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Recording: The Whole Family Approach with Belisa Urbina, Ser Familia

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Recording: The Whole Family Approach with Belisa Urbina, Ser Familia

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A recording of the live event.

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Knowledge to Action Conversation recording of January's session.

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Uploaded with the permission of Belisa Urbina, Ser Familia.

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For more than 25 years, Belisa Urbina has been on a mission to break the stigma around mental health and ensure that Latino families have access to the support they need to thrive. She believes that strong, healthy families are the foundation of strong, healthy communities.

In 2001, she and her husband, Miguel, co-founded Ser Familia Inc., Georgia’s leading nonprofit providing culturally responsive family, social, and mental health services to the Latino community. As CEO of Ser Familia, she led the organization to earn national CARF accreditation and national recognition for its family-centered model from the American Psychiatric Association, SAMHSA, the American Public Health Association, among others.

Belisa has been celebrated as a Braves Community Hero, recipient of the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, honoree of the Georgia Women’s Legislative Caucus, and has received two congressional commendations. In 2024, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed her to the Commission on Equal Opportunity. She also serves on multiple national and state boards, including the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Mental Health and Voices for Georgia’s Children.

Belisa is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and the Regional Leadership Institute and remains a passionate advocate for strong families and equitable access to mental health services.

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Establishing relationships with other Executive Directors really champions for the success of the organization as a whole, with advice on human resources, fundraising, and even finance.

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Why Nonprofits Should Collaborate, Not Compete

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Kevin Holt talks about collaborating with other non-profits and community organizations from the funders perspective.

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What Funders Want: Real Collaboration in the Nonprofit Sector

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Instead of reinventing the wheel, it's essential to partner with other community organizations to ensure that real need turns into applications.

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Nonprofit Success  Why Community Collaboration Matters

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The National Research Center on Hispanic Families and Children highlights how Latinx families draw on cultural strengths like bilingualism, family support, and optimism to build resilience and promote well-being even in the face of adversity.

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Latinx Families’ Strengths and Resilience Contribute to Their Well-being - Hispanic Research Center

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Discover a brief that discusses Latinx families’ strengths, along with recommendations for programs, practice, and research.

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An older video by the University of Georgia, but one that still hits the mark in understanding Latino culture and values, emphasizing how culture shapes community, identity, and everyday life

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Latino Learning Modules: Latino Culture and Cultural Values

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This video by the State of Latino Early Childhood Development discusses the state of early childhood development in Latino communities and how trauma, access to early care, and systemic challenges affect young children’s growth.

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The State of Latino Early Childhood Development

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UT Health San Antonio reports that nearly 80% of Latino youth have experienced at least one traumatic childhood event and highlights the urgent need for culturally sensitive support and early interventions.

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Nearly 80 percent of Latino youth suffer childhood trauma - UT Health San Antonio

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Latino kids exposed to many traumas tend to have higher obesity rates, future health issues, anxiety, aggression and substance use; and lower language, literacy and math skills.

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A heartfelt account by Latino children of immigrant parents sharing their experiences of first-generation trauma, finding connection and support through community and social media.

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How Latinos Are Bonding Over First-Generation Trauma

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Leslie Gonzalez’s path to becoming a doctor was filled with overwhelming pressure, stress and anxiety. Classroom struggles, the challenge of juggling a part-time job and schoolwork — Gonzalez labeled herself a failure. And on top of that, she felt the... Read more >>

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This candid article by De Los explores how young Latinas are working to break the cycle of generational trauma and come into their own, even while fighting stereotypes and family expectations.

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Commentary: Latinas are breaking generational curses. So why are we seen as malcriadas?

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With the help of Latina therapists, first-generation women are laying down boundaries and addressing unhealthy family dynamics, but it can sometimes feel like thankless work.

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The Health Wellness in Latino Communities organization video shares hopeful and practical ways Latino families build resilience across generations by staying connected to culture, supporting one another, and leaning on their community.

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What Builds Resilience Against Intergenerational Trauma In Latino Families?

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One of the best shorts based on the realities of trauma faced by students from migrant families.

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Young Latinos talk about how their American experience has defined their identity, at a time when Latinos ages 18-34 are part of one of the largest and fastest-growing youth populations in the country.

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Defining Latino: Young People Talk Identity, Belonging | NBC Latino | NBC News

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Freda Ponce speaks at a TED Talk unpacking common misconceptions about Latinos and Hispanics, their history, and their lived experiences in the U.S.

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What Being Hispanic and Latinx Means in the United States | Fernanda Ponce | TEDxDeerfield

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Intergenerational Trauma in Latino Families

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Intergenerational Trauma in Latino Families

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Parenting Latino Children in the United States shares how past family experiences can affect Latino families today and offers simple, hopeful ways to talk, heal, and support each other across generations.

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How Does Intergenerational Trauma Affect Latino Families? - Parenting Latino Children in America

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This research focuses on trauma among Latino/Hispanic children and families and offers culturally-adapted treatment recommendations.

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This video highlights a former interview between Belisa Urbina and Dr. J. Pietro Aparicio.

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Spotlight interview video with Belisa M. Urbina, CEO Ser Familia

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Looking at the Trauma Connected to Mental Health

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Looking at the Trauma Connected to Mental Health

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Step Up for Mental Health discusses the obstacles associated with asking for help when facing mental health issues.

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Step Up For Mental Health - To Educate. Fight Causes. Change minds on Mental Health.

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Mental Health In The Latine Community and It’s Stigma - Step Up For Mental Health

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Many of my Hispanic friends who have mental health issues don’t get the help they need because their parents don’t believe that their symptoms are real. Mental Health in the Latine community is something they believe to be made up and that your mindset cannot impact your day-to-day life. “Los problemas mentales no son reales”

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In this article, the NIH examines how migration-related trauma and its stressors affect the mental health of Latino children and adolescents, identifying risk factors and highlighting the need for culturally responsive interventions.

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Download this tip sheet from Zero Abuse Project explaining how generational trauma in Latino communities, from childhood adversity to cultural stigma, impacts mental health across lifetimes and offering tools for healing rooted in cultural strength.

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At its heart, Ser Familia is a community-driven organization dedicated to helping Latino families move from crisis to thriving by offering preventive services and culturally-grounded support.

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Ser Familia was born from humble beginnings in 2001, with the desire to strengthen Latino couples and families in an effort to address the lack of resources for Latinos across the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

Noticing how couples were struggling with issues of conflict resolution and navigating married life while adapting to a new culture, Belisa and Miguel Urbina launched the first program in the state of Georgia to help Latino couples in March 2001.

Called " Taller de Parejas " (Couples Workshop), the program placed the couple as an essential part of society. As a result of witnessing the conflicts and challenges couples were facing, it became obvious that there was a need for additional programs that supported the family as a whole by taking a holistic approach.
2002-2012
In March 2002, " Escuela Para Padres " (Parenting School) was introduced to improve the parenting skills of Latinos. This program was developed with the assistance of Dr. Juan José Genovard, renowned psychologist and author of several parenting books.

In April 2005, Ser Familia celebrated its first youth workshop " Renovación Juvenil " to promote healthy life decisions among young Latinos in our community to prevent risky behavior in teens.

In 2012, Ser Familia adopted Georgia Latinos Against Domestic Violence. This program, founded by Michelle Toledo-Caiñas began as a task force to create a network for those who serve the Latino community, by providing support for providers and survivors of domestic violence.

In 2013, the organization started its Mental Health Services program in all of its locations, quickly becoming the premier and many times only provider of these services using a cultural and linguistically proficient lens targeted to Latinos in our region.
Ser Familia Today
Ser Familia currently has 5 offices. Many services are also offered through partners who allow the organization to expand its range. Services, programming, and reach have exploded to include every county in the Metro Atlanta area and beyond. Our programs are aimed at serving the entire family, including support groups, family workshops, and other educational programs. These programs include various evidence-based interventions that have been recognized on a national level, such as Strengthening Families, Triple-P (Positive Parenting Program), How to Avoid Falling for a Jerk, and A Nuestro Alcance.

Concerted efforts are made to meet the needs in those areas where our Latinos live and play. These efforts have included deeper, broader, and wrap-around services to meet struggling families and take them from a point of crisis to stability to flourishing in almost every life domain.

Ser Familia, Inc. also acts as a Cultural and Linguistic proficiency advisor for other organizations that wish to better serve the Latino community, both through cultural competence workshops and one-on-one consulting.

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Ser Familia’s mission is to offer preventive family services and equip Latinos with the tools, resources, and skills they need to move from crisis to thriving.