Bullying can be a difficult issue to address – especially for Spanish speaking communities in Idaho, which have fewer counseling resources available.
However, there are ways to support kids who are experiencing this.
Jorge Lopez is a licensed professional counselor and a board member for National Alliance of Mental Illness Idaho.
He said a stigma exists around bullying in many Hispanic households that makes it hard to talk about. But Lopez suggested adults listen to children on this issue and validate their experiences.
“Not only does it create validation for the individual going through that,” said Lopez, “but then the step can be dialogue and communication around, ‘Okay, how can I support you? What can I do? What is it that we can do together to help support you through this situation?'”
Idaho has a growing Hispanic population. According to a 2022 Census estimate, more than 13% of the population identifies as Hispanic, or more than 260,000 Idahoans.
Despite the large population, Lopez said there are not enough Spanish-speaking counseling resources available in Idaho.
He also noted that it takes more than speaking the language to support people in these communities.
“Just because someone offers services in Spanish doesn’t mean that they might be culturally competent to provide those services in Spanish,” said Lopez. “Are they culturally sensitive to the certain things that might not necessarily translate from English to Spanish?”
Lopez said one way to increase the number of counselors is to start early and talk about this career path in high school.
“That’s where we can not only introduce counseling as a viable profession that they can pursue and they might be a future Spanish-speaking therapist,” said Lopez, “but we’re also simultaneously in those spaces saying, ‘hey, it’s okay to talk about emotions.'”
