Free mental health services are now available in Hyattsville, Maryland, in both English and Spanish.
The service, provided in partnership with Hyattsville officials and the Hope Wellness Center, will run through June 2025.
The pilot program, called “In Wellness We Thrive,” is available to residents of Hyattsville, a community that is primarily Latino and Black, according to census data.
Leaders at Hope Wellness Center said it’s important to provide culturally appropriate services.
“In our community, in the Latino community, the Black community and many other communities of color, there’s a negative stigma around mental health,” Cheryl Aguilar, the organization’s foundation director, told News 4.
“Another issue is there is a lack of access to multilingual and bilingual services and barriers to receiving mental health support,” she said.
“Different communities approach mental health differently,” Aguilar said, “so we want to look at how they view mental health, what supports they already have, and what strengths they already have and leverage that into our treatment services.”
The registry is designed to prioritize families who don’t have health insurance and whose annual income falls below a certain threshold.
The pilot program consists of bilingual therapy sessions targeted to individuals and families with children, adolescents and young adults ages 6-21.
Sessions are by appointment and are offered in person at Hyattsville City Hall or held online. Therapy services will begin July 1, 2024, and pre-registration is now open.
A full-service counseling center in Largo, Maryland, is working to eliminate the stigma around seeking help, including integrating mental health and clients’ religious practices into treatment. “We are 100% Black and brown,” says Frederica Brooks Davis, MA Psy. D., executive director of Restoration Center, Inc. Whether in the office or online, “being able to see someone in person who looks like them often makes clients feel heard — automatically,” reports News4’s Morett Greene, who works for the community.
The program offers middle and high school students hands-on art workshops including painting, drawing, sculpting and music to explore emotions, healing and personal growth. Students can register through Recdesk on the City of Hyattsville website.
Community workshops for larger groups will be held throughout the coming year, and residents can sign up to receive notifications about upcoming events.
News4 will send you breaking news via email: Sign up here to receive breaking news alerts in your inbox.
