What is the Bienvenido Program?

Theoretical Base

The Bienvenido curriculum is a strengths-based educational curriculum to enhance awareness of mental health, clarify a participant’s personal goals for an enhanced quality of life, and develop skills to reduce risk for emotional and behavioral risks associated with mental distress. The Bienvenido curriculum is appropriate for use in various community settings, including behavioral service settings, schools, and outpatient mental health centers. 

The Bienvenido curriculum is based on an expectation of short, intermediate and long term outcomes that reflect greater sense of empowerment.  The healing elements for this model are based on three premises:

1. Educate participants about mental health and enhanced quality of life introduces the potential of hope for a better standard of living;
2. Use a group format for presentation of information and group discussion creates a supportive peer network;
3. Increased community integration and social status will follow greater awareness of behavioral risks and assets.

Curriculum Content

Each module of the nine week Bienvenido curriculum provides information about topics related to development and sustenance of mental health and enhanced quality of life.  Modules are ordered to first introduce participants to potentially new knowledge about mental health, clarify their understanding of risk and protective factors associated with mental health and quality of life, and develop skills to enhance effective social functioning and community integration.  Participants are encouraged to engage in volunteer work in their community.

Participants are encouraged to describe their immigration experience and group discussion provides acknowledgement and support.  Application to daily functioning is addressed by providing home assignments that move the participant to better mental health awareness and engagement with others regarding their emotional well-being.

Training Philosophy

1. The Facilitator Training in the Bienvenido Program is based on the experimental rather than the didactic process.  It is envisioned that the facilitator learns how to incorporate his or her own style in facilitating the classes.  By designing group and individual exercises, an attempt has been made to incorporate different ways of facilitating the course.
2. The Facilitator Training in the Bienvenido curriculum is committed to promoting the empowerment of individuals interested in helping the community. Training provided to them is directed toward facilitating the learning process and implementation in the community.
3. The Facilitator Training in the Bienvenido curriculum is committed to promoting prevention education in the area of mental health. The facilitator is asked to expand his knowledge and be motivated.

Training characteristics

A.    The facilitator will receive a training that is based on the empowerment model. The model is based on the premise that human beings have the ability to effect social change, personal and political change that meet the needs of other human beings (Gutiérrez, Parsons, Cox).

B.    The training will be offered via internet as a Webinar. Eight sessions lasting two hours will be offered. The facilitators will meet weekly for eight weeks of training.

C.    The training for facilitators of the Bienvenido Program has the purpose of preparing leaders of the community and mental health professionals in the Bienvenido curriculum.

D.    The facilitator is required to participate in a 16 hour training offered by Northeastern Center before implementing the Bienvenido Program.

E.    Each facilitator is required to receive continuing education after having participated in the initial training.

F.    The facilitator is not trained to train other facilitators. He or she facilitates a group.