MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Alfonso Mercado, Ph.D. 

Dear NLPA familia,

Our annual meeting is days away, and it is with deep gratitude and honor that I welcome you to this year’s conference of the National Latinx Psychological Association—held, powerfully and purposefully, here in this border community.

In a few days, we will gather on sacred land. Land that carries the stories of movement, of struggle, of hope, and of home. The border is not just a line on a map—it is a lived experience. For many, it is the threshold between trauma and opportunity, between fear and freedom, between displacement and resilience. And so, it is fitting that we will be here—en la frontera—to center our work, our science, and our healing 

Our theme this year—"Psychology at the Border: Mental Health, Resiliency, and the Immigrant Journey"—is not abstract. It is urgent. It is rooted in the realities that so many of our clients, our families, and even we as professionals, carry in our bodies and our histories. 

We know that borders shape minds. They impact development, identity, and belonging. The psychological toll of detention, family separation, and chronic uncertainty does not stop at the port of entry. It lives on in the hearts of children trying to sleep at night, in parents bearing impossible burdens, and in communities striving to hold onto culture and dignity in a system not built for them. Read more

ABOUT NLPA

The National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA) is a national organization of mental health professionals, academics, researchers, and students whose objective is to generate and advance psychological knowledge and foster its effective application for the benefit of the Latinx population.

NLPA roots go back as far as the 1970s, but the organization formally reorganized in 2002 and incorporated in Arizona, where its first national conference was held in 2004. Many of its professional, early career, graduate and undergraduate student members work in cities, rural areas, communities, hospitals, clinics, and universities across the USA. Read more.

NLPA JOB BOARD

Whether your organization is looking to reach Latinx professional job seekers, or you are personally looking for the position you have been waiting for, NLPA welcomes you to experience our new Job Board. Find or post a position in just minutes.

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