Barreras y Soluciones: Lessons learned from integrating research-based clinical techniques into a community agency serving low-income Latinx immigrant families

Culturally adapting relational savoring: A therapeutic approach to improve relationship quality

Relational savoring (RS) is a brief, strengths-based approach to heightening attentional focus to moments of positive connectedness within relationships. RS can be administered preventatively or within an intervention context when a therapist aspires to foster more optimal relational functioning. Typically administered within a one-on-one therapy setting, RS has demonstrated efficacy in enhancing intra- and interpersonal outcomes. To increase access to mental health services, the developers of RS are committed to engaging in an iterative approach of enhancing the cultural congruence and accessibility of this intervention within various cultural contexts, beginning with Latine groups in Southern California. In this article, we describe relational savoring and its theoretical and empirical support, including the process of culturally adapting the intervention within the context of three major studies, each with a distinct focus on Latine groups, a community that is underserved in mental health care settings. We then provide a vision for future research to improve upon the intervention's compatibility for Latine families and other populations.

Employing diffusion of innovation theory for 'not missing the mass' in community-engaged research

INTRODUCTION

Engaging with minority communities, such as immigrants and ethnic minorities, often involves adopting top-down approaches, wherein researchers and policymakers provide solutions based on their perspective. However, these approaches may not adequately address the needs and preferences of the community members, who have valuable insights and experiences to share. Therefore, community-engaged approaches, which involve collaborative partnerships between community members and researchers to identify issues, co-create solutions, and recommend policy changes, are becoming more recognized for their effectiveness and relevance. Yet, prevailing community engagement efforts often focus on easily reachable and already engaged segments of the community, sometimes overlooking the broader population.

METHODS

When working with immigrant and racialized communities, we encountered difficulties in engaging the wider community through traditional researcher-led approaches. We realized that overcoming these challenges required innovative strategies rooted in community-based participatory research principles and the diffusion of innovation theory. We recognized that a nuanced understanding of the community's dynamics and preferences was crucial in shaping our approach and building trust and rapport with the community members.

RESULTS

The need to bridge the gap between researcher-led initiatives and community-driven involvement has never been more pronounced. Our experience, chronicled in this article, highlights the journey of our research program with an immigrant/racialized community. This reflection enhances our comprehension of community engagement that deliberately strives to reach a larger cross-section of the community. By providing practical methods for reaching the broader community and navigating the intricacies of engagement, we aim to assist fellow researchers in conducting effective community-engaged research across various minority communities.

CONCLUSION

In sharing our insights and successful strategies for community engagement, we hope to contribute to the field's knowledge. Our commitment to fostering meaningful collaboration underscores the importance of co-creating solutions that resonate with the diverse voices within these communities. Through these efforts, we envision a more inclusive and impactful approach to addressing the complex challenges faced by minority populations.

Saving a seat at the table for community members: co-creating an attachment-based intervention for low-income Latin parent-youth dyads using a promotor/a model

Evidence for the effectiveness of attachment-based interventions in improving youth’s socioemotional health increases each year, yet potential for scalability of existing programs is limited. Available programs may have lower acceptability within low-income immigrant communities. Co-designing and implementing interventions with trained community workers (Promotors) offers an appealing solution to multiple challenges, but community workers must have high investment in the program for this to be a workable solution. This study examines the experiences of promotors involved in the co-creation and delivery of an attachmentbased intervention program for low-income Latinx youth (ages 8 to 17) and their mothers. Promotors (N=8) completed surveys, reporting on the experiences of each therapy group in terms of group dynamic (e.g., promotors’ connectedness to each group, perceived program relevance). Following the completion of the intervention study, promotors participated in interviews in which they described their experiences in co-creating the intervention, delivering the intervention to the community, and their recommendations for improving the intervention. Overall, promotors perceived group dynamics as positive, though the mother groups were evaluated as significantly higher in quality (e.g., lower conflict) than the youth groups. Interviews revealed that promotors enjoyed the cocreation process and identified important areas for improvements for the intervention (incorporation of more visuals, creation of agelimited groups, reducing number of youth sessions) and evaluation (reduction in length, modification of language). Integrating input from promotors in the process of co-creating and implementing an intervention can benefit every member of the community from the program participants to the providers themselves.