This online session provides to mental health providers information about a tailored CBT for Latinx youths. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for depressed Latinx youths as well as White youths with depression and suicidal behaviors. However, evidence-based treatments for ethnic minority and gender and sexually diverse youth, including Latinx teens with suicidal behaviors, is limited. A culturally centered CBT treatment protocol for suicidality (Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Behavior-SCBT-SB) was developed in Puerto Rico to address the specific needs of Latinx teens and their families. The SCBT-SB addresses central issues in adolescent identity formation (e.g. ethnicity and sexual orientation) along with family interactions and communication. Further modifications were done to expand the SCBT-SB applicability to Latinx families in the USA. The feasibility of this modified version of the SCBT-SB was tested in the USA by conducting a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) of the SCBT versus treatment-as-usual (TAU) in a real-world setting with positive results. A randomized clinical trial is underway, funded by the National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities (NIMHD), to test the efficacy and effectiveness of the SCBT-SB. The rationale for developing a culturally centered CBT protocol, the change model, and its main components will be presented. 

Slides are available here.