A new program created in the Lowcountry of Beaufort, SC is addressing the mental health needs in the Hispanic community.
“I always thought or hoped that I would work with this population,” Maria Renee Josey, Director of La Isla House Mental Counseling Program for Hispanics, said. “So I’m excited to be able to do that.”
Scott Wierman, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, says his organization has a long-standing relationship with and has given money to the Mental Health America-Beaufort/Jasper.
“When Mental Health came to us and said there’s actually a segment of our population that is underserved,” Wierman said. “We had a real interest in trying to see if we could partner with them to increase their services to a population that was desperately in need of mental health services.”
Wierman says this was a critical need for the Hispanic population. Up to $90,000 over two years will help fund a counselor’s salary and benefits.
Josey, the bilingual counselor and director of La Isla house, says this will help underserved individuals who may face multiple problems.
“I was born and raised in Guatemala. I moved here fairly recently, less than three years ago,” Josey said. “So I think having someone not only that speaks your own language but knows your cultural background as a Latino American person, I think that’ll help with people feeling more comfortable.”
The structure of the new MHABJ Hispanic mental health program includes counseling services at the VIM Hilton Head Island and Bluffton-Jasper clinics one day per week and group therapy for up to eight individuals with a psychiatric disorder three days per week at MHABJ’s office in Bluffton. Josey, a new hire, is passionate about psychology, and she is also a professional racquetball player, which she plans to incorporate into her sessions.
Read more at WJCL.com.
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