Insights from Survivors and Latino Professional Counselors Providing Interventions to Latino Children Affected by Domestic Violence: Implications for Culturally Responsive Interventions and Professional Training

There is a growing need for intervention models for Latino families experiencing psycho-social issues resulting from domestic violence, given the growth of this population and their experience with this issue. The model needs to be inclusive of culturally attuned interventions, culturally proficiency training for professional counselors, and organizational protocols that will ensure implementation. This investigation included Study I which examined the effectiveness of a culturally responsive therapeutic intervention on a sample of Latino children ages 5-12, “Caritas de Esperanza”. As was hypothesized, children in the experimental group increased their resiliency self-efficacy, self-esteem, and decreased conduct problems and negative emotional symptoms compared to the group that did not receive the intervention. Findings indicate that “Caritas de Esperanza” is a promising intervention with major implications for practitioners working with this specific population. Study II included face-to-face interviews with 21 parents whose children had completed “Caritas de Esperanza” intervention and 8 interviews with Latino professional counselors to explore 1) what guides parents’ decisions to enroll their children in counseling 2) what are their expectations of counselors, the intervention, and the agency that provides the counseling and 3) what are the most important values of Latino parents and those specific values that discourage the use of violence and help overcome problems. Findings from the two studies and results could inform future cultural proficient training for professionals in the counseling field and an overall model for working with Latino families in the context of domestic violence