Spanish for Therapist Institute

Join us in Waikiki, Hawaii this September!

This immersive, full-day training is designed to equip healthcare professionals, mental health providers, and educators with the cultural knowledge and practical tools needed to deliver more effective, respectful, and equitable services to Latino individuals, families, and communities. Held in the vibrant setting of Waikiki, Hawaiʻi, the program brings together interdisciplinary professionals for a collaborative learning experience grounded in real-world application.
More information:
Letstalkabouttherapy.org

Spanishforprofessionalsinstitute.com

Fundamentalbalance.org

Congratulations to our winner for the CE Study Abroad in Cancun.

The winner is J Caldi!

You gave 24 hours to claim your prize!

*Price includes 3 CE Classes ( 9 CEs total).

All other participants will receive a special offer. Be on a lookout for an email.

We are currently seeking volunteers to support our nonprofit’s mission. If you or someone you know may be interested, we would greatly appreciate you sharing this opportunity. For more information or to get involved, please contact us at [email protected]

Spanish for Therapist is now part of Fundamental Balance, Inc. A Nonprofit 501(c)(3). We are fundraising to raise money for programs including a scholarship.

You can help by purchasing a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. It's a tax deduction for you, it helps many people benefit from the programs, and someone gets a sweet treat. Its a win, win, win!!!

🍩 Sweet Treat, Great Cause! 🍩
We’re selling Krispy Kreme e-gift cards for $15 — perfect for Valentine’s Day 💕

Support our fundraiser and treat yourself (or someone else!).
👉 Donate here: https://givebutter.com/s4o5Lk

Skills for Success Fundraiser By Fundamental Balance, Inc.

Feliz Navidad from Spanish for Therapist Institute.

They told us “Cholo” was an insult. What they never told us… is where it really came from. 🇲🇽🇺🇸

When people hear the word Cholo, they think they already know the story.
A look.
A stereotype.
A label they were taught to judge.

But the truth runs much deeper than the streets.

The word Cholo didn’t start with gangs or fashion trends.
It dates back centuries, appearing in records as early as the 1600s across Latin America—used to describe Indigenous and mixed-heritage people. Sometimes neutral. Sometimes weaponized.

And like many words tied to our people, it was meant to define us before we could define ourselves.

That changed in the 1940s–1970s.

Young Chicanos in the Southwest took that word and flipped it.

They created more than a style.
They created identity.

Cholo became:
• A continuation of Pachuco and Zoot Suit resistance
• A statement of neighborhood and family
• A way of saying “I exist, and I belong”

It wasn’t about clothes.
It wasn’t about crime.
It was about pride.

Over time, outsiders tried to reduce it to something negative.
But millions of Mexican-Americans know the truth:

The clothes don’t define the person.
The culture does.

Today, Cholo lives on as art, fashion, history, and memory.
A cultural expression that survived discrimination, evolved with generations, and refuses to disappear.

Because Cholo isn’t a trend.
It isn’t a stereotype.

It’s a story of roots, resilience, and identity.

And once you know the history…
you can never hear the word the same way again.

🇲🇽✨

Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr., father of the late Selena Quintanilla, has passed away at the age of 86. 🕊️

Long before Selena became a global icon, Abraham believed in her talent and worked tirelessly to help build her career. He wasn’t just a proud father — he was her manager, mentor, and the driving force behind Selena y Los Dinos from the very beginning.

He booked shows, organized rehearsals, handled the business, and prepared his children to succeed in an industry that was not always welcoming, especially for young Mexican American women in Tejano music. What started as a family band grew through years of sacrifice, discipline, and hard work.

As Selena’s fame grew, Abraham stayed closely involved, guiding her through the challenges of success while protecting her professionalism and image. Her ability to break barriers beyond Tejano music was rooted in the foundation built at home.

After Selena’s tragic passing in 1995, Abraham dedicated much of his life to preserving her legacy — protecting her music, her story, and her cultural impact for future generations.

Today, Selena is remembered as a legend. Behind that legacy was a father who gave everything to help his daughter shine and spent the rest of his life honoring her memory.

May Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. rest in peace.
His role in Selena’s journey will always be part of Mexican American and Latin music history. 🕊️💜

🌺🇲🇽 The Christmas Flower the World Forgot Was Born in Mexico

Every December, millions of homes glow with bright red poinsettias.
They fill shopping malls, churches, offices, family photos — almost everywhere.

But what very few people know is this:

🌺✨ That famous Christmas flower is originally Mexican.

Long before the world called it “poinsettia,”
long before it became a symbol of December holidays…

the Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica knew it as Cuetlaxóchitl,
a flower of beauty, meaning, and ceremony.

To the Mexica (Aztecs), this was not just a decoration.
They used it to:

✔ honor warriors
✔ create natural dyes
✔ prepare traditional remedies
✔ decorate temples and celebrations

Its red color symbolized life, renewal, and new beginnings.

When the Spanish arrived, the Cuetlaxóchitl didn’t disappear —
it simply found a new purpose.
Its vibrant red bracts began appearing on Christmas altars across New Spain.

🇲🇽➡️🌎 And eventually, Mexico shared it with the world.

In the 1800s, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico took the plant north.
From there, it spread, gained a new name — poinsettia —
and became a global Christmas icon.

But its roots?
Its history?
Its cultural heart?

❤️ All Mexican.

So the next time you see a red Christmas flower, remember this:

It didn’t come from a catalog.
It didn’t come from Europe or America.
It came from the ancient gardens of Mesoamerica,
from Indigenous knowledge,
from the land where it first bloomed.

Many people are surprised to learn that while the word Hispanic has ancient roots, its modern meaning in the United States was shaped—and officially created—by the U.S. government.

For centuries, Hispanicus was simply a Latin term referring to Hispania, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula (today’s Spain and Portugal). But in everyday life across Latin America, people identified by nationality—Mexican, Salvadoran, Dominican, etc.—not by a pan-ethnic label.

That changed in the 1970s.

Mexican American and other Latino civil rights activists pushed for better recognition, representation, and data collection. In response, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 94-311 in 1976, requiring federal agencies to gather information on Americans of Spanish-speaking origin.

A year later, in 1977, the Office of Management and Budget created a new official category:

👉 “Hispanic.”

This wasn’t a cultural term—it was a government statistical category, designed to group people with origins in Spanish-speaking countries for census and policy use.

Since then, the word has taken on a life of its own in U.S. society. But its history reminds us of something important:

✨ The label “Hispanic” didn’t come from our communities — it came from Washington.
✨ Our identities — Mexican, Chicano, Latino, Latine, Indigenous, Afro-Latino, etc. — have always been richer and more diverse than a single umbrella term.

Use whatever term feels right for you. Our stories are bigger than any label.

🇲🇽🧵 The Mexican Blanket That’s Been Saving Lives for 100+ Winters
Before polar fleece, before thermal quilts, before the famous tiger blankets…
there was one humble frazada that kept millions of Mexican families warm.

It’s called the tilma blanket — a tradition so old that its roots reach back to the Nahuatl word “tilmatli,” the same word used for the cloak of Juan Diego.

For more than a century, these blankets have been part of everyday life in Mexico.
They wrapped children on cold mornings.
They warmed workers at dawn.
They were given out during storms, freezes, and emergencies… especially to families who had little.

But here’s the part nobody talks about:

🧵 The tilma blanket is now endangered.
Modern synthetic blankets are replacing it, and many of the small workshops that once produced these frazadas are disappearing.

Only a few textile communities — especially in Tlaxcala, home of traditional weaving — still keep the tradition alive.
Factories like Castelog, La Luz, and Amltextil continue producing them, some even making fire-retardant versions to protect workers and families.

And yet… despite everything, the tilma blanket remains the same:
simple, tough, scratchy, affordable — and full of history.

Ask any Mexican what memories these blankets bring back, and you’ll hear the same thing:

“Mi abuela tenía una.”
“La sacábamos cada invierno.”
“Con eso nos tapaban cuando hacía un frío que calaba.”

It isn’t just a blanket.
It’s a piece of Mexican identity woven into fabric.