Nancy Villagran and her mother weren’t getting along, but that wasn’t the worst of it.
“I was running away from home,” said the petite 14-year-old Mexican-American from Gilroy. “My mother and father weren’t getting along, and I had depression.’’
She’s back home now, and the whole family is in therapy, thanks to a special research project that introduces troubled young Latinas to the culture and wisdom of their Mexican ancestors. The thinking behind the approach is that the girls’ personal foundations have been shattered or were weak all along and the best way to build moral strength and pride is by connecting them to the philosophical and spiritual teachings of ancient Mexico.
“This is part of their ethnic identity,” said Rosalva Vargas, a therapist at Rebekah Children’s Services in Gilroy. “It gives them strength to know they come from people who built great pyramids and civilizations.”
According to Vargas, who holds a doctorate in child social development, a lot of mental health programs preach “cultural relevance” but don’t actually use culture in treatment. So she and colleague Randall Ramirez designed a treatment program with hefty doses of Mexican culture. READ FULL STORY
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