fine holding the iguana’s tail (although the little one doesn’t seem very convinced).<span style=""> </span>And Avi, Laura, Aliza and Darleen (taking the picture) went to sip a beer with Amaro on Sunday at the famous “peñas” in Centro Santa Ana, while Shelly, Sasha and Jamie decided to go for a stroll in the mall.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We truly want to thank everyone who worked toward the realization of this program. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Until next time!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Amaro (representing Avi, Laura, Darleen, Shelly, Aliza, Sasha and Jamie)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-14794576305193288002008-08-25T17:54:00.000-07:002008-08-25T18:57:33.917-07:00An Overdue Recap of Costa Rica<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54lKymN9uH0jq8tH1Yt-90gKVuX-5B1XcFKire_vZH6gWsfrtNRSIKRSsmNRyuvjysz9YGZRaRtLrr4G_aIwa4V6A8ewelGqToBPjdldlU7V-nYmDTSq2lAekxBfAYpeZUKnHX7LJkEA/s1600-h/IMG_5264.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54lKymN9uH0jq8tH1Yt-90gKVuX-5B1XcFKire_vZH6gWsfrtNRSIKRSsmNRyuvjysz9YGZRaRtLrr4G_aIwa4V6A8ewelGqToBPjdldlU7V-nYmDTSq2lAekxBfAYpeZUKnHX7LJkEA/s320/IMG_5264.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238633383190365186" /></a><br />It is hard to sum up in a few paragraphs what an experience like Costa Rica was. For 6 of us (7 if you count our adopted Psychiatrist from Cambridge Hospital) it was an immersion of intense language classes and of cultural clashes, in the most harmless sense of the word. For 3 of us, who are native Spanish speakers, it was a challenge to our developing professional psychological selves, as well as a mutual sharing of differences among the Latino cultures. <div><br /></div><div>While our classmates enjoyed the rigorous task of learning the subjunctive, preterite (perfect & imperfect), and "jerundio".... the native speakers were out getting our feet wet with individual clients twice a week, with group work with adolescent girls' shelters (one which included teen mothers) involving psychometric testing, and with visiting clients at a hospital whose sole purpose was to provide palliative services to terminally ill cancer patients at minimal cost to them and their families. Though exhausting and challenging at times, the benefits reaped from such experiences are invaluable.</div><div><br /></div><div>On an individual level, the clients attending sessions at the Rancho were determined to make the most of their 4 - 5 sessions. They consistently showed up on time to their scheduled appointments and gave their 100% cooperation in wanting to seek change for the betterment of their lives. We saw sons, daughters, mothers, and even folks who got their neighbors to "tag along" for treatment. Personally, it was remarkable to see how such few sessions could really make such a difference in people's lives. I'll never forget one woman in particular who came to therapy seeking advice on how to "feel less guilty about standing up to my mother." This was a 42-year-old woman who had been completely overpowered in every way by her mother since childhood. By the end of our time together she was making statements like, "I have the power to take control of my own marriage, my own household, and my own children...my mother's burdens are her own backpack to carry, not mine." Her change was remarkable. Mostly it was the act of being heard and of being understood that helped this woman. Just a simple reminder that she too was a person of value in the world, whose opinion also mattered. </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFW1To7C2E6OhtwVp6tGVquUNyVoeVd4nHfJslejkDZTk0ZR-7Gxd4GFHwiMN-iI6bVRKFJXvX3rfylqWqON2tmULWov95zs55LLaaMPFqkX8qs-dOK5vQn5cr4vWgJm0xvvIZHuoowVA/s320/IMG_5730.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238633870096660674" /></div><div>Equally striking was the positive energy we received from the terminally ill cancer patients at the hospital. Do~na Alice in particular was a 94-year-old woman full of wisdom, courage, and most of all laughter and lo</div><div>ve. Spending time with her made one forget the reason she was there to begin with. I know I can speak for the 3 of us, that she will remain in our hearts forever. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, but surely, we have our adolescent girls who reminded us that although troubled by extensive trauma histories and dysfunctional families, they still found a way to remain youthful, to find the positive side of educating themselves, and to embrace their individuality as a person. They welcomed us with open arms and saw us as their equals. Fascinated by our cultural diversity (Puerto Rico, Peru, and Argentina), they asked millions of questions, yet treated us like their own. </div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirt14DouPre_UMgv-UIw7tFo9XXNXEPNk0miLzf7fHF5x9m709XGTiOazbiIHi8C_BY_aF3V_Fwxw0ZRRrlMcKfhH-Pecqdo6-TaYd-EbhCB_efqcTSJUuu8TunFrqTeLI6K6huNtH3m8/s320/IMG_5720.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238637530442077954" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviKxJO7rcATnf04ztkWq9DKtv-XxQMpn1y8qOSW8h9Oza7o7bNbteBJi6Bx8ZcTXYAIAqFOojPgXVkefvFPB-3qx13ERr_npox1or1BY87Uy0dphgTDW6I3fJWAI6RURC5cEDwGqyL4I/s320/IMG_5714.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238637743790229042" /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0U3rOe2HUXzrTKZWI5q09LlZWVes-RlkcESCf_IXM810iLn7AUz6KpckEguB-sew0qr5YvQdRhQukITa8wQEShYH0znSwZYuL1old7XpQmJXTzopBdg-VmeJjXJ1lz0hffawABiG4O2E/s320/IMG_5827.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238635136739740322" /></div><div>We are also grateful to our Tica family who made us feel right at home. Do~na Carmen not only treated us like part of the family, but she also</div><div> kept our bellies full of delicious native food 2 times a day. Thanks to her, our repertoire of Spanish recipes has considerably grown. So much so that some of us couldn't help but bring back some of their country's products (e.g., Salsa Lizano!). </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A HUGE thank you to MSPP who supported us in this endeavor. Without your investment and belief in us, we would not have had the opportunity to have such an enriching experience. This is indeed a worthy cause that is much needed and much appreciated, both by the professionals themselves and by our targeted population in need.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Darleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14129031813819610722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-83413648222308375352008-08-12T17:44:00.000-07:002008-08-18T17:22:18.829-07:00A candid conversation: Zack and Juan<div>Ever since the invention of language, people have had many deep conversations. We're all familiar with Freud's conversations with Jung. The following is not one of those, however we hope you enjoy it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc3iRv9j6oJTh9nM4S27eKFJrQwZ5gNqiJZA4DrxqJyn-aWkecTj8anRHmdRZcJgmcOpytc9cjo1EN0KSZeg0E7_dbKrJxvO-Iz0m4I6tWL10pz7eWuqobzgwlui7DvWVxBDoL6ZtUmM/s1600-h/IMG_3670.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236016964889139074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc3iRv9j6oJTh9nM4S27eKFJrQwZ5gNqiJZA4DrxqJyn-aWkecTj8anRHmdRZcJgmcOpytc9cjo1EN0KSZeg0E7_dbKrJxvO-Iz0m4I6tWL10pz7eWuqobzgwlui7DvWVxBDoL6ZtUmM/s320/IMG_3670.JPG" border="0" /></a>Zack - What has been the single most exciting experience thus far on your trip?<br />Juan – Other than the work we’ve been doing as a team at the hospital I’d have to say hiking halfway to the summit of the mountain in Quito. It was a great experience because it was spontaneous and unexpected. Because I had not acclimated to the altitude, there were many times when I felt light-headed and tired; however, something kept me going and in a way this experience helped me realize how far I can push myself.<br /><br />J - What is one thing that you want to do before this trip is over?<br />Z- I think there are a number of things that I want to accomplish in regards to the hospital work, the school and even in a more social aspect. For the hospital, I want to take in as much as possible and feel like I was able to leave a positive mark, for both patients and other clinicians. For the school, I’m really looking to improve my Spanish so I’ll be able to converse more proficiently with Spanish speaking patients. In addition, I think it is important to immerse yourself into the social scene. This may, or may not include, soccer games, discotheques and traveling to different places in Ecuador.<br /><br />Z- What have been some of the more difficult aspects that you have had to deal with since you have been here in Ecuador?<br />J – One of the most difficult things for me has been adapting myself to the schedule that people follow here in Ecuador. It’s difficult to start the morning at six thirty, get some work done for four hours at the hospital, have a three hour break then go back for another three hour block for classes. I finally come home at eight for dinner. It has been challenging for me to find time for myself because so much of our time is allotted for certain activities (work, school, and the many meetings we have a week). However, I have been able to include working out at the school’s gym which has helped me burn many of the carbs we consume via mounds of rice during lunch and dinner.<br /><br />J- What is your favorite aspect of the Ecuadorian culture?<br />Z- I would have to say I’m a fan of how relaxed people are here. When we were in Costa Rica we would talk about “Tico” time, because people would usually show up a bit later than expected. Here in Ecuador, we’re having a similar experience. Growing up on the East Coast, where you’re expected to do everything quickly and efficiently is much different from the laid back attitude they have here and in Costa Rica. There’s definitely something to be said about taking things a little slower and appreciating the time you have.<br /><br />Z-We have had some extremely insightful and fulfilling experiences in the hospital. We have also had some real difficult experiences in the hospital. Can you tell me about one of the experiences that have been more difficult or upsetting?<br />J – We have been working with a patient for the course of two weeks. At the end of the second week we terminated with him and, as with all terminations, it was difficult to deal with. However, upon our return to the hospital the following Monday we saw him walking around the halls. We then learned that through some clerical misunderstanding and miscommunication between staff his discharge date was moved a week later. We continued working with this patient and at the end of that week we terminated once more which was again difficult. A day later we learned that again he was going to stay for a couple of more days due to a last minute med change. A couple of days later he was finally released from the hospital and although it was a difficult situation to deal with, in the end it was gratifying to know that we were able to put our feelings aside and focus instead on the well-being of the patient. It was great that we were also able to advocate for him in a very positive and proactive manner until his discharge from the hospital.<br /><br />J- Tell me about a patient you have felt a strong connection with and how that occurred?<br />Z- At this point I feel like I’ve had a few patients with whom strong connections have been built. For me personally, this work seems slightly difficult because I’m not fluent in Spanish. Some of the patients are heavily medicated and some patients are severely mentally ill, both of which can make communication quite difficult. Nevertheless these patients are still looking for a human connection, which is something as clinicians we can offer without using language.<br /><br />Z- For those out in blog land who know the six of us, they know we like to have fun. They also know that we can all be a little silly and funny. What has been one extremely funny or memorable experience from this trip?<br />J- How do you pick just one moment from the many that we have had? We could talk about having dinner with Amaro and listening to his stories about “When I was your age…”, or we could talk about the constant cell phone use by our new found Ecuadorian friends during inappropriate times and our facial reactions as we try to make sense of it. But for me, the most memorable experience has been the long rides on the bus as we get to and from our weekend trips. It is hard not to laugh as I think about being surrounded by seven children jumping and screaming and having spit wars for three straight hours as I am trying to get some sleep. Nothing is funnier than hearing Jeanine say out loud “ok that’s enough” in her futile attempt to quiet the kids. I also can’t help but laugh when I think about finally falling asleep on the bus only to be woken up thirty seconds later by some little kid climbing up on my lap while loudly calling out “señor, señor”.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXV0LP1rAuMqJCk06LfA7xh52pKq17t-BgEsxtHCE76JyY7jKb6w3iM_t49NNW3LoZTEoY9EO-QfvyFYpoZr-KdiOl_DC3cerXaBdZ0QXd1-iYYf5lpnK2AQfhpVh8wOOQul1Uyn3vq7s/s1600-h/IMG_3701.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236017101216198274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXV0LP1rAuMqJCk06LfA7xh52pKq17t-BgEsxtHCE76JyY7jKb6w3iM_t49NNW3LoZTEoY9EO-QfvyFYpoZr-KdiOl_DC3cerXaBdZ0QXd1-iYYf5lpnK2AQfhpVh8wOOQul1Uyn3vq7s/s320/IMG_3701.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>Jeanine Bailliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534130645718693298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-1819959728089506742008-08-05T10:41:00.000-07:002008-08-05T10:51:36.297-07:00Hola Amigos!<br /> As our time in Guayaquil is coming to an end I thought I would post an update. We continue to work in the psychiatric hospital and finally the clouds are beginning to clear. Not so long ago many of us found it extremely difficult to follow and understand the patients. For reasons of language, medication, and psychosis, understanding and following the patients presented as an impossible task. Finally, I find myself less confused and less in need of clarification. Many patients have responded to our group of ¨norteamericanos¨ with enthusiasm and excitement, which has enriched our cross-cultural clinical experience. We have also had the opportunity to visit other health facilities in the city including a community health center, Hansen Disease hospital and a cancer hospital. During each visit we are given a tour by a psychologist and informed about the role of psychology in the specific facility.<br /> We are savoring the last couple weeks and soaking up as much Spanish as possible. So of us continue to travel on the weekends while others stay in town and become familiar with Guayaquil. We have traveled to various cities in Ecuador and observed vast differences among regions. We have noticed drastic changes in climate, language and dress within the country. While we cannot fully understand and comprehend the impact of this trip and experience at the present moment, we continue to process our experience together over cafe and pan de yuca (coffee and yuca bread) almost daily. <br /><br />Hope all is well back in Boston!<br /><br />Christina MassariJeanine Bailliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534130645718693298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-52794438316269379982008-08-05T10:25:00.000-07:002008-08-05T10:56:40.619-07:00Hola from EcuadorWe are in the midst of quite an adventure here in Guayaquil, Ecuador! Now in our fourth week, I feel that we have learned so much in the way of the culture of mental health yet for every question answered, two more come to mind. We have mosty been interning at a large psychiatric hospital but some of us have had the opportunity to visit other sites around the city. Last week I went to a clinic in a very poor neighborhood where there is no running water or sewage. This small clinic, made up of a physician, an obstetrician, a dentist and a psychologist services 120,000 people. They rely on foreign volunteers to run their lab which would otherwise shut down. The psychologist there was kind enough to let me sit in on a session as well as invite me back to participate in a weekly community psychoeducational meeting. I also had the opportunity to visit a site that provides support, medical treatment and housing to people with Hansen`s disease, more commonly known as leprosy. Many of the residents at this site have been abandoned by their families due to the pervasive stigma that exists around leprosy. I didn`t know very much about Hansen`s disease or what to expect at this site before my visit. What I experienced was the pleasure of the company of lovely people whose illness continues to be misunderstood by the majority of the population. <br /><br />The thought that often comes to my mind here is that we lead very charmed lives back in the United States. Suffering is a universal phenomenon, but there are clearly places where, due to lack of economic resources, the suffering of people is right out there for all to see. It is not possible to hide it behind the doors of a fancy medical office or distract oneself from it with the comforts that many of us enjoy in the States. Though this suffering is often difficult to see and make sense of, I am grateful for the opportunity to share in the lives of the people who I have come in contact with over the past few weeks. <br /><br />That`s all for now folks! <br />Aimee AsgarianJeanine Bailliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534130645718693298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-12463976734878527072008-07-29T18:28:00.001-07:002008-08-20T12:05:28.367-07:00In Ecuador<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-OcSMrxXyrTVKNOIrZlMNOstBTtKe8b-83VnmhNFeJXiqFAQ7zqS0lqE86VWuaKV6utWdaw-Nh2zAMyCjJxjruaQ-gIipvLUuZ6uQPHpPAwZy0Jr5tLzHqKcA0a6ab9UkNhFmCenu28/s1600-h/Ecuador+summer+2008+097.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236673552166925250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-OcSMrxXyrTVKNOIrZlMNOstBTtKe8b-83VnmhNFeJXiqFAQ7zqS0lqE86VWuaKV6utWdaw-Nh2zAMyCjJxjruaQ-gIipvLUuZ6uQPHpPAwZy0Jr5tLzHqKcA0a6ab9UkNhFmCenu28/s320/Ecuador+summer+2008+097.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Saludos</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">todos</span>!<br /><div>I hope this "blog" greets you all happy, healthy, and enjoying your summer thus far. We have been in Guayaquil for about 2 1/2 weeks now and it is hard to know where to begin...now about half way through this trip I think I am actually catching the flow of it all! We have been working in the mornings (Monday-Friday) at "Lorenzo Ponce", the largest psychiatric hospital in Ecuador and attending language classes in the evenings. The transition, at least for me, was difficult at first. In our first week here the earth literally shook beneath us (earthquake) and on top of all the inevitable culture shocks (where's my Starbucks coffee?), Juan, Zack and I, ended the week watching a patient at the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hospital</span> undergo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Electro</span> Shock Therapy (something I had heard about but had never witnessed before). I cried. It helped to ground and locate me in the family of things as they exist here. </div><br /><div>Like I said, it's nice to be finally catching the flow of it all here, especially in our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">clinical</span> work in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">hospital</span>. Known as "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">los</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">psicologos</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">los</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Estados</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Unidos</span>" by doctors and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">patients</span> alike I am proud to say we are rising to their positive projections and breaking negative stereotypes. I promise to be more explicit later, I notice my time on this computer is "timing out'! </div><br /><div>Alas, this is all from me for now. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Vague</span>, but a start nonetheless.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>Peace,</div><br /><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">jeanine</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">baillie</span></div><br /><div></div></div>Jeanine Bailliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534130645718693298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-18315963745220109442008-07-23T07:38:00.000-07:002008-07-23T07:39:46.166-07:00<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:85%;"><span style="">I recall the Sunday afternoon, not that long ago, when Rick Muhr and Cynthia's running colleagues ran a track near Worcester to remember her life and her work. This memorial has evolved in a striking and substantive way that will truly change the way that mental health professionals are trained and how mental health services are offered.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:85%;"><span style="">I am very proud of you all. Very proud. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:85%;"><span style="">Learn much and enjoy the summer.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:85%;"><span style="">Nick</span></span></p> <br /> <p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:78%;"><span style="">Nicholas A. Covino, President</span></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:78%;"><span style="">Massachusetts</span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style=""> School</span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style=""> of Professional Psychology</span></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:78%;"><span style="">221 Rivermoor St</span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="">. Boston MA 02134</span></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:78%;"><span style="">617-327-6777 ext. 281 </span></span></p>MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-81134300969882491932008-07-22T21:01:00.000-07:002008-07-22T22:17:10.032-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0km8_9oq6swR3qUQ9eV8Vt0Jz9Py7tp8y3aC7n3o42I881n_wMVy7uW0jB4Taacbc7mI6FRTaedX6bogta6xYjUSSJPe-SnDHj-mPNFJ3ah8lHyrj99XTd-43W32xMxRQiQSAb-8oVO4/s1600-h/IMG_8133-II.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0km8_9oq6swR3qUQ9eV8Vt0Jz9Py7tp8y3aC7n3o42I881n_wMVy7uW0jB4Taacbc7mI6FRTaedX6bogta6xYjUSSJPe-SnDHj-mPNFJ3ah8lHyrj99XTd-43W32xMxRQiQSAb-8oVO4/s320/IMG_8133-II.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226070061399186690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdXveuOHc3E6gFRlY5Y597-ryl6NmAA1RmaskOJl01woFxscYv1C9qfCDi2aYw5cMqZE4fGPtjgG3Tkv8MOPxK1o6Q9c6AjuGv-5m2A4XTH15eML1MaTPEErzNFTV7sbJSs7ETF5x8ng/s1600-h/IMG_8049-II.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdXveuOHc3E6gFRlY5Y597-ryl6NmAA1RmaskOJl01woFxscYv1C9qfCDi2aYw5cMqZE4fGPtjgG3Tkv8MOPxK1o6Q9c6AjuGv-5m2A4XTH15eML1MaTPEErzNFTV7sbJSs7ETF5x8ng/s320/IMG_8049-II.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226068473157840498" border="0" /></a><br />Saludos desde Ecuador y Costa Rica! So, here we are...MSPP's 2008 Summer Immersion program in Ecuador and Costa Rica has started off to a great start. In just its second year, the Lucero Latino Mental Health Program's summer immersion group has grown exponentially from 6 students who pioneered this venture last year to a total of 15 students--6 who are currently in their 2nd week in Guayaquil and a group of 9 students who have just arrived in Costa Rica. After leaving the Guayaquil gang who was off to celebrate Juan's birthday with a trip to the beach, I arrived at El Rancho Espanol (located in the rural town of La Guacima) after it had just been invaded by 9 venturous MSPP women: Aliza, Avi, Darleen, Jaimie, Laura, Sasha, Shelly, Vicky and Yanina. The group has also adopted Ariel, a psychiatry resident from Cambridge Hospital, who struggles to balance the gender disparity bringing a faint male energy into the group. In just 3 days the gang is already discussing complex Spanish verb tenses, eating delicious "Tico" meals, and seized the local bar to celebrate their arrival--in full Latin style dancing salsa and merengue!<br /><br />Our three native speakers, Darleen, Vicky and Yanina are getting busy with the volunteer mental health program--the trio had a warm welcoming reception today at "Hogar Siembra" a teenage girls' shelter, where they savored delicious crepes prepared by the residents. It's great to see such a rich Latino inter-cultural exchange where our students bring not just their professional expertise, but also their cultural influences from Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Peru to the heart of Costa Rica. Yesterday we visited another shelter for teenage mothers, where the students will be running groups, giving psycho-educational talks, and assisting in the administration of psychological tests. Tomorrow we'll visit a center for terminally ill patients, as well as a local primary care clinic, and Friday we'll go on a tour of the largest national psychiatric hospital. <br /><br />But, above all, our students in Costa Rica are benefiting from the highest quality Spanish instruction that El Rancho Espanol offers. One more year, Veronica, Clara and Manuel, as well as the rest of El Rancho's staff and instructors have welcomed us warmly as we continue to solidify this collaboration. And we're clearly "spreading the word" since several students from other institutions have now come to El Rancho following our recommendation, and other school's like Pepperdine University are looking into the possibility of starting their own summer immersion program in Costa Rica for psychology students.<br /><br />Saludos a nuestros estudiantes que estan en Guayaquil, esperamos que ya se esten acostumbrando a sus mandiles de psicologos y como dicen los salseros...<br /><br />Que siga La Fiesta!!!<br /><br />Amaro Laria<br /><br />Director<br />MSPP's Latino Mental Health ProgramMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-48262934159812951292008-07-17T21:18:00.000-07:002008-07-22T22:45:49.445-07:00Cynthia's Marathon continues...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGosYE2b0_kDuJ2FSkQ-Hd4ob343_QFsl5JoNAKELGOc0GV9wpa_Iht9pRiEaG8bc2YwG-4vcpsytHJjO4Rz2KM8ZA9PFKGtE-zFY9zdtx-H1l3mQRG09L576HIcA7pmKstG9bCJykdA/s1600-h/IMG_8076-II.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGosYE2b0_kDuJ2FSkQ-Hd4ob343_QFsl5JoNAKELGOc0GV9wpa_Iht9pRiEaG8bc2YwG-4vcpsytHJjO4Rz2KM8ZA9PFKGtE-zFY9zdtx-H1l3mQRG09L576HIcA7pmKstG9bCJykdA/s200/IMG_8076-II.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226080161041367234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAlXVnw_anIBv4cVP_i20I5Pq13EZC5Gk8WKxNuJaNOXkw_UTIxwIsnSMiAmflTNfdx_s43AaPVuC8OqDgpG8b8qpaz7z727D_VGYWr7UJ5jqPEXzcavY2Oddhgbvap-edzUv1UVp7HQ4/s1600-h/IMG_8077-II.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAlXVnw_anIBv4cVP_i20I5Pq13EZC5Gk8WKxNuJaNOXkw_UTIxwIsnSMiAmflTNfdx_s43AaPVuC8OqDgpG8b8qpaz7z727D_VGYWr7UJ5jqPEXzcavY2Oddhgbvap-edzUv1UVp7HQ4/s200/IMG_8077-II.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226080169082445218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCDkQSDmoW8cqdVjiTuar8pKK4Rc1DE2eE-MpnWcQFbnkvGN8ebov-cufNyaCST3c_KRk96TGqXnmuBBIJumLQw5hifHV_HI-VZuITEBjVFtFUWhDeMwwhR2CiDKcxaWp8UsCmWEc6fA/s1600-h/IMG_8078-II.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCDkQSDmoW8cqdVjiTuar8pKK4Rc1DE2eE-MpnWcQFbnkvGN8ebov-cufNyaCST3c_KRk96TGqXnmuBBIJumLQw5hifHV_HI-VZuITEBjVFtFUWhDeMwwhR2CiDKcxaWp8UsCmWEc6fA/s200/IMG_8078-II.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226080276483610786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbeutrGmtuyMY5Oe-9SfMcbtstlU4hH35H-dk7r0dzSoU_hse5jJBo6eio7qD7vbq7fb4-t48cmJnvBfyg9D9XjSXI2BM72DSRKmAB61ARy9taF0E-UFHT934baBot5sXD8rm_41Vrok/s1600-h/IMG_8079-II.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbeutrGmtuyMY5Oe-9SfMcbtstlU4hH35H-dk7r0dzSoU_hse5jJBo6eio7qD7vbq7fb4-t48cmJnvBfyg9D9XjSXI2BM72DSRKmAB61ARy9taF0E-UFHT934baBot5sXD8rm_41Vrok/s200/IMG_8079-II.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226080296507738466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVfwxzBaUOcafeTspwbuDSVZQ9VUbzx-m2xAZSAu2gDAozpXc9XaposIkSyk9WnXD7oLT8e-w-HmzavahvxQw45Rwaw4UsIkVr2crzJQys7rMWDsy_GEfXBcljq9DgqU1DGBACU0YQEM/s1600-h/IMG_8075-II.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVfwxzBaUOcafeTspwbuDSVZQ9VUbzx-m2xAZSAu2gDAozpXc9XaposIkSyk9WnXD7oLT8e-w-HmzavahvxQw45Rwaw4UsIkVr2crzJQys7rMWDsy_GEfXBcljq9DgqU1DGBACU0YQEM/s200/IMG_8075-II.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226078293473582210" border="0" /></a><br />Estimados amigos y amigas:<br /><br />Tonight we were part of a very special event in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. La "Fundacion Dra. Cynthia Lucero" hosted a special "Welcoming Cocktail" to celebrate the debut of MSPP's Latino Mental Health Training Program's (LMHT) first summer immersion program in Guayaquil. The event established what promises to be a very fruitful collaboration among La Fundacion Dra. Cynthia Lucero, Universidad Espiritu Santo (UEES), Hospital Psiquiatrico Lorenzo Ponce, and Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. Honored at this event were "el Sr. Mauro Escalante Carpio" (La Fundacion's president), Dr. Albert Eyde (UEES's vicepresident), Dr. Amaro Laria (MSPP-LMHT's director), and the 6 MSPP students who pioneered this venture: Aimee Asgarian, Jeanine Bailie, Zack Blumkin, Christina Massari, Juan Rodriguez, and George Soto. All of them received the distinction of "Honorary Member of La Fundacion Dra. Cynthia Lucero" with beautiful diplomas that display Cynthia's contagious smile and unrelenting spirit. It was quite a moving event and Cynthia's presence was clearly felt. As we chatted during the cocktail many of us began to comment about the interesting synchronicities that were discovered in the process of establishing this collaboration, while a large picture with Cynthia's smile in the background reminded us who was responsible for creating these connections.<br /><br />Six years later, Cynthia's Marathon goes on... Gracias Cynthia!MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-71140822288719738442008-07-17T14:46:00.000-07:002008-07-22T22:55:12.928-07:00Que chevere: Saludos desde Guayaquil!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbfdwJTENZ51pyh5T7TzZ4e6z68xu8X0rXf-COAV2aqg8_PZ0KJGkmPHmtS2kpHJcx34PRDEzrQDhTXP01Yj9Lg1qHFEPujN5vpQpndjaxC9-qHVDp1dd-ibHWwgDQNX2QczinSDuFUM/s1600-h/IMG_8057-II.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbfdwJTENZ51pyh5T7TzZ4e6z68xu8X0rXf-COAV2aqg8_PZ0KJGkmPHmtS2kpHJcx34PRDEzrQDhTXP01Yj9Lg1qHFEPujN5vpQpndjaxC9-qHVDp1dd-ibHWwgDQNX2QczinSDuFUM/s320/IMG_8057-II.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226082483257517602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Dear all,<br /><br />We're sending a warm a hello from Guayaquil! We've been here for 4 days and are getting acquainted with this city and Ecuadorian culture. Aimee, Christina, George, Jeanine, Juan and Zack are getting settled at the "Hospital Psiquiatrico Lorenzo Ponce" which is the main psychiatric hospital in Guayaquil. It's a very intense setting with hundreds of acute chronically ill patients (mostly schizophrenic). I think we're all having a bit of a shock, being in such a large setting with hundreds of severely mentally ill patients, and also the fact that some things are done so different here than in the U.S. makes it a bit disorienting. We've seen some innovative things, as well as significant limitations, which, as usual, are obviously explained by resources and their lack.<br />I feel like it's quite a humbling experience for any mental health professional working in the U.S. to be witness to the way very competent professionals manage to work despite lacking some of the basic things that we tend to take for granted (i.e., government support for mental health services, accessibility to atypical anti-psychotics). <br /><br />By contrast, the Universidad Espiritu Santo is an impressive facility with state of the art resources (obviously, the social class that attends the hospital is quite different from the one that attends the university).<br /><br />Tonight we're all invited as honored guests to a "cocktail event" to celebrate the launching of this inter-institutional collaboration among: La Fundacion Cynthia Lucero, La Universidad Espiritu Santo, Hospital Psiquiatrico Lorenzo Ponce, and MSPP. And tomorrow we're invited to a welcoming reception at the university. All of us have been working very intensely, so hopefully the students will get to do something fun<br />in the weekend, and I'll be flying on Saturday to Costa Rica to meet the second gang...<br /><br />So, we hope everyone is having a great summer and I'm sure Aimee, Christina, George, Jeanine, Juan and Zack will have many interesting stories to tell when they return!<br /><br />Amaro</span>MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-29299320229589772902007-08-07T06:59:00.000-07:002007-08-07T07:04:53.435-07:00Nice workReading about your learning adventures. <br /><br />Amaro returned to the school yesterday and was very enthusiastic about the training and your fine work. Maria and Daphne had a similarly rich experience in Ecuador with the Lucero family and have set up several interesting opportunities for next summer.<br /><br />I look forward to your return to hear first hand about the training. Travel safely and learn a lot.<br /><br />Best<br /><br />Nick CovinoMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-44623437979246212792007-08-06T14:47:00.001-07:002007-08-06T14:49:57.932-07:00Back in Boston!<div class="Section1"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Dear all:<o:p></o:p></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">I’m back after an incredible immersion experience in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Costa Rica</st1:place></st1:country-region> with our first group of 6 MSPP students (Jeanine Baillie, Juan Rodriguez, Aimee Asgarian, Zack Blumkin, George Soto, and Christina Massari) sponsored by the Lucero Latino Mental Health training program.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">I spent the first two wks there and they’re now on their 4<sup>th</sup> of a total of 5 wks. The program exceeded my expectations—the language instruction, although intense (i.e., 6 hrs x day), has been of excellent quality provided by very qualified instructors. The school’s setting is idyllic--a natural outdoors tropical setting—and the staff feels like one big Latino family. We’ve also begun the establishment of a very exciting mental health volunteer program with our two native speakers, Juan and George. The two of them have been carrying out some very intensive and challenging clinical work at 3 adolescent women’s shelters (victims of abuse), a local medical clinic, a drug addiction facility, and a school in an impoverished neighborhood. The learning thus far has been invaluable, especially to appreciate the very creative work of very well qualified professionals with very limited resources (although, ironically, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Costa Rica</st1:place></st1:country-region> is probably the most stable Latin American economy). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p>In addition to the hardwork, the students have also been having some fun and exploring the natural beauty of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Costa Rica</st1:place></st1:country-region> in the weekends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p>So, many thanks to everyone who contributed to the development and realization of this unique training opportunity for our students!<o:p></o:p></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Gracias!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Amaro Laria, PhD<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Director<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Lucero Latino Mental Health Training Program<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">MSPP<o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div>MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-4694630284445823762007-07-23T17:01:00.002-07:002007-07-23T17:27:25.918-07:00Worlds collidingHi all,<br />I have had a wonderful experience thus far in Costa Rica. Pura Vida! I have learnt a lot about the language and the culture, and had enough time to reflect on my role in Latino Mental Health in the U.S. This immersion experince will be, and already is, an invaluable component to my growth as an empathic individual and as a cultrually sensitive clinician. The distance that separates the lands and the cultures is minimal to the humanity that unites us. I believe my privilege compells me to learn more and to ask more questions. The school and home experince here is rich with opportunities to ask important questions and to learn more about our similarities and differences. I would recommend this program and experience in a heartbeat.<br /><br />I am very honored to be here, and am certainly enjoying our weekend trips!!! I was in heaven in the coffee plantation and it is still hard to believe that just yesterday i was riding the rapids down a dangerious rio in the middle of a tropical jungle. Next weekend we are going to the beach...it's hard not to enjoy the perks of being in the Latino Mental Health Program at MSPP!!!<br /><br />Ok, well that is it for me for now. I have to head home as my mama Tica will be waiting for me :) <br />Hope all is good with you guys in Boston.<br />peace,<br />jeanineMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-64688974651778105362007-07-21T19:53:00.000-07:002007-07-23T09:00:16.898-07:00Our First Week!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpXMlBkqnymMT3MhaK4ttqqG8HOMBpqwlsad3tR0X2WlUmRmzn8ajrm3sAcfcqG_hPpm10zGZiaBYuGJENgr-bmOPbVcXIgGG25pE1ITWAoAn4iVhDSFTjjxLhPivLXD21Lom5q9q-oU/s1600-h/Costa+Rica+summer+2007+089-II.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090422627963293522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpXMlBkqnymMT3MhaK4ttqqG8HOMBpqwlsad3tR0X2WlUmRmzn8ajrm3sAcfcqG_hPpm10zGZiaBYuGJENgr-bmOPbVcXIgGG25pE1ITWAoAn4iVhDSFTjjxLhPivLXD21Lom5q9q-oU/s320/Costa+Rica+summer+2007+089-II.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Hello All! We now have finished the first of our five week trip. Things have gone very well so far. Everyone has gotten along well with their families and we have met some great friends (other students and workers at El Rancho also). Today the five of us (Jorge, Juan, Jeanine, Christina and Zack) went to a coffee plantation to check out how coffee is processed from a fruit to a drink. It was fairly interesting but a solid experience overall. Tomorrow we are heading to the Rio Pacure where it has been said the most scenic white water rafting in Central America occurs. The town we live in, Guacima, is considered semi-rural, but even Christina, who is from rural upstate NY, considers Guacima a very rural place. School is pretty intense starting at 8 am and going until 3:30 pm with a two hour break. Meanwhile, the sites the other members are volunteering at seem to be very exciting. We are all adjusting well and are learning about a culture much different from our own. We decided to attach a quick excerpt from an email recently written by one of our members, Zack. We hope you enjoy!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br />"In addition to the children we have four dogs, three horses, one cow, one parakeet and about a billion chickens and roosters. To give you an example of how crazy things are check this out. I came home this afternoon and left the door open by accident. My Mami Tica (tica/tico = person from Costa Rica) screamed for me to get into the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and the cow was standing next to the oven and sink. We both started laughing so hard that we startled the cow and he tried to run out of the house. Since the floor is tile, the cows' hooves had some traction trouble, which only made the situation more hilarious. Finally we directed him out of the house as my Mami Tica told me the next time I left the door open she was going to smack me."<br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></div>MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-4689877717580000802007-07-16T20:14:00.000-07:002007-07-16T20:25:19.515-07:00Aqui estamos! We got here! (Amaro)Aqui estamos en Rancho de Español en La Guacima, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Este es nuestro segundo dia en Costa Rica. Ya hemos conocido a nuestras familias, tuvimos nuestro primer dia de clases de español, y aprendimos una expresion muy tipica que describe muy bien la actitud de los "Ticos": "Pura Vida!" La gente son muy amables y simpaticas, y la vida es muchisimo mas calmada que en los Estados Unidos...<br /><br />Here we are at Rancho de Español in La Guacima, Alajuela, Costa Rica. This is our second day in Costa Rica. We have already met our families, we had our first day of Spanish lessons, and we learned a very typical expression that describes well the attitude of most "Ticos": "Pura Vida" (which means "Pure Life"). People here are very polite and friendly, and life much more relaxed than in the USA...<br /><br />AmaroMSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795348381296256531.post-1490041387786579672007-07-13T12:00:00.000-07:002007-07-13T12:08:42.412-07:00ImmersionWe (a group of MSPP students) are off to Costa Rica for our first summer immersion program.<br /><br />We will be studying Spanish, living with Costa Rican families, and volunteering at local mental health facilities.MSPPLatinoMentalHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819422787532040839noreply@blogger.com