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Empowering Spanish Bilingual Psychologists: The MPIP Experience at BHN

Sep 05, 2024
2024 graduates and staff from the Multicultural Psychology Internship Program

Did you know that BHN hosts a highly competitive and nationally sought-after doctoral training program for Spanish bilingual psychologists right here in Springfield? The Multicultural Psychology Internship Program (MPIP) was founded in 1998 as a partnership between the School Street Counseling Institute (prior to affiliating with BHN) and Albizu University in Puerto Rico.


Dr. Ileana Estrella, MPIP Training Director, and alum class of 2013, shares that “the intent of the partnership is to encourage bilingual/bicultural psychologists to come to Western Massachusetts to serve the needs of our local Hispanic communities.” Over the years, the program has evolved with the needs of the community and the changes in the field of mental health treatment. What has stayed the same is the exceptional training experience and the deep sense of community that defines the MPIP experience. 


The MPIP program provides comprehensive training on the varied work life of a professional psychologist. Interns participate in weekly seminars on assessment, research, consultation, and multicultural issues in treatment; they practice individual and group therapy, conduct psychological assessments, provide behavioral health consultation to partners and programs, and design/conduct a focused research project related to BHN’s treatment work. 


In 2019, MPIP successfully applied for and received full accreditation from the American Psychological Association. Each year, interns from across the continental US and PR apply through a national clearinghouse for doctoral internship placement. Dr. Estrella and the MPIP faculty screen and interview candidates to select the two or three who will spend the following year training here at BHN. The program is offered at the School Street Counseling Institute under BHN's Community Behavioral Health Center (BHN WellBeing) in Springfield, MA.


MPIP draws leadership from Program Director Dr. Laura Toro-Nazario and faculty members Dr. Daira Davila-Vargas, Clinical Manager, Dr. Jose Rosado-Medina, VP of CBHC, Dr. Gillian Waldorf, Alum 2017, Dr. Elizabeth Maldonado, Alum 2020, and Dr. Samuel Cedres. Long-time and beloved faculty member Dr. Loudes Mattei and generations of alums continue to stay connected with the MPIP community, guiding, and learning from the next generation of bilingual Spanish psychologists. 


In late August, MPIP graduated the 2023-2024 class: Marisol Lopez-Gonzalez, Alexandra Steel and Nancy Muro-Rodriguez. Congratulations graduates!


Marisol came to MPIP from Puerto Rico to pursue a robust APA-accredited training opportunity aligned with her experience and community in PR. According to Marisol, “I knew that by moving I was going to expose myself to a diversity of experiences and people, and that was going to be part of what was going to challenge me as a clinician. MPIP was connected with opportunities I was looking for and with my values; I wanted to advocate for and service Spanish speakers.

There is a big diaspora of PR here. As part of my social justice advocacy and multicultural competences, I wanted to provide those services to people from back home who had to move here too. At MPIP I found my home away from home.

- Marisol Lopez-Gonzalez

In her training experience, Marisol was able to grow and define her identity as a clinician. “I faced systematic issues and was aware of those barriers. And I navigated the barriers and systemic realities. It has been an opportunity to define who I want to be and who I am as a clinician.” Marisol has a particular interest in identity, reflected in her doctoral dissertation research on the intersectionality of spirituality and sexuality in emerging adults in the LGBTQIA+ community. 


During her training at MPIP Marisol also grew to truly appreciate the importance of interconnection and believe in interdisciplinary care. She learned how valuable it is to have other services supporting the well-being of the client and the importance of having different services to address different needs. After graduation, Marisol is looking forward to returning to PR to study for her licensing exam and plan for postdoctoral work. 


When asked what advice she has for the BHN community, Marisol shared, “You are important! If you are really passionate and believe in helping others, there will always be a place to do that. Society may emphasize people with higher degrees... But ALL the people I have worked with, I have seen their passion and skill in working with people. Sometimes we miss that, and it is important for the well-being and healing journey of every person we help.” 


Alex chose Spanish as a second language and psychology as a career to use her voice to bridge the gap between high-quality services and certain groups of people who cannot access those services because they don’t speak English.  She shared, “I come from a family of pastors, so community service and community involvement are what I grew up with; my family prioritizes standing up for other people and being part of community.” 


Alex is certainly living those values. Her dissertation, titled, Green Zones for Redlining: A Liberation Psychology Approach to Using Nature-Based Mental Health Services with Marginalized Urban Populations asserts that the practice of redlining has separated whole groups of people who would benefit from natural and environmental therapeutic sources. Her work shares how clinicians working in urban environments can combat this and leverage natural treatment tools and options. 


Alex shares that training at BHN this past year pushed her to grow as a person and a clinician and to self-reflect and listen so that she can hold what her clients need, and not what she thinks they need. As a white woman coming from an English-speaking background using Spanish to work with Spanish-speaking individuals and individuals with other intersectionality such as autism has brought just the challenge she was seeking. Next Alex is heading to Boston for a bilingual postdoctoral training experience in pediatric neuropsychology. 

You are not defined by your extremes. You are not your past. You create your future every day. You can turn your life into what you want it to be. If you have passion, willingness and commitment, the sky is the limit. It doesn’t matter if your family has ever done that before. Get a mentor, ask questions, and challenge yourself. What can you do for yourself and the people around you.

- Alexandra Steel

Nancy attributes her passion for multicultural psychology to her experience working as a volunteer at a food pantry in Milwaukie during high Ji8¸£ÀûÊÓƵ. There, she saw firsthand the significant mental health and social determinant needs of the visitors. “People had difficulty getting food and paying bills, they had family stressors and mental health challenges.” Nancy saw how beneficial her Spanish language skills were and thought, “How can I use my bilingualism in Spanish to serve my community? That helped me start my journey into mental health.” 


As a first-generation college graduate, Nancy shared that she had to navigate the educational system on her own. She received help and guidance from dedicated mentors along the way, including a Latina research PhD psychologist who encouraged Nancy to pursue her PhD.  Nancy mentioned that working with undocumented Spanish-speaking individuals in Georgia during graduate Ji8¸£ÀûÊÓƵ affirmed what she wanted to do professionally.

I wanted to do counseling. Seeing the systemic injustices and how the language barriers and cultural barriers prevented people from seeking mental health. I wanted to be part of the process of dismantling those barriers.

- Nancy Muro-Rodriguez

Nancy emphasized the significance of having bilingual teaching and supervision in training environments, noting that such spaces are often lacking. Nancy chose MPIP bilingual training to enhance her multicultural competence and skills in working with diverse populations. Reflecting on her experience, Nancy noted the resilience of her clients in the face of adversity and expressed her commitment to supporting them throughout their journeys. 


Nancy shares, “This work has taught me to meet people where they are at, follow their lead, and collaborate with them. I have learned the value of our profession to provide a safe space for individuals. The CBHC has shown me the value of having different programming for the different needs someone might experience.” Nancy shares that the diversity of clinical perspective in MPIP’s faculty and training has “prepared me well to feel confident working with different cases and reminded me that building trust is so important. If it's not there, we won’t see the progress.” 


It is also important to remind ourselves that we are also resilient in this experience. Nancy’s doctoral research has focused on the needs of caregivers of people with a rare genetic disorder, cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome. Nancy’s work reinforces that medical conditions impact not only the individual but also the family system and other people involved in the care. “Caregivers need to be part of the conversation. They experience a lot of burnout and stress, and it is important to have policies in place to support them.” 


The next phase of Nancy’s training will be postdoctoral clinical work and research at Yale University. When asked what advice she has for the BHN community, Nancy shared, “Sometimes we might think we aren’t making a difference. But that small piece does make a big impact on a person’s life. They do carry a lot of the teachings we provide; we plant little seeds, and they blossom into little plants. What we are doing as an organization – there is value to the work we do.” 


 

Learn more about the Multicultural Psychology Internship Program

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