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• Provider Guide to Addressing Veterans' Reactions to Current Events in Afghanistan
• More on Afghanistan

Our Next Lecture

Cultural Considerations for Conducting Trauma-Focused Treatment with Latinx Patients

Natalia Garcia Gonzalez, PhD and Agustina Colombo Eiff, MSW

Wednesday, September 15 at 2:00pm ET 

About the Presenters

NATALIA GARCIA GONZALEZ, PhD is an advanced Postdoctoral Fellow at VA Puget Sound – Seattle and has a joint appointment as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. She is trained as a clinical psychologist and has research interests in PTSD, trauma recovery, and providing culturally-responsive mental health care. Dr. Garcia Gonzalez obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington, completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and is now completing her third year of a VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. She has been trained extensively in PE, CPT, DBT and specifically has expertise working with sexual assault survivors, including women Veterans with military sexual trauma experiences.

About the Topic

There is growing interest in the implementation of culturally responsive mental health care that balances treatment fidelity and cultural fit. Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) are first-line, evidence-based treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and have been successfully implemented in low-income and ethnoracial minority samples, and with Latinx individuals specifically. However, cultural and systemic factors may interfere with effective treatment delivery. This presentation will propose several culturally responsive strategies for therapists to consider when conducting PE or CPT with Latinx patients to improve clinical outcomes, such as building trust and rapport early on, conducting culturally-informed assessment, investing in psychoeducation, optimizing exposures, challenging beliefs with cultural humility, and problem-solving common barriers to treatment engagement. 

Provider Guide to Addressing Veterans' Reactions to Current Events in Afghanistan

Veterans may experience a range of challenging emotions related to the current events in Afghanistan. This is true for Veterans who served in Afghanistan as well as for Veterans who served during other conflicts because they may be reminded of their own military or homecoming experiences.

Read the whole guide on our website

More on Afghanistan

A New Resource for Veterans 

Share Coping with Current Events in Afghanistan with the veterans you are treating.  This online article addresses:

•  Common Reactions
• Strategies for Managing Distress
• How to Get More Help

A four-part series from VAntage Point blog

Afghanistan: Resources available for PTSD

Afghanistan: How spouses, caregivers can support Veterans with PTSD

Afghanistan: How Veterans can learn from Vietnam Veterans

Afghanistan: How Veterans can reconcile service

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