Bilingual counselors are highly sought in counseling agencies, school districts, and counselor education programs.
This 12-hour Bilingual Counseling Certificate is designed to meet the needs of students interested in developing foundational skills in bilingual counseling with an emphasis on Spanish.
The Bilingual Counseling Certificate is offered through the Department of Counseling (COU) with support from the Department of Bicultural and Bilingual Studies (BBL). Both departments reside in the College of Education and Human Development. The Department of Counseling bears ultimate responsibility for the certification program.
Why Pursue a Bilingual Counseling Certificate
UTSA is one of only ten CACREP-accredited programs offering a bilingual counseling certificate. The certificate is available for students enrolled in:
- M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- M.Ed. School Counseling
- Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision
About the Program
About the Certificate in Bilingual Counseling
As of July 2019, the Latino/Hispanic/Latinx community was the largest ethnic group in the country with over 60 million people or 18.5% of the nation’s total population. The latest U.S. Census reported that over 41.5 million individuals over 5 years of age spoke Spanish at home, making it the second most prevalent spoken language in the United States. Moreover, San Antonio is a city with an overall 64% of inhabitants that identify as Latino/Hispanic. Thus, the local population of Spanish-speaking clients is high and deserves particular attention to their cultural and linguistic service needs.
This certificate aims to address this dilemma by meeting the growing need for improved bilingual counselor education. The certificate coursework provides students with a strong linguistic background in Spanish and forwards opportunities to learn about cultural factors impacting the Latino/Hispanic culture. Additionally, the certificate focuses on improving language skills and targets opportunities to apply this learning to relevant counseling contexts via supervised counseling experience with Spanish-speaking clients
Thirty-seven bilingual certificates or concentrations exist in mental health fields such as psychology, school psychology, social work, marriage, family therapy, school counseling, and clinical mental health across the United States. Of this number, only four (including ours) offer a bilingual certificate or concentration accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and train both school and clinical mental health counselors. All other programs are either in other mental health professions (e.g., psychology), are not CACREP-accredited, or train only school counselors or clinical mental health counselors.
The certificate consists of four courses:
- Cultural Theories in a Global Context (offered each fall semester)
The study of the dynamic relations between culture, language, and the social environment. Explanations for the range of cultural, historical, social-cognitive, psychological, and political-economic adaptations in diverse systems. - Topics in Bicultural Studies (offered spring semester)
Acquisition and increased proficiency in the use of the Spanish language for case conceptualization, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning. Increasing fluency of Spanish mental health terminology for the application of counseling theory into practice. - Advanced Multicultural Counseling (offered each summer semester)
An existing doctoral level course that required and built on the foundation of the master’s level multicultural counseling course. Its purpose is to further develop students’ multicultural and social justice counseling competencies through advocacy projects, experiential learning, immersion experiences, and discussion. - Dedicated Spanish Section of Internship (Clinical Mental Health, School Counseling, or Doctoral Internship). Those seeking the Bilingual Counseling Certificate will take a dedicated bilingual section of the internship with the emphasis of serving Spanish-speaking clients/students. In this class, students have to work with at least one Spanish-speaking client/student. Clinical requirements will vary depending on program (School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health, or Counselor Education).
Our History
As a Hispanic Thriving Institution, the faculty and students in the Department of Counseling at UTSA recognized the need for more specialized training for Spanish-speaking counselors in training. Historically, counselor preparation programs did not provide specialized training for bilingual counseling students. Instead, it was assumed that if they spoke Spanish they would be able to perform their counseling duties with the same effectiveness in Spanish. For many years, the Department of Counseling recognized the need for specialized training, leading to the development of study abroad programs and bilingual training and supervision. These efforts culminated in 2015 when Drs. Robertson, Trepal, and Zambrano developed the 12-hour Bilingual Counseling Certificate program. The certificate program received tremendous support from school and community organizations, obtaining approval from the university in 2016.
Since its creation, a total of 59 students have completed the Certificate in Bilingual Counseling, while 70 clinical mental and school counseling students are currently enrolled. Many doctoral students involved with the BCC are now working as counselor educators in institutions across Texas.
Publications on Bilingual Counseling
- Interiano-Shiverdecker, C. G., Robertson, D., Santillan, S. & Stumpf, M. (2023). Exploring language and cultural competence among bilingual counselors who participated in a study abroad program. Teaching and Supervision in Counseling, 5(7), https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc05mxpl
- Interiano-Shiverdecker, C., Robertson, D., Zambrano, E., Morgan, A. & Cantu Contreras, J. (2021). Development and implementation of a bilingual counseling certificate program. Teaching and Supervision in Counseling, 3 (3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc030303
- Trepal, H., Castellon, N., Kurz, I., Morgan, A., & Contreras, J. (2022). Mi identidad and my privilege: The experiences of females of Mexican descent studying abroad in Mexico. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 50(4), 172-182. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12265
- Trepal, H., Tello, A., Haiyasoso, M., Castellon, N., Garcia, J., & Martinez-Smith, C. (2019). Supervision strategies used to support Spanish-speaking bilingual counselors. Teaching and Supervision in Counseling, 1(1), Article 3. https://trace.tennessee.edu/tsc/vol1/iss1/3
- Trepal, H., Ivers, N., & Lopez, A. (2014). Students' experiences with bilingual counseling. The Journal for Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 6(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.7729/52.1096
Current Projects
- Interiano-Shiverdecker, C. G., Robertson, D., Wilson, S. & Stumpf, M. (in progress, analyzing data). Exploring language and cultural competence among bilingual counselors who participated in a study abroad program.
- Trepal, H. (data collection). Spanish-speaking counselors experiences interning as behavioral health consultants in primary care
Dissertations
- Jessenia Garcia (2020). Testimonios of first-generation Chicanas in counselor education: A narrative inquiry
- Nancy Castellon (2020). The experiences of counselors working in detention centers for unaccompanied immigrant children. Winner of the 2020 UTSA College of Education and Human Development Outstanding Dissertation Award
- Cristina Martinez-Smith (2018). Bilingual counselors-in-training’s self-efficacy to counsel in Spanish: A narrative study.
- Isanely Guerrero Kurz (2019). Una Plática: The Experiences of Latinx Families with a Child with Autism.
“The Bilingual Counseling Certificate provides a beneficial foundation for providing counseling services to the Spanish-speaking Latino population. Counseling in Spanish is not just about having language fluency, it is also about applying interventions appropriately and understanding the client’s worldview. The Certificate in Bilingual Counseling goes beyond language by addressing culture and bilingual counseling in practice.”
Study Abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico
An optional component of the Bilingual Counseling Certificate is a two-week study abroad program in Oaxaca, Mexico which occurs in June.
Organized with our host institution, this study abroad program incorporates lessons and immersion experiences to help students: (a) further expand their Spanish language skills, (b) expand on their understanding of Indigenous cultures before and after European colonization, (c) analyze Mexico-U.S. relationships and migration from sociocultural and political perspectives, and (d) learn about mental health perspectives valued by Indigenous cultures in Mexico. Students who participate in the study abroad program obtain credit for two courses: Cultural Adaptation in Bilingual Societies and Advanced Multicultural Counseling. Students have described this experience as “life-changing”.
