12 Ways to Cope With Your Latina Mom & Her Difficulties: a guided journal

As a Psychotherapist raised and still living in the diverse mega-city that is NYC, I have helped hundreds of folks from all races, ethnicities, and cultures cope with their distressing feelings and thoughts about their mothers. However, what makes me especially inclined to write about the nuanced difficulties of Latina mothers is my experience in facilitating groups with Latinx individuals (a gender-neutral term for Latinas and Latinos) struggling with their mothers. Being involved in these groups has clarified the similar and overarching grievances that many Latinx folks experience. I intend to help you explore the psychological consequences of having a mother with difficult behaviors. I will guide you in setting boundaries and acting towards self-validation and self-protection. I also want to help you remother (or reparent) yourself and your inner child—to help you build your self-compassion. By building a better relationship with yourself, I want to assist you in creating better relationships with others: whether it’s with your mother, friends, romantic partner, or as a parent! Lastly, I will guide you in exploring the burden and gift of ending your family’s intergenerational trauma through the practices in this book. Regarding the title of this project: I do not want to promote a false narrative that Latina moms are inherently “”difficult”” or all the same. Hence, I describe some of their behaviors and personality traits as “”difficult,”” not who they are. I dedicate this guide to my Latinx community! Jasmine Cepeda is a Latinx psychotherapist working in private practice in Brooklyn. You can contact her through betternowtherapy.org or social media @betternowtherapy. —- ISBN: 9781704366791