Latinx Therapists Action Network

The Latinx Therapists Action Network (LTAN) is not a therapy provider itself but rather a national nonprofit resource organization and online directory that connects people with Latinx mental health professionals. The organization also runs community programs, educational resources, and healing initiatives grounded in healing justice principles. It operates bilingually in English and Spanish.

The organization describes itself as "an offering of love for the migrant communities who have suffered over three decades of mandatory detention, the militarization of the Southern border, and the systematic and racist collusion of local law enforcement across the country with Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement." LTAN emerged in response to the documented mental health strain on immigrant rights organizers, frontline activists, and the communities they serve. The network dedicates its work particularly to undocumented organizers, activists, and movement leaders navigating immigration enforcement and its psychological toll.

What LTAN does

LTAN operates around four core functions. First and most directly relevant to someone seeking a therapist, the organization publishes a searchable directory of Latinx mental health professionals. The directory is meant as a resource for anyone who identifies as Latinx or has ancestral roots in Latin America, as well as anyone engaged in advancing the human rights and dignity of Latinx migrant communities. The site is clear that "the directory is a list of mental health professionals and not a recommendation or guarantee of quality service by LTAN." Readers are urged to research providers and consult directly before beginning services to ensure a good fit. The directory itself is free to access; there are no membership fees to search or contact providers.

Beyond the directory, LTAN runs several community-based programs. Healing Circles are structured dialogue sessions grounded in ancient indigenous healing traditions. These circles are designed to facilitate "honest sharing, deep listening, and community-building." LTAN trains participants to become healing circle keepers through three-day in-person programs led by experienced circle guardians. The organization's goal with healing circles is to build a network of trained keepers who can support community care within the migrant rights movement. Organizations interested in hosting a healing circle can request one by contacting LTAN directly.

Popular Education is the organization's political development track. This training program, designed specifically for LTAN members and mental health professionals, teaches "the political development of LTAN members" and covers "cultures of resistance across African-descendant and indigenous nations" and the history of European colonialism in Latin America. Later sessions address "the roots of racial capitalism" and "the economic and political systems that impact immigration in the U.S. and globally." Participants reflect on their own stories and the histories of their communities. The stated intent is to "organize mental health professionals who will actively support Latinx communities in the movement for migrant rights."

The Bienestar Program aims to directly support immigrant rights leaders and organizers facing trauma from the US immigration system. It is a system of community care designed to "build up the leader's capacity to address the trauma caused by the US immigration system on movement leaders and organizations." Bienestar offers individual emotional support through "pláticas" (conversations), mental health education, and resource referrals, delivered by trained LTAN members with mental health backgrounds. This is available to movement organizations and individuals.

Finally, LTAN produces Mental Health Education resources and workshops. These can be brought into organizations and communities in the form of "psychosocial popular education workshops" aimed at democratizing mental health resources and rooting them in community and informed by "the intersections of trauma, oppression, healing, and movement building." The organization offers in-person workshops, online workshops, curriculum-based learning, and training focused on collective learning and skill-building. These resources are available through request; organizations can contact LTAN to learn more.

Guiding principles

The organization publishes five guiding principles. It is Pro-Latinx, celebrating the diversity of Latinx community and culture while being pro-Black, pro-woman, pro-queer, pro-trans, pro-working class, pro-differently-abled, pro-indigenous, and pro-immigrant. The organization commits to providing culturally-grounded care.

LTAN centers Healing Justice, which the organization describes as "as much about our right to wellbeing as it is about building power" and honoring the cultural practices that have enabled Latinx communities to overcome oppression and build resilience through generations. The organization frames survival itself as resistance built on ancestral lineages that "survived centuries of attempted erasure, confinement, and redefinition."

Collective Liberation is integral to LTAN's mission: "Dismantling systems of oppression is integral to building a world in which we all feel free and can fully live in our purpose individually and collectively." The organization commits to strengthening social justice movements and organizations on the frontlines of struggles for dignity, wellbeing, and freedom for migrant peoples. It sees healing as a "critical part of collective liberation."

Self-Determination is another principle: the organization "respects each individual's right to make the best choices about their care" and recognizes that systemic oppression limits autonomy. It frames individuals as "the authors and arbiters of their own recovery," emphasizing therapy as "a labor of love and collaboration honoring agency, self-determination and safety."

Finally, LTAN is committed to Transforming Mental Health Care itself, recognizing that health and mental care systems have inflicted harm on Latinx communities "by reinforcing racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia." The organization practices what it calls "politicized care," which takes time to understand fundamental injustice as critical and demanding response.

Resources and support available

The organization provides several educational resources on its site. A Care Practices Guide explores the intersections of trauma, oppression, and well-being and is intended as a resource for mental health education. It includes practices individuals and teams can engage in collectively or individually with their community. The organization has published a podcast called "Floreciendo con Milli" that invites LTAN members to present healing modalities and engage listeners in practice. A webinar library on YouTube covers various mental health education topics.

The site also publishes content on specific topics relevant to migrant families, such as "How to Talk to Children About Immigration Status." This recognizes that immigration status and deportation risk are ongoing sources of family stress and trauma that require explicit, informed conversation.

What LTAN is not

LTAN is explicit on its homepage: "We are NOT a service provider." It does not provide direct therapy, psychiatric services, or crisis support. It is a resource directory, a training organization, and a community healing and organizing network. If someone needs immediate crisis support, LTAN directs visitors to crisis resources elsewhere but does not itself offer mental health treatment.

Additionally, the network does not guarantee the quality of any provider in its directory. It curates a list of Latinx mental health professionals but does not conduct background checks, verify credentials, or endorse any individual's practice. That responsibility falls entirely to the person seeking a therapist to research and consult directly.

Who it fits

This resource fits people who identify as Latinx or have ancestral roots in Latin America and are seeking a mental health provider from their own community. It fits people engaged in migrant rights work or social justice organizing who want access to political education alongside healing practices. It fits community organizations interested in bringing mental health education into their work or hosting healing circles. It fits organizers and activists experiencing burnout or trauma related to immigration enforcement and social justice work.

It does not fit someone seeking immediate crisis support or psychiatric medication. It does not fit someone outside the US (the resources and directory are US-focused). It does not fit someone wanting to pay directly for therapy: LTAN points you to therapists, but the actual services are between you and the provider you select from the directory.