Latinx in Social Work is a book is about space. The space we take up, the spaces we create and nurture, and the spaces that have yet to exist, but are so crucial to the growth and development of Latinx social workers, mental health practitioners, executives, and professionals in all industries in this country, and beyond. This book is a revolutionary step in creating a movement that is committed to owning our own narratives, naming common but unspoken struggles and challenges, and driving our own healing from the past while highlighting our successes and creating a space for hope for the future.

The focus on Latinos in the United States has generally overlooked key social-economic-political dimensions that are not only growing in importance, but may ultimately hold an important key to how well this group does in the immediate and distant future in the country. The approximate ten-year period since this text's initial publication has witnessed an increase in scholarship and new social-political-economic developments regarding this population group. Social Work with Latinos, Second Edition captures these advances and adds to the existing body of work in this area. In particular, this revised edition provides an up-to-date demographic profile; identifies the rewards and challenges for the development of social work interventions focused on Latinos; includes a conceptual foundation from which to develop social work strategies for outreach, engagement, service-provision, and evaluation; features a series of case illustrations to highlight how cultural competency/humility can unfold to better reach this population group; grounds the Latino experience within a social, economic, cultural, and political context; and provides recommendations for social work education, research and practice.

This study examined the healing strategies that community healers have developed in response to historical trauma in Latinx communities and the accompanying successes or struggles. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 8 participants in Austin, Texas from a constructivist grounded theory approach that also operated from an intersectional feminist and participatory action framework. The researcher prioritized recruiting a sample of Latinx healers that were racially diverse in addition to representing a wide range of fields such as social work, community organizing, birth work, cultural centers, and other fields. All the participants identified personal experiences of historical trauma across their backgrounds. The researcher found that these community healers drew from their own healing journeys to develop the “most effective strategies” against historical trauma. In addition, the researcher found that the participants identified community healing as occurring through connection, as creating alternative pathways outside of hegemonic institutions, and as gaining a greater understanding of self and community. A core theory emerged of healing as a cyclical process that occurs through multi-level connection and in reciprocity between the individual and their communities. The researcher aims to add greater nuance to conversations about whole being health in the field of social work, which for the most part systematically fails to recognize historical trauma as an issue affecting any communities. The study contributes to the growing body of research on the diverse Latinx communities experiencing historical trauma. The researcher also hopes to contribute to the multi-disciplinary conversations that focus on healing interventions from historical trauma

In the United States, Latinx are 33% less likely to receive the appropriate mental health treatment when compared to other ethnic groups and lack of access to care can further exacerbate mental health conditions (National Alliance on Mental Health, 2020). A good understanding of institutional and systemic barriers faced by the Latinx community can shed light to the underutilization of mental health services. A systematic literature review was conducted to gain a better understanding of barriers that contribute to underutilization of mental health services among Latinx communities. A number of databases, including PubMed and PsychInfo were used to search for published literature on the topic. The research terms used were the following: "Latinos," "Hispanic," "Mexican American," "mental health treatment," "counseling," and "mental health access." The inclusion criteria comprised articles that were peer-reviewed studies that pertained to barriers to accessing mental health services faced by the Latinx community in the United States. The articles were further narrowed down by the year they were published, and articles published before 1999 were not included in the review. The exclusion criteria consisted of studies conducted outside of the United States and did not mention mental health access. A total of 23 articles were included in this literature review. Results from the study identified three major themes: Socioeconomic Status, Cultural Factors, and Language. In addition, several sub themes were identified and placed under the umbrella of the three major themes, including insurance coverage and cost, immigration status, stigma, lack of English proficiency in the Latinx community, lack of Spanish speaking therapists, and limited translators. The results from this study suggest a need for social support, policies directed to increasing funding and accessibility to mental health care, provision of culturally- sensitive mental health programs for the Latinx community and highlights an urgent call to action from the public health sector to conduct more outreach programs that would ensure availability, adequate provision, and sustainability of mental health services to Latinx communities.

Incorporating Diversity and Inclusion into Trauma-Informed Social Work incorporates discussions of leadership, racism and oppression into a new understanding of how trauma and traumatic experience play out in leadership and organizational cultures. Chapters unpack ideas about the intersections of self, trauma and leadership, bridging the personal and professional, and illustrating the relationship between employees and leaders. Discussion questions and reflections at the end of each chapter offer the opportunity for the reader to understand their own vulnerabilities in relation to the subject matter. This book reconceptualizes cultural competency, trauma and leadership in the context of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and views theories and practices through a lens of diversity and inclusivity. Incorporating Diversity and Inclusion into Trauma-Informed Social Work is an expansive guide for students in social work, one that explores and explains how trauma and difference manifest in how we communicate, lead and work with each other.

The founder of Latina Rebels and a “Latinx Activist You Should Know”(Teen Vogue) arms women of color with the tools and knowledge they need to find success on their own terms For generations, Brown girls have had to push against powerful forces of sexism, racism, and classism, often feeling alone in the struggle. By founding Latina Rebels, Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez has created a community to help women fight together. In For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts, she offers wisdom and a liberating path forward for all women of color. She crafts powerful ways to address the challenges Brown girls face, from imposter syndrome to colorism. She empowers women to decolonize their worldview, and defy “universal” white narratives, by telling their own stories. Her book guides women of color toward a sense of pride and sisterhood and offers essential tools to energize a movement. May it spark a fire within you.