This signature curriculum is entirely designed by the Latinx community for the Latinx community and developed in 2018 by our co-founder Dra Ruth Zuniga, in collaboration with a  Promotores de Salud Advisory Committee and with the support of bi-lingual, bi-cultural graduate psychology  students. This evidenced-based and community-focused curriculum is delivered in Spanish, uses popular education practices and is taught through 6 modules informed by Latinx sociocultural factors and current scientific research. The training focuses on addressing mental health stigma, , teaching self-care, self-regulation and co-regulation techniques, improving help-seeking behaviors, and addressing how to support the community regarding emotional health and wellness. The main goals of this training are to not only  provide  competencies in addressing these issues in the community, but also, to  identify these concerns in self,  family  and others. Additionally, the training providers tools on how to support the community on accessing culturally responsive resources.    The training is not only focused on the community by empowering and increasing the skills of community health workers (CHWs) to address mental health, but they are also meant to provide spaces for CHWs to focus on their own emotional health and healing. 

The 6 modules are accredited for Continued Education Units through the Traditional Health Workers (THW) Commission in Oregon and provided in Spanish. The modules include stress management, depression, substance use disorders, healthy relationships/intimate partner violence,  suicide  and crisis intervention prevention, and how to speak with and support the community about emotional health and mental health.   The training can be delivered in person or online.  CHWs participants said they have built confidence and skills in addressing emotional health with community members, their families, and even themselves and reported improvements in their own emotional health. 

Emotional Health Community Health Workers/Community Leader Trainings: 

Signature Mental Health Curriculum:

This interactive Spanish training engages traditional health workers and Latinx community leaders in the topics of health and emotional well-being and community resilience in times of disaster and forest fires. Through three modules, participants learn concepts, skills, and tools to support and enhance the strength of their communities before, during, and after disasters, and most importantly, learn how to strengthen their own emotional health while preventing or coping with vicarious trauma , responding to trauma, and compassion fatigue that can come with serving the community. In addition, the training includes components of Liberation pedagogy, collective healing and trauma-informed care.
The content and format of this training has been guided by a community advisory board made up of Latinx leaders and health promoters working in areas affected by the wildfires. The training includes the didactics about trauma, toxic stress and adversities associated with climate change and wildfires, the development of culturally adapted mindfulness and resilience skills, tools and techniques that participants are be able to apply to promote resilience and well-being of their communities, coping mechanisms to better deal with the challenges of natural disaster, advocacy and tools to efficiently support their community. This training has been accredited for Continued Education Units through the Traditional Health Workers (THW) Commission in Oregon and provided in Spanish.

Más Fuerte que la Adversidad (Stronger than Adversity) Curriculum