Overcoming Digital Divides: Culturally Sensitive Telepsychology Interventions for the Mazahua Community

This presentation was part of the 6th Annual Mobile Mental Health Crisis Response Summit.

The term “Mazahua,” derived from Nahuatl, translates to “people of the deer” and pertains to an Indigenous community in the northwestern region of the Estado de Mexico and northern Michoacan, Mexico. Within the context of low- and middle-income countries, Indigenous populations, like the Mazahuas, often experience considerable marginalization and discrimination, resulting in significant barriers to opportunities in areas such as education, employment, and access to essential services, including quality healthcare. Consequently, mental health care within these communities is frequently limited, if not entirely absent, severely impairing their overall mental health and quality of life.  The Mazahua people face pronounced challenges in accessing mental health care, including a paucity of professional mental health support, the elevated stigma surrounding mental health issues, structural inequities, low mental health literacy, and a dearth of healthcare facilities and professionals in proximity to their communities.

To mitigate these barriers and address the inequities in mental health care, we developed and implemented a culturally sensitive telepsychology intervention designed explicitly for the Mazahua population. Initially, we explored virtual meetings via videoconference; however, this approach proved ineffective due to inadequate infrastructure, limited access to technology, and insufficient digital literacy among participants. In response to these challenges, we pivoted to remote mental health interventions delivered via telephone as our primary mode of communication, employing techniques from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (BACT). This revised approach was positively received by the Mazahua participants, resulting in enhanced adherence and interest, alongside significant behavioral and emotional improvements. Participants reported high satisfaction levels with the interventions, alongside observable improvements in psychological functioning and overall well-being.  These findings underscore the critical importance of designing and implementing culturally sensitive telepsychology interventions that are cognizant of the unique resources and characteristics intrinsic to the participants in low- and middle-income country contexts.  The primary objective of this conference is to present a preliminary telephone protocol for delivering mental health care services tailored to Indigenous populations in low- and middle-income countries, who confront extensive barriers, including deficiencies in digital skills, literacy, and access to resources.

Learning Objectives: Design and conduct telepsychology interventions for Indigenous communities in low- and middle-income countries. Learn how to apply a telephone protocol for delivering mental health care services tailored to Indigenous populations in low- and middle-income countries. Learn how to address the mental health characteristics of the Mazahuas.

Content Level: Innovation: Designed to highlight new learnings, strategies or lines of thinking.|Keynote: Of interest to all attendees. Content is especially motivational or thought-provoking.

Presenter: Juan Pablo Gonzalez Huizar, Graduate Student – Universidad Panamericana, and Susana Castaños-Cervantes, Chief of Psychology – Universidad Panamericana

Bio: Juan Pablo Gonzalez Huizar is a Clinical Psychology graduate student at Universidad Panamericana, building on his psychology degree with training in clinical-community psychology and culturally sensitive interventions. He designs context-driven mental health solutions for underserved communities, exemplified by his creation of a gamified educational program for children with kidney disease at a pediatric hospital. Committed to reducing barriers in crisis care, Juan Pablo strives to empower individuals through community-centered, culturally attuned strategies that bridge systemic gaps in mental health support.

Susana Castaños-Cervantes Clinical community psychologist, Cognitive-behavioral therapist, Cognitive-behavioral art therapist, Cognitive-behavioral play therapist, Specialist in children placed in residential care, mental health prevention, and culturally sensitive interventions. Has published several works addressing the mental health of vulnerable groups such as Springer’s book Working with vulnerable populations, Palgrave MacMillan’s book Assertiveness in the context of human rights, ethics, and classical virtues, and the book by Emerald Publishing Limited Assertiveness in the health domain, as well as scientific manuscripts.