Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe History of Cuento TherapyThe Efficacy of Cuento TherapyTechniques of Cuento TherapyPopular Stories in Cuento TherapyBooks Selected for Use in Cuento TherapyThe Benefits of Cuento TherapyNext in The Other Side of Stigma GuideMental Illness Doesn’t Discriminate, and Neither Should We

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

The History of Cuento Therapy

The Efficacy of Cuento Therapy

Techniques of Cuento Therapy

Popular Stories in Cuento Therapy

Books Selected for Use in Cuento Therapy

The Benefits of Cuento Therapy

Next in The Other Side of Stigma Guide

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Cuento therapy is a culturally sensitive modality used in psychotherapy where folktales (aka “cuentos”) are used as a device to relate to a patient’s cultural background with the goal of improving their self-esteem, sense of self, issues with acculturation (i.e., the process of adapting to a new culture)and, in some research, how well they do in school.

Cuento therapy has a very straightforward, yet modifiable formula—use culture-based stories to help patients improve their overall well-being.

This article covers the origins of cuento therapy, its techniques, and how patients benefit from this kind of therapy.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Shedding Light on Mental Health in the Latino Community

Constantino hypothesized that if a Puerto Rican mother were to read her children folktales from their culture, it could improve the child’s overall sense of well-being.

Roleplay as a Staple in Cuento TherapyThe methodology would utilize role-playing techniques, where the mother would read the stories to their child in both English and Spanish, then role-play a character in the story with their child.

Roleplay as a Staple in Cuento Therapy

The methodology would utilize role-playing techniques, where the mother would read the stories to their child in both English and Spanish, then role-play a character in the story with their child.

Constantino spent seven years on his research and, in 1985, went on to publish his findings alongside fellow Fordham University psychologists Robert G. Malgady and Lloyd H. Rogler in “Cuento Therapy: Folktales as a Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy for Puerto Rican Children.”

This Research Was the First of Its KindPublished with help from Fordham and the Hispanic Research Center, this was the first time that a culturally competent therapy program using evidence-based therapy for Latinx children was published in the United States.

This Research Was the First of Its Kind

Published with help from Fordham and the Hispanic Research Center, this was the first time that a culturally competent therapy program using evidence-based therapy for Latinx children was published in the United States.

In their research, Constantino’s team found that cuento therapy was helpful in reducinganxietyandaggression, increased pride in children’s culture of origin, and increased skills relating to social judgment.

Although not a popular form of psychotherapy in the United States, cuento therapy has been further studied in other Latinx groups with similar positive results.

In 2009, a study titled “The Effects of Cuento Therapy on Reading Achievement and Psychological Outcomes of Mexican-American Students” was published.This study utilized similar tactics to Constantino’s research but replaced a mother reading to the children with one of the psychologists (Flores-Torres) reading stories from the Mexican culture alongside the children in both English and Spanish.

Flores-Torres conducted the reading androleplayingpart of the study with 58 third-grade Mexican-American students to evaluate whether or not cuento therapy could be an effective intervention on a child’s self-esteem and state test performance.

Successful ResultsIn the end, the results were positive. Significant progress had been made in how the students performed on the reading portion of a state-given standardized test. The students also showed improvement in self-esteem and anxiety-related issues.

Successful Results

In the end, the results were positive. Significant progress had been made in how the students performed on the reading portion of a state-given standardized test. The students also showed improvement in self-esteem and anxiety-related issues.

How Cuento Therapy WorksChoose a story from the patient’s culture of origin: Therapists and patients will identify stories that could help them improve in certain facets of their life. Stories must be from the patient’s culture of origin and the therapist will read them alongside the patient.Role-play the characters from the story: The therapist and patient will role-play the character throughout the text after having read it all the way through together.Employ cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques: The therapist and patient will discuss the story and how it relates to the patient usingcognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) techniques to answer questions or navigate emotions that may come up throughout the exercise. CBT involves identifying and changing negative or harmful thought patterns.

How Cuento Therapy Works

Choose a story from the patient’s culture of origin: Therapists and patients will identify stories that could help them improve in certain facets of their life. Stories must be from the patient’s culture of origin and the therapist will read them alongside the patient.Role-play the characters from the story: The therapist and patient will role-play the character throughout the text after having read it all the way through together.Employ cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques: The therapist and patient will discuss the story and how it relates to the patient usingcognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) techniques to answer questions or navigate emotions that may come up throughout the exercise. CBT involves identifying and changing negative or harmful thought patterns.

In Central Texas,Alyx Sueitko Delgado Garcia, LPC-Assoc, a person-centered therapist and holistic healer, uses a narrative therapy technique similar to cuento therapy in their practiceInah Wellness. As anIndigenousTotopec Latinx raised on the land that is Southern Mexico, Sueitko Delgado Garcia finds success using culturally relevant storytelling with clients of Indigenous and/or immigrant backgrounds.

“Sometimes I modernize it [narrative therapy] for the modern Indigenous person or disconnected Natives or other folks who don’t fit those parameters,” Suietko Delgado Garcia says. “I ask people: who is your favorite character and why? How are you the same? How are you different? Of the things that are different, which of those would you like to embody? Let’s figure out how to get there.”

What Is Cross-Cultural Psychology?

Suietko Delgado Garcia has found, through their practice, that certain themes are common across cultures, and are therefore good stories to use with many different clients participating in cuento therapy.

The Origin of the Sun and the Moon

The story Suietko Delgado Garcia finds most relevant across cultures is the origin story of the sun and the moon, since many cultures across the globe have their own version.

The story is adaptable and contains central themes that can be used tonavigate issues with identity, especially for folks who are disconnected from their culture or are struggling with having moved from one country to another.

“That story no matter how it’s said or in what culture [it stems from] that message always tells a story of identity, connection, finding [the] light within yourself or in [your] community, and also this idea that we can coexist together,” Sueitko Delgado Garcia explains.

Creation Stories

Sueitko Delgado Garcia also finds success with using creation stories (i.e. stories about how the world came to be) in their practice because people have the desire to understand their roots.

“Creation stories have a big importance for people because it gives them back this narrative that ‘hey: you are from somewhere and you are just as important as this story seems to be. You just need to find [out] what your creation story is if you don’t already know.'”

In the more traditional practice of cuento therapy, specific books would be used.

In the study discussed earlier about Mexican-American students,the researchers specifically used stories fromPiñata Books, a publishing house within the University of Houston’s Arte Público Press.

Some of the books used in the study were:

How Narrative Therapy Works

Across studies and in private practice, cuento therapy has proven to help people of all ages with theirself-esteemandanxietylevels.

It is a beneficial form of aculturally-sensitivetherapy modality for those who are struggling with the above as well as with acculturation. It can even benefit children who are having problems with state-standardized tests, specifically those for whom reading is a challenge.

For those who might be struggling with the cultural shift that comes with moving to a new country and feeling disconnected from their parent culture, or for first- or second-generation offspring who straddle the line between their multicultural identities, cuento therapy can be a successful, culturally-sensitive intervention.

“Can books from other countries be used? Absolutely they can, “ Flores-Torres says. “As long as you use books and literature that belong to that specific cultural group, that should be safe.”

Although cuento therapy originates in research serving the Latinx community, the techniques used can be adapted to serve folks from other cultures who are experiencing various mental health conditions.

How Storytelling Is Good for Your Mental Health

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Acculturation.Constantino G, Malady RG, Rogler LH.Cuento Therapy: Folktales as a Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy for Puerto Rican Children. 1985.Ramirez SZ, Sachin J, Flores-Torres LL, Perez R, Ralph C.The effects of Cuento therapy on Reading Achievement and Psychological Outcomes of Mexican-American Students. 2009.Alvarez S.Culturally Affirming Latina/o Children’s Young Adult Literature.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Acculturation.Constantino G, Malady RG, Rogler LH.Cuento Therapy: Folktales as a Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy for Puerto Rican Children. 1985.Ramirez SZ, Sachin J, Flores-Torres LL, Perez R, Ralph C.The effects of Cuento therapy on Reading Achievement and Psychological Outcomes of Mexican-American Students. 2009.Alvarez S.Culturally Affirming Latina/o Children’s Young Adult Literature.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Acculturation.Constantino G, Malady RG, Rogler LH.Cuento Therapy: Folktales as a Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy for Puerto Rican Children. 1985.Ramirez SZ, Sachin J, Flores-Torres LL, Perez R, Ralph C.The effects of Cuento therapy on Reading Achievement and Psychological Outcomes of Mexican-American Students. 2009.Alvarez S.Culturally Affirming Latina/o Children’s Young Adult Literature.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Acculturation.

Constantino G, Malady RG, Rogler LH.Cuento Therapy: Folktales as a Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy for Puerto Rican Children. 1985.

Ramirez SZ, Sachin J, Flores-Torres LL, Perez R, Ralph C.The effects of Cuento therapy on Reading Achievement and Psychological Outcomes of Mexican-American Students. 2009.

Alvarez S.Culturally Affirming Latina/o Children’s Young Adult Literature.

Hannah Owens, LMSW

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