Patricia Becerril comes to聽聽in Charlotte, North Carolina, every other week. And it鈥檚 a slog.
鈥淚t takes her two hours to get here,鈥� said Katherine Wilkin, a University of North Carolina at Charlotte master鈥檚 student, translating for聽Becerril. 鈥淪he takes two buses, so coming here, she鈥檚 definitely devoted to getting this treatment. She comes every time.鈥�
Wilkin is also Becerril鈥檚 mental health counselor, and Becerril says Wilkin has helped her deal with depression.
鈥淲ith therapy, she鈥檚 gotten able to organize her thoughts and feelings, and she feels better, not frustrated, less stress,鈥� Wilkin said.
Becerril initially came to this free clinic for diabetes treatment. Director Wendy Pascual said聽primary care is often the starting point for patients here, most of whom are immigrants.
鈥淥ne thing we have been seeing year after year is that many patients came here with physical problems that really are mental health problems,鈥� Pascual said.
Meanwhile, UNC Charlotte counseling professor聽聽had been looking for a way to get more involved in the community. A mutual friend put him and Pascual in touch, and Gutierrez suggested his master鈥檚 and Ph.D. students could offer counseling services.
He and Pascual set up a partnership last year, and now about eight students provide treatment. They鈥檙e unpaid 鈥� it鈥檚 part of their training. Some speak Spanish, some use an interpreter.
Gutierrez said聽they see a variety of issues.
鈥淭he big three we keep finding are depression, high levels of anxiety and then high levels of trauma,鈥� he said.聽鈥淎t one point, about 85 percent of the folks were experiencing some level of some of that.鈥�
That鈥檚 of everyone coming to the clinic for any kind of health care.
Its focus on the immigrant community means treating many people who are uninsured and often here illegally.
UNC Charlotte master鈥檚 student Katherine Wilkin finishes notes after counseling a client. (Michael Tomsic/WFAE)
鈥淟atinos, although they鈥檙e experiencing a lot of these mental health concerns, they are among the least likely to be able to get services,鈥� he said.
Universities in many parts of the country are recognizing that reality. Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Georgia and the University of Denver all have similar partnerships.
Texas has several, including between that state鈥檚 flagship university and .
鈥淭he need is enormous,鈥� said聽Kathleen Casey of the Austin-based partnership.
鈥淲e know that there鈥檚 great health disparities, lots of stigma overall and other types of cultural barriers that make it incumbent upon us to do our very best for outreach and engagement to that population,鈥� Casey said.
Latino counselors say the stigma around mental health can be particularly strong in that community. There鈥檚 also the language barrier. And the actual border crossing can be traumatic, especially for those who cross illegally.
, a clinical supervisor for practicum students at the Pacific University Psychology Clinic, said聽some immigrants she treats suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
鈥淭here are stories of sexual assaults and rapes that happen during border crossings,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd then there鈥檚 more cumulative experiences of growing up in poverty or dealing with drug cartels or gangs or some people have difficult experiences in their country of origin.鈥�
Pacific, based in Oregon, has around 20 master鈥檚 and Ph.D. students providing counseling at any given time. Even with that, she said聽Latinos face waiting lists for treatment.
People line up outside Bethesda Health Center the one morning a week it takes new patients. (Michael Tomsic/WFAE)
Back in Charlotte, people lined up outside Bethesda in the rain recently. It was the one day a week Ana Farrera signs up new patients.
鈥淭he thing is that rain must have scared them away today,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ecause 鈥� last week we had 10 people, so I had to turn five away.鈥�
Farrera said聽there have been some mornings when 20 people line up before she opens the door. They鈥檙e mostly waiting for primary care, but Farrera said聽many will get referred to the UNC Charlotte students for counseling.
Clinic leaders say the students are making a big difference at the clinic. Student Katherine Wilkin said聽it works the other way, too.
鈥淔or me it鈥檚 been good,鈥� Wilkin said, because the experience has exposed her to more than 鈥渏ust the easiest client I can think of that we read about in textbooks,鈥� Wilkin said. She feels 鈥渧ery comfortable building up from this.鈥�
So do UNC Charlotte professors. The university plans to scale up the partnership with Bethesda.
This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, WFAE and聽.