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PASEO Spanish for Mental Health Immersion Program

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I am studying to become a licensed marriage and family therapist as well as working to improve my Spanish competency for use with clients. I recently had the honor of being one of the few applicants accepted into the PASEO Spanish for Mental Health Immersion program cohort for summer 2019 in Peru. This program provides specialized training in Spanish language skills for use in mental health settings as well as internships in the Peruvian mental health system. My participation in this program will count towards my practicum in my MAMFT program at CTS but unfortunately my full institutional scholarship does not cover the cost of participation. I am currently maintaining a 4.0 GPA in my coursework and recently received the honor of induction into the Delta Kappa Tau honor society for marriage and family therapy.

Immersion is the best method to learn a language from my experience. PASEO seems like the perfect opportunity to immerse myself in a Spanish-speaking context while furthering my study of counseling.  My interest in the PASEO program is based on my goal of becoming a bilingual therapist. I delight in learning Spanish because it provides the opportunity to inhabit a new mindset and worldview. I also consider cross-cultural work part of my vocation. I have already made great progress in my Spanish through 100 hours of Skype lessons with Guacamaya Spanish School in Copan Ruinas, Honduras, 60 hours of intensive classes in-person at La Hacienda Spanish School in Guanajuato, México, as well as many hours spent volunteering or in informal exchange at a weekly conversation group where I practice with native speakers in a local café. I  am very motivated to expand my abilities and specialize for clinical work.


The lack of Spanish language services available in the United States troubles me. Working with refugees and immigrants in my previous work and befriending Latinx neighbors now who do not speak much English, I am aware of the many obstacles that Spanish speakers face in our country which still pretends to be monolingual. I desire to improve this reality and address this need through my career path into therapy by focusing my attention on developing the ability to work with Spanish-speaking clients. I believe that the Spanish language and Latinx cultures offer a lot to the practice of therapy through emotional and relational expressiveness. As I prepare for clinical work with Latinx clients, I need to understand more deeply Latinx cultures and be able to think more in Spanish in order to more fully empathize.

I would appreciate any amount that you can contribute towards my participation in this training which will provide invaluable experience in pursuit of my goal of becoming a bilingual therapist. The amount needed is the tuition that I will pay directly to PASEO to cover participation in a 6 week program minus a deposit of $250 already paid. The tuition includes housing, classes, supervision, practicum placement (contribution to partner organizations where PASEO  students will be serving), and transportation from the airport. I will cover my airfare, food, and other miscellaneous costs on my own. Please see this comprehensive brochure from PASEO for more details about this year's program and the organizations I may be serving in Trujillo and Huanchaco, Peru. You can also see a breakdown of how the money is used by PASEO on their website here .

Thank you for your interest and support! I look forward to providing you with updates as I anticipate and engage in this rare opportunity.

Muchas gracias por su apoyo generoso!

Huanchaco-Trujillo, Peru.  Source: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Huanchaco_-_Trujillo.JPG#globalusage

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Organizer

Zac Bowman Cooke
Organizer
Millersburg, IN

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