La Cocina

La Cocina began in early 2017 when four volunteer mental health professionals and a group of Latinx Promotoras de Salud became outraged about the increased need for Spanish-speaking mental health services. After the 2016 election, the growing rates of anxiety and depression among immigrant groups were cause for alarm. It was a call to action. The volunteers and program founder soon turned their concerns into a passionate team of 17 professionals, including trained psychologists, counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, mentors & educators, and health promotion workers. In the first 10 months, La Cocina served 50 immigrant families. Today, the program has facilitated mental health recovery for more than 200 families, and is actively working to serve more and more families currently on its waiting list—a growing record reflecting not only families’ rising fears and anxieties, but also the dire need for forensic assessments of detained parents awaiting court hearings while separated from their children. Our bilingual (Spanish-English) programs include: -Mil Dias de Amor infant mental health support for families with children 0-5 years old -La Cocina 6+ mental health and health promotion & education for ALL Latinx families -Grupo Tu Pausa -L-Grupo (Latinx Grupo for adolescents ages 12-16) and L-Grupito (Latinx Grupito for pre-adolescent youth) -Mind Over Border support services and forensic mental health assessments for Spanish-speaking persons in immigration proceedings