“We don’t have a fair infrastructure in this country for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing or suffering from substance use disorders or mental health issues to easily access services like the rest of the population.”

— Dr. Mancini

When I met Dr. Pierluigi Mancini at the Crisis Now summit in Amsterdam, I knew I had encountered someone truly extraordinary. Here was a person who had not only recognized a critical gap in mental health services for non-English speakers but had devoted his life to building a comprehensive solution. What struck me most was his understanding that cultural and linguistic responsiveness isn't just about translation – it's about purposeful investment in understanding and serving communities in ways that genuinely resonate with their needs and values.

What Pierluigi created in Georgia was nothing short of revolutionary. Starting with addiction counseling services in Spanish, he built an organization that grew to serve 150 people daily in individual, group, and family therapy, while reaching over 10,000 children through Latino prevention programs. His approach went far beyond traditional therapy – he incorporated boxing, cooking classes, music recording, and other life skills that helped build community and competence. When faced with technological barriers, his team would drive hundreds of miles to ensure clients could access virtual services. This comprehensive, culturally-responsive approach proved that when we meet people where they are – linguistically and culturally – recovery is not just possible, it's probable.

The sobering reality is that 25 million people in the United States, not including those who are deaf and hard of hearing, are suffering in silence because they cannot access mental health services in their primary language. As Pierluigi pointed out, this isn't just about translation services or having interpreters on call – it's about building an infrastructure that truly understands and responds to the needs of diverse communities. His work has shown us that when we invest in culturally and linguistically responsive care, people do recover, families are strengthened, and communities thrive. It's time for all of us in the mental health field to take this lesson to heart and ensure that no one is left suffering in silence due to language barriers.

Bio

With over 30 years of experience in culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health treatment and prevention, Dr. Mancini is one of the most sought-after national and international consultants and speakers on the subject of mental health and addiction, his area of expertise is immigrant behavioral health. His book ¡Mental! In The Trump Era – Ten Inspirational Stories About Immigrants Overcoming Addiction, Depression and Anxiety in America has recently been published to great reviews and it is available on Amazon.com in English and in Spanish. Dr. Mancini recently led a project to train clinicians in Latin America who are taking care of the over 4 million displaced Venezuelans arriving in Colombia, Perú, Ecuador, Brazil, Panamá and other countries.

Takeaways:

Purposeful Investment: It's essential to make cultural and linguistic responsiveness a core part of service planning, not an afterthought. This includes hiring bilingual staff and developing culturally specific resources.
Community Involvement: Engaging with the community from the start ensures that services meet their real needs. This leads to better outcomes and stronger relationships with those we aim to serve.
Peer Support: Peers can make a significant impact by providing relatable support and helping bridge the gap to formal care. Developing bilingual peer support programs can extend our reach even further.