Grupo Nexos inaugurates its new headquarters
Grupo Nexos celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 10, 2023, with the participation of a large group of collaborators and guests. The space now houses the organization’s administrative offices and shared workspaces.
Dr. Marizaida Sánchez Cesáreo, the Executive President of Grupo Nexos, marked the occasion as a significant milestone for the team, which has grown to include over a hundred individuals, encompassing employees, contractors, and collaborators. “Many years ago, upon returning to work in Puerto Rico, I drafted a proposal for what I envisioned as a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of communities through evidence-based practices. Grupo Nexos is the culmination of that vision.”
The offices are situated at Centro Altamira, 501 Perseo Street, Suite A, in San Juan.
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El Nuevo Día: Study promotes the use of evidence-based practices among mental health professionals in Puerto Rico
Evidence-based practices are treatment or prevention methods proven successful in clinical or community studies. They optimize cost-effectiveness and the probability of success in mental health care. However, half of the professionals in this field in Puerto Rico need to learn how to implement them.
A new study by Natalia Giraldo Santiago, a postdoctoral researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital, assessed the needs and attitudes of mental health professionals in Puerto Rico towards the use of evidence-based practices. Her findings indicate that while most surveyed social workers, psychologists, and counselors supported their use, socio-economic and cultural factors could hinder their implementation.
Giraldo Santiago, trained as a social worker at the University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Campus, initiated the study in response to the country’s urgent mental health issues. In Puerto Rico, 19% of the population suffers from mental health problems, and 24% from substance use and abuse. Evidence-based practices serve “as a guide to help providers offer equal, high-quality care to all affected,” the researcher emphasized.
“If one recognizes ethical responsibility and competencies to demonstrate, then the use of evidence-based practices is very much in mind and comes out quite naturally,” expressed Patricia Landers Santiago, president of the Puerto Rico Psychology Association.
Giraldo Santiago’s study revealed that 75% of mental health professionals viewed evidence-based practices as appropriate for the Puerto Rican population. Yet, 51% were unsure how to access them, and 44% had not received training on their use in the past year.
The study also found that the Puerto Rican population surveyed was less favorable towards using evidence-based practices compared to US and international samples analyzed by other researchers.
So why aren’t these effective practices more widespread?
This partly relates to the Puerto Rico Mental Health Law (Law 408-2000) requirements. While the law encourages the use of effective and rigorous practices, it allows community-based organizations treating addictions to employ “historical, traditional, and ordinary” practices not necessarily scientifically verified.
Lili Sardiñas, a member of the Evidence-Based Working Group managed by Grupo Nexos, noted that shifting from traditional to evidence-based practices could be challenging. “There was considerable resistance to adopting evidence-based practices initially because people are used to doing things in their own way,” she said, “but this resistance is normal.”
Over time, Sardiñas observed an increase in the number of funders requiring these practices for project financing, leading to more professionals adopting them.
Nonetheless, even with the willingness to adopt these practices, “the lack of adequate compensation is a barrier,” Giraldo Santiago mentioned. “It’s challenging to shift towards these practices when more than 40% hold two, three, or four jobs. People lack the capacity to make this shift.”
Adopting an evidence-based practice demands significant time and effort. Professionals must sift through hundreds of options to find the best fit for a patient, study manuals, and take lessons on implementation. Often, adapting a study conducted on a US population for Puerto Ricans is necessary.
Grupo Nexos maintains the PBE Archive, compiling detailed descriptions of 562 evidence-based practices to ease professional access. This database includes manuals translated into Spanish.
“The adaptation of these practices for Puerto Rico is crucial,” she stressed. “Considerations must include language, religion, and all socio-economic factors.”
This adaptation is taking place within the field and across the country. “Psychology is now looking to Latin American and other international resources to develop a local psychology,” Landers Santiago added. “Psychology that is distinctly Puerto Rican for Puerto Ricans.”
Both interviewed experts and the majority of surveyed professionals view evidence-based practices as essential for Puerto Rican psychology.
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Mental health professionals urge a comprehensive look at the needs of children and youth in Puerto Rico
(Mayagüez, PR) – Adopting a broad human rights perspective on the development of children and youth in Puerto Rico will be the focus of a meeting between the country’s mental health professionals and other experts. The symposium titled “Comprehensive Development and Well-being of Children and Youth: A Socio-Structural Perspective” will be hosted by the Puerto Rico Psychology Association on March 10 and 11 at the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez Campus, supported by Grupo Nexos. This nonprofit organization is committed to implementing scientifically proven community intervention strategies, providing knowledge, and offering expert advice in various areas.
Puerto Rico’s poverty rate stands at 43.4%, the highest across the United States, according to 2021 Census data. This pattern mirrors the situation of children and young people living below the country’s poverty levels. The symposium aims to tackle the conditions of children and youth within this context from a human rights perspective and to draw psychology professionals and interested parties closer to the most urgent issues affecting this demographic.
“Children and youth in Puerto Rico have faced traumatic situations over the past 6 years, during a time when governmental austerity measures have led to cuts in resources aimed at fostering their well-being. It’s crucial to have multidisciplinary and multisectoral meetings and work plans to address their needs. We aim to create spaces where the voices of our children and youth are heard seriously,” stated Dr. Eduardo A. Lugo Hernández, the symposium coordinator.
“Poverty is the principal structural barrier feeding health disparities in Puerto Rico. Addressing poverty and establishing policies, practices, and programs that can enhance the well-being of young people and have a collective impact on the population level should be our country’s priority,” added Dr. Marizaida Sánchez Cesáreo, a community clinical psychologist and the executive director of Grupo Nexos.
The symposium will offer two keynote speeches, followed by workshops designed to develop skills for individual and collective action. Subsequently, there will be several dialogue groups with professionals and representatives from non-governmental organizations to discuss innovative intervention strategies. The aim is to facilitate an exchange of ideas on strategies and projects to meet the urgent needs of children and youth.
Targeted at psychology professionals, educators, social workers, counselors, and those interested in working with these populations, the event promises insightful discussions and networking opportunities. For more information and to register, please visit https://www.asppr.net/simposio.
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