FOCUS
Evidence-based treatments (EBTs) designed to improve youth mental health problems have been predominantly validated with middle-class, white families in university settings. As millions of tax dollars are invested in bringing EBTs to the Los Angeles community, which largely serves disadvantaged, Latino families, Blanche aims to (1) identify ethnic disparities in the quality of mental health care; and (2) devise solutions to reduce disparities. By integrating her PhD education in clinical psychology with the HPRS public health and policy training, she is studying how caregivers’ engagement and therapists’ cultural sensitivity and humility can improve the treatment process for Latino and Hispanic families.
MORE ABOUT BLANCHE
As a first-generation American and Los Angeles native who grew up in low-income, Hispanic communities that did not prioritize mental health, Blanche aspires to make publicly funded mental health services more accessible, acceptable, and effective for families from similar backgrounds.
