Latinos in North Carolina face a shortage of bilingual mental health professionals, but a Charlotte nonprofit is working to change that.
Camino is launching North Carolina’s first peer support specialist training offered fully in Spanish.
Certified peer support specialists are individuals with experience in recovery who help navigate mental health and substance use challenges. Once certified, they work in clinics, community centers and other mental health settings.
David Villanueva is leading the new training at Camino. He says language barriers keep many Latinos from getting help.
In a recent Camino Research Institute Survey, about 45% of Latinos in North Carolina said that they have a significant need for mental health services.
“By training peer support specialists in Spanish, one of the things that we're providing is these service providers that can go out into our community to be able to connect with Spanish-speaking individuals who are seeking services,” Villanueva said.
The five-day training begins Wednesday at Camino’s campus in northeast Charlotte. The certification typically costs $375, but Camino is offering the course for free.
