Articles by Carmen Román, PhD
Dr. Carmen Román is a bilingual licensed psychologist in California and
Mexico with nearly 30 years of experience. She works mainly with couples and families and specializes in trauma, sexual abuse, and immigration issues. Dr. Román has trained community leaders for 20 years in Mexico and the USA using the model of empowerment suggested by popular education theory.
Dr. Román is the president of the non-profit Emotions in Harmony (emotionsinharmony.org) and is the host of the three podcasts: Emotions in Harmony, Harmonia Emocional and Inspírame.
by Carmen Román, PhD | Dec 15, 2021 | Clinical Corner
(Please access full text for link to article in Spanish.)
The number of Mexican immigrants is growing rapidly in the United States. While culturally sensitive psychological services may be a luxury in United States clinics, they are a necessity in places where Spanish-speaking people live.
Unfortunately, the number of Latinx and/or Spanish-speaking therapists is below the minimum needed. Thus, even if you do not speak Spanish, the odds are considerable that a Spanish-speaking Latin American will cross your path.
In this series, I will cover some issues that may help you in being more culturally appropriate regarding Latin Americans, especially those from Mexico. I will first explore the term familismo, a value that refers to the development of close ties within the immediate and extended family of many Mexicans.
by Carmen Román, PhD | Oct 10, 2012 | Professional Resources
Building long-lasting relationships with clients is a skill to aim for if you ever plan to have a private practice. Treatment attrition is something I frequently experienced at the beginning of my career, and it took me several years to figure out how to provide better services.
The number of assertive therapeutic interventions per session increases only with time and practice. There are, however, some pitfalls that a beginner therapist can avoid.
My Experiences
At the beginning, I often took a lot of notes on the first session and designed elaborate treatment plans. Doing all of this at once was as complicated as learning to fly an airplane.
The problem is that I often failed in creating a safe emotional container for the client.
Although finding appropriate techniques and designing remarkable treatment plans were some terrific strategies I learned in school, I wish somebody had pointed out the basic and avoidable mistakes I was making. I did not understand why some clients canceled sessions or stopped coming altogether.
by Carmen Román, PhD | Sep 11, 2012 | Professional Resources
Imagina que estás en una sesión de terapia donde lo que dices es incomprensible para tu cliente. Que situación tan difícil después de tu duro entrenamiento! Ahora imagina a tu cliente quién en medio de una situación emocional se esfuerza para explicarse en un idioma que no le es familiar. Que situación tan seria! Si tu crees que esta entrada no es para ti, tengo unas cuantas preguntas antes de que abandones esta página: ¿Alguna vez evitaste alguna sesión porque tu cliente no habla español? ¿En caso necesario, sabes como escoger un intérprete y trabajar con él o ella? ¿Estás al tanto de los aspectos legales de usar un intérprete en terapia? Con el crecimiento rápido de inmigrantes a este país, ésta pronto puede ser una situación inevitable en tu carrera.
by Carmen Román, PhD | Sep 11, 2012 | Professional Resources
Can you imagine being in a therapy session where whatever you are saying is just incomprehensible buzz to your client? What a difficult situation to encounter after all your hard training! Now imagine a client struggling with an emotional crisis, and think of the extra effort required to explain the situation in an unfamiliar language. What a serious situation to be in!.
by Carmen Román, PhD | Jun 27, 2012 | Professional Resources
El machismo y el marianismo son temas de actualidad en mi práctica diaria como psicoterapeuta de la comunidad Latina. Los roles de género son sensibles por naturaleza, y a pesar de que los Estados Unidos tiene una historia rica en explorar el significado de sexo, identidad de género, y orientación sexual, la exploración de estos temas en culturas Latinas están todavía de alguna manera menos representados. Afortunadamente, hay algunos psicoterapeutas que investigan la intersección de sexo, género, identidad y orientación sexual en relación a la cultura, esos investigadores admiten que algunos temas son incluso mas complejos en la cultura Latina. Yo no soy uno de ellos y esta entrada es un humilde comentario, lo que si puedo decir es lo siguiente: En los 20 años que he trabajado como facilitador de academias de padres, el tema de roles de género es doloroso cada vez que lo abordamos. Por favor, perdona si alguna de estas ideas te parecen anticuadas. No estoy de acuerdo con todas las…
