Description: This graduate specialization is a training opportunity offered by the Counseling Psychology Program within the Department of Counseling Psychology & Human Services. The purpose of this specialization in Spanish Language Psychological Service and Research (SLPSR) is to prepare students for engaging in mental health services provision and research with Spanish speaking populations. Specialization students take coursework designed to enhance their understanding and knowledge of Spanish-speaking Latinx populations in the U.S., and obtain supervised experiences of working with Spanish speaking clients, and/or engaging in research with Spanish speaking participants. Students will be challenged to critically assess the unique social, historical, political, and cultural contexts that shape and are shaped by the experiences of Latinx people in the United States, with particular attention to conditions of social injustice and inequity, and how such conditions influence the health and well-being of Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities. Students will receive bilingual supervision, engage in and document continuous learning experiences, and complete a capstone project.

Rationale: Spanish is the second most common language in the United States. Many communities in the U.S., including communities across Oregon, lack mental health service providers who are able to serve the needs of clients who are Spanish speaking. Improving access to and quality of services requires increasing the number of clinicians and researchers who have the necessary linguistic and cultural competencies to do so. Providing quality services means more than having conversational language competency and extends beyond studying a few textbook chapters and articles on Latinx populations.  Thus, this specialization is designed with the long-range goal of increasing the number of linguistically and culturally competent mental health service providers and researchers for working with Spanish speaking populations. Second, this specialization is designed to provide depth and breadth to the training of Spanish competent students in the participating programs. Such training is consistent with the philosophy, goals, and objectives of each participating program, and consistent with the mission statement of the Counseling Psychology and Human Services department.

Eligibility: Students are eligible for this specialization if they are (1) admitted to one of the following accredited clinical graduate programs in the College of Education: Counseling Psychology, Couples and Family Therapy, or School Psychology, (2) performing well academically (minimum GPA of 3.0), and performing well in their pre-clinical or clinical work to date, as confirmed by their advisor and training director; (3) possess pre-existing fundamental competencies in speaking Spanish, and (4) have the approval of their advisor to apply for the specialization.

SLPSR Goals, Objectives & Competencies

Apply to the SLPSR Specialization. All necessary application and documentation forms are located below.