Strong Minds/Mentes Fuertes Program
Community Mental Health Program: Strong Minds/Mentes Fuertes
Strong Minds is a Spanish-language program consisting of ten one-hour individual psychoeducation sessions. It uses an integrative approach adapted from cognitive behavioral therapy, incorporating motivational interviewing, mindfulness, behavioral activation, and self-management strategies. All sessions are delivered by trained Community Mental Health Workers.
What to Expect
• A brief 30-45-minutes evaluation to confirm eligibility
• 10 individual one-hour sessions
• In-person or virtual sessions
• Practical activities to improve mood
• Connection to resources if needed (such as food or housing)
Mentes Fuertes is for:
• Adults 18 and older
• Individuals interested in learning strategies to improve their mood
• Community members living in Orange, Wake, Durham, or Chatham counties
How to access:
This program is open to the community for people struggling with stress, depression, and anxiety. If you want to be part of this program or you want to refer someone, please fill out the form through the button below. If you have any questions, please email us at mentesfuertes@elfuturo-nc.org or call us 984-267-1502 (9:00am a 5:00pm)
I struggled with depression and didn’t realize it at first. I thought I was just tired or lazy. There were days when I didn’t shower, didn’t brush my teeth, and stayed in bed crying without knowing why. I only got up to take my kids to school and then went straight back to sleep. I didn’t understand why I felt this way because I used to be an active, happy woman.
My husband supported me, but even then, I didn’t enjoy life or my family. For a whole year, I stopped caring about myself and gained weight. One day I looked out the window and told myself, “I can’t keep living like this.” I tried to motivate myself, but I couldn’t. Then a friend called and recommended I contact Ivan to learn about a program designed for people going through what I was experiencing. I reached out, and he told me about Mentes Fuertes. I signed up. The first session was very hard—I cried a lot—but little by little, things began to change. They taught me strategies to cope, and those 10 free sessions were the best decision I could have made for myself.
I’m still in therapy and taking medication, and it hasn’t been easy, but what matters is to start and keep trying. I hope my story inspires others to seek support and work toward a better life for themselves and their families.
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD