BY: TONY TAGLAVORE

Sure, Linda Felix learned about depression while studying for her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychology.

But the biggest lesson about mental health came from the book of life. 

Felix’s life.

“When I went through my divorce, I went through a really bad depression,” Felix remembers. “The culture and the system—and a different country—made it a little bit worse. I was so scared to look for resources in my language. It was hard. I received mental health services, but they were in English. I was in counseling for almost a year and a half. It was an amazing counselor who guided me through my process, but it was clear—the difference in culture—sometimes made the journey hard for me and my counselor. I know she was trying to help me with all her heart, but it was clear that there were some things that caused me to I feel so alone and misunderstood. It was just the culture—not that she couldn’t grasp what I was going through.

When Felix was 18, she moved to the United States from Zacatecas, Mexico. Her parents had divorced, and Felix’s mother had family in Longview, Texas.  It wasn’t long after arriving in the U.S. that Felix married—a marriage which didn’t last, but did bear three children.

“I didn’t (know) the language at all,” Felix said. “The culture shock was pretty hard. I was already 18—trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Being of a different culture, a different language, a different country—everything was new. It wasn’t that I decided to move. Life happened, and I was here.”

Going to college in Guadalajara for a year, Felix wanted to continue her higher education in the U.S. 

“I was so scared because of the language barrier,” Felix said. “I knew I was capable of doing it, but I wasn’t familiar with the educational system. I was scared of the unknown. It was very intimidating.

Soon, being a stay-at-home mom and raising her children took priority. But there was still that want to return to school.

“Don’t get me wrong. I loved my kids, and I was happy. But I always had that desire to go back to college and continue my education. It was in my heart.”

So, when Felix became single, she became a student—first, at Kilgore College, then at The University of Texas at Tyler. The first one in her family to graduate college in the U.S., Felix is now in private practice in Longview—VIVE Mental Health Coaching—as a mental health provider. But for Felix, her work is more than a job. It’s more than a source of income. It’s a calling—to help other Latinos who are going through some of what she went through.

“The Latino community has a higher rate of depression and anxiety than the Anglo community and the African-American community, just because they live under constant stress,” Felix explained. “Discrimination, a language barrier, systemic racism. I’m not going to say it’s everywhere you go, but it’s there. It’s something that community lives every day. Just because of how you look—how you speak. It doesn’t mean you’re stupid. It means that (English) is not your first language. It doesn’t disqualify you or make you less than another person. It’s just that you’re not in your country. It takes a really heavy toll on mental health.”

Felix says part of that toll stems from who has been left behind.

“The Latino community is very family-oriented. When they immigrate to the United States, they leave friends and family. Most of them leave behind wives and kids…Sometimes the lack of information, or not being familiar with how the system works here, makes them vulnerable for people to take advantage of them.”

One of the problems in helping Latinos with their mental health is that many Latinos don’t ask for help. Felix is doing her part to change that.

“My main goal is to raise mental health awareness within our community,” she said. “Sadly, mental health is a topic that is very stigmatized within our culture…I’m trying to talk about it. Yes, it’s ok not to be ok. I’m trying to educate our community about what depression looks like. Sometimes people, to a certain extent, tend to normalize levels of depression. Just being there for them, telling them it’s not normal to just accept your situation. You can have a fulfilling life. Enjoy your day-to day.”

That’s a message Felix relates to her clients in one-on-one sessions.

“When I have a client, I want them to reconnect with themselves. Reconnect with their identity. Help them to get the best out of their life in this country—where they are…It’s not their culture, it’s not their first language. But they can still do whatever they want. They can connect with their purpose and passion in life. They can start building a business or go to college. They can show our kids that regardless of being in a different country, they still can dream—and dream big—and be proud of who they are and where they come from.”

To learn more about Felix’s practice, you may email [email protected] or call 903-445-0814.