About the Center

Aliento, The Center for Latinx Communities at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) is dedicated to addressing the individual and communal mental health needs of Latinx communities. Aliento, the Spanish word signifying "breath," conveys the essence of the center. The Center's overall purpose is to "dar aliento" (give support, encouragement, life) to community members. The Center houses three interrelated components:

1. a Latinx Mental Health Training Program;
2. Community Outreach and Education activities; and
3. a Research Institute.

The Center's name and academic program were developed in collaboration with community members. Aliento faculty and staff received feedback from community members and mental health professionals on developing the academic program and its content and to validate our choice in naming the center. The mission of Aliento is to encourage community participation as an integrated component to its sustainability, relevance and to make it accessible to Latinx communities.

The Center is grounded in contextual psychology and a tradition of reflective scholarship that recognizes the inherent dignity of every person and the importance of understanding individuals within the broader contexts of family, culture, language, religion, spirituality, and communities. These perspectives guide the Center’s educational, clinical, outreach, and research activities by preparing students to provide thoughtful, community-informed, person-centered care. Aliento integrates these perspectives throughout its program initiatives to promote reflective practice, ethical decision-making, professional formation, and clinically responsive care with the individuals, families, and communities’ students are preparing to serve.

Community-Informed Practice and Cultural Humility

Aliento prepares students to provide ethical, compassionate, and culturally informed psychological services by recognizing that mental health is influenced by the dynamic interaction of biological, psychological, relational, cultural, spiritual, environmental, and community factors. Students learn to understand individuals within the broader context of their family relationships, life experiences, values, language, and communities while recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of every person.

The program emphasizes cultural humility as a lifelong process of self-reflection, curiosity, and professional growth. Rather than assuming expertise in another person's lived experience, students are encouraged to approach individuals, couples, families, and communities with humility, respect, and a commitment to learning. Through reflective practice, students strengthen their ability to build trusting therapeutic relationships, communicate effectively across diverse settings, and provide person-centered care that is responsive to the unique strengths and needs of those they serve.

Community-informed practice encourages students to engage thoughtfully with the communities in which they work by listening carefully, collaborating respectfully, and recognizing the strengths, resources, and perspectives that individuals and families bring to the therapeutic process. This approach prepares graduates to exercise sound clinical judgment, demonstrate ethical leadership, and provide effective behavioral health services across a wide range of clinical and community settings.