Coast nonprofit sees rise in mental health service need

The nonprofit now serves 75-100 clients per week with mental health services in the form of one-on-one, group and arts and culture therapy sessions, and the waitlist to be seen ranges from one to two months. 

“The community here that is predominantly Latino and we serve here at ALAS, [is] obviously experiencing heightened levels of fear. Some of them know people experiencing significant issues related to immigration policies,” Martinez said. “People who already have a history of trauma, their symptoms are even more intense because of what they’re seeing and what they’re living.” 

As communities across the state and nation see targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, deportation quotas and controversial deportation centers, clients are facing valid and real fears, he said. 

“The best thing we can do is provide support to manage the emotional reactions to the situation, and the environmental fears,” Martinez said. “Give people the capacity to figure out how to keep themselves as safe as possible … to think a little bit more rationally, to create safety plans for themselves and their families.” 

ALAS also tries to make their services as flexible as possible, offering phone sessions to those who feel vulnerable leaving the home or outdoor park walks to those who might find the outdoor space conducive to healing. 

The nonprofit also serves children with play and art therapy, creating a space for them to work through the trauma that fear of family separation can create, ALAS Executive Director Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga said. 

The impact of immigration trauma on children has been a focal point of Hernandez-Arriaga’s research work and is an understudied element of the current political climate, she said. 

“As a society, as a country, we’re really putting our children through significant distress, and that affects health, and that’s the real story here,” she said. “How can they go to school and function and think when they have all this on their hearts?” 

ALAS has been structured around providing culturally relevant therapy and community resources since its inception, both Hernandez-Arriaga and Martinez said. During a time of increased fear, anxiety and isolation, the joyful elements of healing — like group events and dance troupes — are more important than ever. 

“We do also try to create community spaces or even community environments where people are in community with one another,” Martinez said. “That’s also a very healing, very effective application for people.” 

These opportunities allow for clients to connect and be reminded that they aren’t alone in their emotions, he said. 

“Folks tend to go inward and keep that to themselves, instead of sharing with other people. Creating spaces where people can, in a supportive environment, they can come and share and not be judged, is something that is very useful,” Martinez said.