“I didn’t know what to do or where to go,” Gonzalez continued. Desperate, she said she decided to open up to her then-her employer, La Cocina.

La Cocina is a non-profit mental health care clinic. They are the founders of Latinx, the leaders of Latinx, and the providers of Latinx services.

The literal translation of La Cocina is “kitchen”. their name comes from The Farm Workers Movement by Dolores Huerta and Cesar ChavezLa Cocina Founder and CEO Janina Fari said:Hmmas a Ph.D.

La Cocina began after the 2016 election when she noticed an increase in anxiety and depression rates among immigrant groups. Their team currently includes more than 17 professionals, including trained psychologists, counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, mentors and educators, and health promotion workers.

As an organization, it serves nine counties in Colorado. So far, La Cocina says he has facilitated mental health recovery for over 1,000 Latino families. Their multidisciplinary team has grown to include trainers and program leaders.

“People believe that mental health in our community is much worse than in the white community. But that’s really a misconception,” Fari said.Hmmthat’s why.

“In the Latino community, people are overdiagnosed with mental illness. “There are things that happen,” said Fari.Hmmthat’s why.

She said that people at school might notice that the child looks different, but the child is bilingual, or monolingual, speaking Spanish, so fari.HmmLike I said, they don’t bring it up and you might think it works by itself.

“The problem with that view is that there is a very big difference between being bilingual and having needs that are probably different than other kids at school.” She said that’s why so many families like them go undiagnosed for so long.

As bilingual and multicultural people, La Cocina professionals know where your child needs additional support.

“La Cocina has an important role to play in working with the school system to prevent this,” Fari said.Hmmthat’s why.

Ensuring that families are supported and get the help they need is one of La Cocina’s main missions.

“This article about allowing our community to truly define what a healing journey is needs to be centered,” Fari said.Hmmthat’s why.

La Cocina accepts referrals from other agencies and can also call you directly. The service is completely free, and La Cocina offers a variety of programs, including one for new parents.

“Having them was a blessing to me. They not only helped me fight for my son, but they helped me fight for my own mental health,” Gonzalez said. said.

La Cocina supported her through her transition to a new school, taught her about her son’s rights as a special needs student, and even gave her a year of therapy sessions.

“I can talk about it now. There were times when I just cried,” Gonzalez said. She is a huge part of La Cocina’s support system. “They are my family now. I love them and feel completely comfortable and empowered by their side.”

Sonia Gutierrez is a multimedia journalist for Rocky Mountain PBS.you can contact her soniagutirrez@rmpbs.org.

Julio Sandoval is a multimedia journalist for Rocky Mountain PBS.you can contact him juliosandoval@rmpbs.org.