When we talk about making mental health care more accessible, language is one of the first things that comes to my mind — and it should be. Being able to speak about anxiety, trauma, history, depression, family, and other deeply personal experiences in the language that feels most natural can make an enormous difference.
In my experience, though, I have noticed that speaking the same language is not always the same as feeling understood.
As a therapist, I may be able to speak someone’s native language fluently, but that does not automatically mean I understand every part of their cultural experience. At the same time, I have also noticed that people from different countries can share many cultural similarities. Even if I do not speak a person’s native language, I may still understand some of where they are coming from because of shared experiences as immigrants, minorities, or people navigating more than one culture.
That is why cultural awareness matters.
For someone who is Latino, an immigrant, a child of immigrants, or part of another minority community, mental health may be shaped by experiences that do not fit neatly into a clinical checklist.
One thing I have had to learn while studying in the United States is that experiences that are normal in some cultures can sometimes be misunderstood when they are viewed without cultural context. Family expectations, religion, migration, separation from loved ones, financial pressure, the responsibility to support family back home, stigma about therapy, and the experience of navigating more than one culture can all influence how someone understands emotional distress and whether they feel comfortable asking for help.
That does not mean every Latino, immigrant, or person of color has the same experience. Quite the opposite.
Culturally responsive care requires clinicians to stay open and curious, rather than assume they already understand someone because they share a language, ethnicity, or background.
The need to improve access is real. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hispanic and Latino adults were 28% less likely than U.S. adults overall to receive mental health treatment in 2024.
There are many reasons someone may not seek treatment, and we should be careful not to reduce that disparity to one explanation. However, if we want more people to feel comfortable about using mental health services, cultural understanding has to be part of the conversation.
Sometimes that begins with asking simple questions instead of making assumptions.
What role does family play in your life? How do you understand mental health? Is therapy accepted in your family or community, or is seeking help seen as weakness? Does immigration uncertainty affect your stress? Are religious beliefs important to how you cope?
Questions like these can help clinicians understand a person’s background better and create a space where clients feel welcomed rather than judged.
In a diverse state like New York, expanding mental health access should mean more than increasing the number of services available in different languages. Mental health professionals, universities, clinics, and community organizations should also invest in culturally responsive care, cultural humility, and meaningful partnerships with the communities they serve.
Language opens the door, but cultural understanding can help someone feel safe enough to walk through it.
Alison Arias is a first-generation Latina mental health counselor in Albany, with an interest in culturally responsive mental health care.
