Supporting Mental Wellness and Reducing Stigma with Juliana Lozano of Despierta
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Roughly 1 in 3 Latino adults do not have access to health insurance in Charlotte, NC - a rate much higher than other cultural groups. Lack of access to health insurance coupled with mental health stigma lead to significant barriers for Latino families in accessing mental health services and programs.
As we celebrate May as maternal and mental health awareness month, we’ve invited Juliana Lozano of Despierta CLT to talk about her work providing culturally responsive mental health services and reducing stigma.
We talk about the importance of community partnerships, use of surveys to gather community feedback and how referral processes can help clients get access to care.
Juliana also shares two compelling success stories of clients who have been transformed through the work of Despierta. Roger, Juliana, and Drew also reminisce about songs that bring joy.
Key Points
Roughly 1 in 3 Latino adults in Charlotte do not have access to health insurance - a higher rate of uninsured adults than any other racial or ethnic group. Despierta works to address this barrier by covering the costs of services through sliding scale and other means to provide mental health services for Latino families living without insurance.
Community Partnerships are a critical way for organizations who provide different services to work together to increase their impact. Despierta works with organizations that provide youth services, legal services, and other services to help provide more wrap-around care for the people they serve.
Feedback is so important to tailor programs and services to meet community needs. In this episode, Juliana shares how she uses surveys to better understand - lack of knowledge about mental health issues, but also clear that there is a demand to know more. She shares how the feedback from surveys helped better understand how to offer programs and services that are better tailored to meet the community Despierta serves.
Many organizations build systems to handle referrals. In this episode, we hear how Despierta uses a systematic approach to handling referrals.
Juliana tells a story of an unaccompanied minor who was experiencing an abusive relationship - and how a combination of mental health support, enrolling in school, providing stable housing, and offering other supportive factors were critical to this individual’s success. The story illustrates the heart of Despierta’s mission. What are some stories that you can share from your work that similarly help explain the nature of the work of your organization?
Resources
Our Guest
Juliana Lozano is a bilingual therapist. Juliana received a Bachelors in Social Work from UNCC in 2013 and a Master in Social Work from the University of South Carolina in 2014. Juliana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate.
Juliana is passionate about working with clients who have faced trauma as she has overcome many adversities in her own life. Her own journey in therapy led her to become a therapist. She is an advocate for mental health awareness.
Juliana is the founder of Despierta, a non profit organization in Charlotte that helps empower Latinas by educating them on an array of topics including women’s health, mental health, and intimate partner violence.
Juliana believes in the importance of being culturally competent and has a passion for breaking mental health stigma. She has extensive knowledge in the area of intimate partner violence. She hopes she can empower women to find the healing that will lead to peace and restoration by providing the support and skills needed to thrive. Juliana desires to break the mental health stigma within the Latinx community by educating and spreading awareness.
