Jamilah Silver, a resident in the child track of the Clinical Psychology Internship Program, has been selected to participate in the Ecuador Professional Preparation Program, a summer cultural immersion experience for educators and mental health professionals. The program is designed to increase participants’ fluency in Spanish and understanding of Ecuador and Latinx culture.

“I hope this experience will lay the groundwork for me to deliver interventions for Spanish-speaking folks without the use of an interpreter,” said Silver, who has taken Spanish classes since high school. “There’s something to be said for being able to talk to someone directly.”

Over the course of her 18 days in Ecuador, Silver will provide supervised clinical services to local residents, attend didactic sessions, and receive individualized Spanish instruction. She will also stay with an Ecuadorian family during the program.

“I’m excited about the cultural competency training,” Silver said, “and the opportunity to see what clinical practice looks like in a different part of the world.”

Silver first learned of the program in an internship seminar led by Clinical Asst. Prof. Jacob Lafo, Ph.D., a bilingual neuropsychologist. In the seminar, Lafo emphasized the importance of conducting assessments in a patient’s own language. Afterward, Silver asked for suggestions on improving her language skills, and Lafo introduced her to the Ecuador program.

Silver expects that her experience in the program will benefit her as both a clinician and a researcher. After internship, she hopes to study irritability and depression in early childhood within a clinical context.