Spanish speakers comprise around 14% of the US population, and their numbers are growing every year. A significant number of Spanish speaking people have substance abuse and addiction problems. However, most Spanish speakers struggle to communicate or understand instructions in English. This makes it hard for them to connect with Rehabilitation centers where workers speak English only.
Effective communication is critical in psychotherapy because it the client’s ability to share their feelings that help the therapist understand their condition. Similarly, therapists who can articulate the problem and explain the remedy to the patient clearly are very effective in helping substance addicts. This post discusses the advantages of visiting Rehab centers that employ Spanish speaking workers.
Cultural accommodation
Culture is a vital component of addiction treatment because it affects the coping styles and the type of social networks patients utilize while dealing with the stigmas associated with substance abuse. At the same time, clients approach clinical interventions with innate cultural attitudes. Therefore, they are naturally inclined to seek treatment from rehab centers that understand their language and culture.
Spanish speaking centers are designed to accommodate people from all social and economic backgrounds because they are used to diverse clients. The workers are culturally competent and understand the appropriate settings, clothes, and cleansing rituals to use different interventions. They also try to match clients with therapists from their community or similar spiritual beliefs. This helps in explaining the contextual or cultural factors that may have led to the addiction.
Their workers understand the communal structure of Spanish families and their unique cultural and religious beliefs. They are adept at addressing sociological and systemic causes of addiction such as lack of housing, unemployment and domestic abuse because they are well connected with community support organizations. For instance, native workers can arrange family therapy sessions with the client’s family because they come from the same community. Such interventions motivate clients to reform and improve their chances of acceptance by family and society.
Ease of communication
Even though most Spanish speakers are bilingual, they may struggle to express their most intense feelings in a second language. Moreover, most rehab facilities employ technical language and data collection methods such as questionnaires and information papers that non-native English speakers struggle to understand. Therefore, it helps when the resource materials are in Spanish, and workers are Spanish speakers because clients can call on them for assistance and clarification.
The workers not only understand and speak native versions of Spanish but can also explain concepts using culturally relevant metaphors. Such workers can seamlessly incorporate aspects of storytelling, familial relationships, and gender-based responsibilities into the narrative when explaining therapeutic interventions. They also take great care to avoid offending the client’s customs, traditions, and value systems. Some also collaborate with spiritual leaders from different ethnicities to ensure that their services are endorsed by the communities they serve.
Culturally-sensitive remedies
While most of the therapies available at Spanish speaking rehabs resemble those found in conventional English centers, most Spanish centers employ indigenous solutions. These are substances and rituals that are acceptable at the community level due to their ability to drive out negative energy and induce holistic healing. Moreover, such centers will add you to a group of Spanish speakers for group therapy. It will be easier to heal when your group consists of people with a similar cultural background and values than sharing with people from diverse backgrounds.
Culturally sensitive treatment increases the chances of adherence to the treatment while reducing dropout rates. Rehabs that use this model provide clients with a more holistic treatment than contemporary rehab centers. They also eliminate problems of cultural disconnect that leads to several negative outcomes. The cultural dissonance may result from miscommunication, lack of trust, discomfort, incompatibility and resistance especially among elderly clients.
Culturally competent Substance abuse therapy is most effective when combined with
• Assertive continuing care
• Motivational enhancement
• Behavioral therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Family therapy
Final remarks
The growing number of Spanish speakers in the US has created a need for culturally sensitive rehabilitation services that cater to addicts from this segment of the population. Rehab centers that employ Spanish speaking workers are more accommodating and responsive to the needs of Spanish speaking clients. They customize their services to suit the needs of different patients and liaise with community welfare organizations to provide holistic support to their patients. Looking for an addiction rehab center that employs Spanish speakers? Call 844-639-8371 to arrange a visit. We offer culturally competent counseling services 24 hours a day.