Culture, Connection, and Care:

Supporting Mental Wellness in Hispanic and Latino Communities

Mental wellness does not happen in isolation.

It is shaped by our families, our relationships, our cultures, our communities, and the places where we feel safe enough to be ourselves.

At Touchstone Foundation, our vision is for all children and youth in Lancaster County to experience mental wellness. Reaching that vision means recognizing that mental health can look, sound, and be talked about differently from one family or community to another.

As we continue listening to young people and families throughout Lancaster County, we also have an opportunity to recognize the strengths already present within Hispanic and Latino communities—and consider how we can build mental health resources around those strengths.

Insights for this blog were informed in part by research and conversations explored by Touchstone Foundation team member Yakahiris around culture, first-generation experiences, mental health, and access to support.

Family Can Be Part of the Foundation

For many Hispanic and Latino families, family is closely connected to identity, belonging, emotional support, and decision-making.

When one person is struggling, that experience may not be viewed as theirs to carry alone. Parents, grandparents, siblings, extended family, and other trusted people can all be part of the support system surrounding a young person.

That connection can be a strength.

A conversation at the kitchen table, checking in with a cousin, spending time with grandparents, gathering for a family tradition, or knowing there is someone you can call when life becomes overwhelming can all contribute to a sense of connection and belonging.

Professional mental health care can be an important resource, but wellness also grows through the everyday relationships that remind us: you have people in your corner.

 

Community and Connection Can Help Us Thrive

Family is only one part of that network.

Faith communities, neighborhoods, cultural traditions, trusted mentors, schools, community organizations, friends, and intergenerational relationships can all create spaces for connection.

These relationships matter because mental wellness is about more than responding when someone reaches a crisis. It is also about creating environments where young people have opportunities to connect, talk, learn about themselves, build coping skills, and know where to turn before challenges become overwhelming.

This is where all of us can play a role.

You do not have to be a therapist to ask someone how they are doing. You do not need a clinical background to listen without judgment. And you do not need to have every answer to help someone connect with a resource that may support them.

Sometimes care begins with simply making space for a conversation.

Mental Health Conversations May Look Different Across Cultures

Talking about mental health does not always begin with the words mental health.

A family member might talk about stress, headaches, exhaustion, trouble sleeping, problems at school, financial pressure, family hardship, loneliness, or spiritual concerns.

That does not necessarily mean mental health is being overlooked. It may mean emotional experiences are being understood or communicated differently.

Recognizing these differences can help us listen more carefully.

Instead of focusing only on whether someone uses a particular mental health term, we can ask:

What has been weighing on you?

How have you been feeling lately?

What has been difficult?

Who do you feel comfortable talking to?

What would make things feel a little more manageable right now?

Those questions can create room for someone to tell their story in their own words.

Getting Help Shouldn’t Be the Hardest Part

Knowing that support exists and being able to access that support are two different things.

Hispanic and Latino individuals and families can encounter barriers including the cost of care, insurance limitations, language differences, transportation, scheduling, concerns related to immigration or documentation, previous negative experiences with systems, and difficulty finding culturally responsive providers.

For a young person or family already dealing with stress, navigating these barriers can add another layer of difficulty.

That is why increasing mental health awareness must go hand in hand with increasing access.

We need to continue asking whether people know where resources are, whether they can afford them, whether services are available in the language they are most comfortable using, and whether families feel respected when they seek help.

Being Seen and Understood Matters

Representation can also make a difference.

Having access to bilingual therapists, interpreters, mentors, educators, and mental health professionals who understand or take the time to learn about someone’s cultural experiences can help build trust.

But culturally responsive care is not about assuming that everyone who shares a cultural identity has the same experience.

It begins with curiosity.

It means asking rather than assuming. Listening rather than labeling. Understanding that someone’s family, language, traditions, identity, immigration or migration experiences, community, and personal history may all influence how they understand mental wellness.

Ultimately, people should be able to enter a space for support and feel that they do not have to leave important parts of themselves at the door.

Young People May Be Navigating Two Worlds

For some Hispanic and Latino young people, growing up can include learning how to move between different cultural expectations.

What is expected at home may feel different from what is expected at school, college, work, with friends, or online.

Young people may be discovering who they are while also thinking about who their families expect them to become.

For first-generation college students, that experience can become even more complicated.

A student may be learning how to navigate college applications, financial aid, coursework, campus resources, career decisions, and a completely new environment while their family is learning alongside them.

At the same time, they may still have responsibilities at home—helping with siblings, contributing financially, translating information, attending family events, working, or supporting relatives.

There can be tremendous pride in being the first.

There can also be pressure.

And sometimes both exist at exactly the same time.

“I Should Be Proud. So Why Am I Struggling?”

A young person can be accomplishing something extraordinary and still feel overwhelmed.

First-generation students may experience anxiety, isolation, academic pressure, financial stress, guilt about being away from family, or uncertainty about whether they belong in a new environment.

Yakahiris explored some of these experiences through conversations with first-generation students. Participants shared experiences involving emotional stress, academic and caregiving demands, limited time and finances, difficulty navigating college systems, and challenges connecting with mental health resources.

They also described wanting support that felt more culturally and linguistically representative, inclusive, and responsive to their experiences.

Their experiences offer an important reminder:

We cannot decide what young people need without listening to young people.

Creating Spaces Where Young People Belong

A young person should not have to choose between their culture and their mental wellness.

They should not have to become disconnected from their family in order to become independent.

And asking for help should never mean giving up the parts of themselves that make them who they are.

Instead, we can create spaces where young people can bring their whole selves.

For families, that might mean making conversations about emotions, stress, and asking for help part of everyday life.

For schools and colleges, it can mean creating welcoming environments, strengthening culturally responsive resources, increasing representation, and listening directly to students about what is—and is not—working.

For mental health professionals, it means approaching each person with cultural humility and recognizing family and community as potential partners in wellness.

And for communities, it means continuing to build connections before someone reaches a moment of crisis.

Connection Is Something We Can Build Together

Mental wellness can begin in many places.

It can begin at home.

At school.

At a community center.

In a faith community.

Between friends.

With a mentor.

In a therapist’s office.

Or with one person noticing that someone seems different and asking, “How are you doing?”

At Touchstone Foundation, we believe caring for mental wellness means caring for the whole person. That includes recognizing the cultures, families, experiences, relationships, and communities that help shape each young person’s life.

As Lancaster County continues working toward a future where every child and young person can experience mental wellness, our differences do not have to divide the way we approach mental health.

They can help us understand how to care for one another better.

Let’s Listen with curiosity. Lead with care. Build connection. And make sure every young person knows there is somewhere—and someone—they can turn to.