Bi-Lingual BVM Counselor Travels the Countryside

Bi-Lingual BVM Counselor Travels the Countryside
by Sara McAlpin, BVM

The New Iowans

In the 1990s, the Latino population grew by 153 percent to 83,000 out of a population of nearly 2.9 million (2000 census); 36 percent of foreign-born Iowans are from Latin America.

By far the largest number of these — 74 percent — came from Mexico, and most of these are from a few states in west central Mexico.

Eileen McGovern’s car becomes her
office as she travels northeast Iowa.

Imagine yourself with a serious problem which requires professional counseling in order to reach some kind of solution that will allow you to live your life more fully and freely.

And then imagine that you are in a situation in which the only counselor available does not speak your language; in order to communicate your personal concerns and needs you must explain them to the counselor through an interpreter.

The difficulties and challenges are obvious, yet they are precisely those faced by many people in this country who do not speak English.

In an effort to make needed counseling more readily and easily available to Hispanics in the area, Eileen McGovern, BVM (James Leone) was employed by Catholic Charities four years ago as Counselor for Hispanics in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. “I jumped at this opportunity,” says Eileen, “because of my love for the Hispanic people and the chance to work with them.”

Retired from a 15-year position as therapist in the Dubuque County Mental Health Center and fluent in Spanish after ministering in South America for six years in the 1960s (see pp.4–5), Eileen is fully experienced and well prepared for her part-time ministry in the diocese.

In this role she counsels clients throughout the Dubuque archdiocese which encompasses 30 counties. She sees people in Dubuque and also travels to five other Hispanic pastoral ministry centers in the archdiocese: Cedar Rapids, Hampton, Marshalltown, Postville and Waterloo. In addition, she has a counseling space in several other towns which do not have an official Hispanic center.

Most of her clients, many of whom are employed in various food-processing plants in the area, are referred to her by ministers to Hispanics in the archdiocese, though some find her because of word-of-mouth publicity or as a result of presentations she has given in parishes or from announcements in church bulletins.

Approximately 90% of the clients are adults, since most children have their needs addressed by school counselors. Occasionally, however, personnel in the schools recommend a child to Eileen for assistance.

As in the general public, says Eileen, there are both male and female clients with a few more in the latter category since “women are more inclined to seek out help.”

With this service, each client has a typical “50-minute-hour” conference with Eileen in a professional, completely private environment. No translator is present to inhibit the client from expressing herself or himself about personal matters to a caring listener in a familiar language. Problems which arise in counseling sessions include depression, tension with a spouse, parent-child differences and other relationship issues.

Eileen visits each location every three weeks and sees clients in each place as needed. If any emergency arises, people know they can contact her by telephone for assistance.

In her position Eileen is part of a larger ministry network serving Hispanics throughout the archdiocese. Members of the network meet bi-monthly to share common concerns and to determine how the needs of Hispanics in northeast Iowa might be met more effectively.

Eileen’s expertise in this collaborative ministry provides a much needed outreach service to the Hispanics of the Dubuque archdiocese, insuring that they will be treated consistently with respect and privacy when they come to her with personal problems requiring professional assistance.

Most importantly, Hispanic people are assured that they can share their needs in a one-to-one conference without a third party acting as interpreter.

About the author: Sara McAlpin, BVM (Philip Mary) is archivist at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, and a member of the Communications Advisory Committee.