Code is CETA
“At times, reality is dark, but when you find (the helping) hand you need in the most difficult moments, it is a blessing.”
Francis Miranda
Director of the Ballet Folklorico of Chico
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Francis Miranda, who faced depression while adjusting to life in Chico, now dances with Ballet Folklorico de Chico. As the group’s director, she teaches the youthful members how to perform typical dances of her native Mexico.
Photo by Emily Teague
A Time for Dancing
Teacher resolved cultural shock and pain of divorce with the help of Promotores a mental health program
Francis Miranda, a dynamic teacher, lost her vivacity and enthusiasm. Instead of projecting optimism, she was sad and disconsolate. Shortly after immigrating to Chico with her husband and her three children in 2000, she suffered a cultural shock. "I was always confident about what I needed and what I wanted to do, that’s how I grew up. When I decided to make a change and reach for another, supposedly better, unknown world, I didn’t imagine what this change would bring to my life and my loved ones.” She was melancholy, confused, and nostalgic for her native Mexico, a country she sometimes wanted to return to.
After she adjusted to life in Chico and began enjoying family life again, the teacher faced a stronger crisis: She and her husband divorced. Suddenly she found herself becoming a single mother, wrapped in anguish and confusion. “Divorce at that time was one of the saddest phases that marked my life; I felt completely alone.” With teenage children, a different language, new customs, and an unknown environment, all she felt was desolation, nostalgia and coldness. “I felt that I had no physical strength and much less of the emotional strength to get ahead with my children. It was a time of pain, anger, impotence and fear.”
Francis Miranda, solved these crises with the help of Promotores, a program that offers free mental and emotional health services in Chico, Gridley and Biggs. It is a nonprofit program of Northern Valley Catholic Social Service, which receives funds from Butte County Department of Behavioral Health (BCDBH) and the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). "Sometimes the reality is dark, but when you find the hand that you need in difficult moments, it can be a blessing,” the teacher said recently, expressing gratitude to Promotores. The program was one of the agencies that gave me the tools to move forward in life.” Private consultations with Angel Calderon of BCDBH who spoke about the benefits of “la Cultural Cura” (culture cures) and community workshops prepared by Promotores were the key to help her reaffirm and recollect her personal essence.
As a teacher from Mexico, what makes Francis happy is teaching the art of dance. She is the director of the Ballet Folklorico in Chico, where she teaches typical Mexican dance classes to students of all ages. “I am proud and grateful of my life; being able to share my culture in another country is a blessing.”
Having overcome the adverse situations that limited her for a while, Professor Miranda continues her journey. “I now enjoy every minute of my life,” she says. “Today I am in a different situation, full of peace and tranquility.”
She ends her interview by thanking Promotores for the help they offer in the community: "Their support has been instrumental in my personal growth.”
Mental health for Latino families
Butte County has a variety of mental-health services for its Spanish-speaking residents.
The best-known is Promotores, which promotes mental health and well-being for Latino and Hmong families, through education, support and references. Clients receive services in Spanish and Hmong in Chico, Gridley and Biggs. All services are free and voluntary.
Promotores is the only county program that serves Latinos with no income or insurance requirements.
Besides offering individualized attention, Promotores holds weekly community workshops that focus on family empowerment, mental health and other subjects.
The program is sponsored by Northern Valley Catholic Social Services and the Butte County Department of Behavioral Health (BCDBH).
For more information, call 530-345-1600 or visit www.nvcss.org, click on Butte, and scroll down to Promotores.
BCDBH has two hotlines for persons with urgent problems: 1-800-334-6622 and 530-891-2810. Both lines are always open, seven days a week.
“The community really lacked resources when it comes to mental health and when it comes to LGBTQ-related things. [I’m] bridging that gap and hoping to be able to become a resource for them.”
Sher Yang
Graduate student, Stonewall Alliance Center trainee and LGBTQ ally
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Sher Young is working to bridge the gap between Hmong and western cultures, especially in the field of mental health care and LGBTQ issues.
Photo by Emily Teague
by Anne Stokes
Building Bridges
Student connects the Hmong community with mental health resources
Sher Yang was 2 when he and his parents left a Thai refugee camp and immigrated to Oroville. His parents were children during the Vietnam War and carry with them the emotional scars — a trauma that is shared by innumerable Hmong families.
While his five U.S.-born siblings are more “Americanized,” Yang has become a bridge between Hmong and American cultures. Now a graduate student in Simpson University’s counseling psychology program, he wants to use that ability to unite both cultures and serve as a resource for those in his community who may struggle with mental health issues.
According to Yang, one of the difficulties in bridging that gap is the way mental health is traditionally viewed in Hmong culture.
“When we talk about mental health, such as schizophrenia, it’s usually attributed to spiritual health,” he says. “Going to a mental health professional wouldn’t be the first thing on their mind. A family would want to seek out a shaman, somebody who could talk to the spirits of the individual who was having that mental illness crisis.”
Language barriers with mental health providers as well as general unfamiliarity and mistrust of western medical practices also prevent many from seeking help. Additionally, Yang says there is a stigma attached to mental illness, just as there is in western cultures.
Traditional Hmong culture views homosexuality as taboo as well. Yang, who identifies as an ally, noticed a lack of resources for those who identify as LGBTQ, as well as a lack of information about LGBTQ issues among the Hmong community in general.
“In recent years, there’s been young individuals in the Hmong community who have started coming out as gay or as a lesbian,” he says. “They don’t know about any resources … or who to turn to as an ally. We often hear stories about individuals committing suicide because of such issues.”
After several individuals close to him came out, Yang decided to focus on LGBTQ issues in his profession. He is currently a trainee at the Stonewall Alliance Center in Chico.
“For me personally, I felt the community really lacked resources when it comes to mental health and when it comes to LGBTQ-related things,” he says. “[I’m] bridging that gap and hoping to be able to become a resource for them.”
Hmong mental health resources
For those looking for help, the Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County (HCCBC) is a good place to start. Founded in 2000, the nonprofit strives to preserve Hmong culture and offers education, advocacy, support and services including:
· Zoosiab (“Happy Program”) for elderly Hmong community members struggling with issues of trauma resulting from their experiences in the Vietnam War such as depression, stigmatization and stress.
· Txhawb (Promotores) provides connections to community services, behavioral health referrals and weekly group meetings.
· The Hmong Talk Line (530-403-3978) where community members and families can reach a sympathetic ear and get support, information and referrals for mental health services, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County is located at 1940 Feather River Blvd., suite H in Oroville. For more information, visit www.hmongculturalcenter.net or call 530-534-7474.
​
​
​
​
Stonewall Alliance of Chico offers culturally appropriate counseling for LGBTQI+ individuals of many cultures, including Hmong. Contact them at 530-809-2485, counseling@stonewallchico.org or www.stonewallchico.org.
