Hola! My name is Xochilt Alamillo. I’m a Chicana therapist, social worker, researcher, educator, and mother of three. I’ve spent over a decade sitting with individuals who carry stories of trauma and survival. Through my clinical work and research, I’ve focused on what often goes unspoken, the impact of cultural values, gender roles, and systemic injustice on the mental health of Latinx communities.
My academic work centers Chicana adolescents who have experienced suicidality, and how factors like familism, marianismo, and bicultural tension show up in their lives. My teaching and private practice are deeply rooted in trauma-informed, culturally grounded approaches. But more than anything, I’m a storyteller. And this blog is an extension of that story sharing.
There are so few spaces that speak to Latinx mental health in a way that feels real, nuanced, and connected to our lived experiences. Too often, mental health conversations are either overly clinical or completely disconnected from our cultural roots. I wanted to create a space where our complexities, contradictions, and strengths could live together. I’m starting this blog because we deserves stories and reflections that reflect us! Our Spanglish, our intergenerational wisdom, our joy, our grief, and everything in between. Healing is not one size fits all and for our community, it’s layered with migration, silence, and resilience.
This is a space where we’ll talk about:
- Latinx mental health through a culturally grounded lens
- The pressure of being first-gen, bicultural, and navigating multiple worlds
- How gender roles like marianismo, and machismo affect our wellness
- Stories from my work as a therapist and educator (while protecting privacy, always)
- Tools, reflections, and questions to support your own healing
- Insights for caregivers, mental health professionals, and anyone doing this work
- Above all, community!
I’ll always try to write the way I talk (and not necessarily the way I was taught in academia), with warmth, with intention, and with a deep respect for the insightful people who taught me what healing really looks like.
If you’e ever felt ni de aqui, ni de alla…this space is for you! Thank you for being here. I hope this blog becomes a space where you feel seen, affirmed, and reminded that you are never alone.