Freddy Potoy Rosales
Alicia Sewald-Cisneros arrived in Pittsburgh as an educator and dedicated two decades to teaching. Years later, a personal therapeutic experience led her to study Psychology and discover a new vocation that would eventually become Ayúdate, an organization that works to expand access to mental health services in Spanish for the Hispanic community in PA.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she completed part of her education in the United States before returning to her country to study Education at university. Later, she returned to Pittsburgh thanks to a job opportunity as a Spanish teacher.
“I fell in love with being a teacher, I fell in love with my husband, and I stayed,” she shares. She returned to university at the age of 47 and obtained a master’s degree in Psychology. “That’s where something amazing was born that I had no idea was inside me,” she shares.
The experience that opened her heart
In her first job as a psychologist, Sewald-Cisneros worked with migrant minors who crossed the border unaccompanied.
“Those children opened my heart in a way that will never close again,” she confesses.
Upon observing the difficulties families faced during their adaptation process, she initiated a teletherapy program to provide psychological support to those who could not access in-person services. With the arrival of the pandemic, the demand for Spanish-speaking care increased, leading her to realize that she needed to create a broader structure to meet that need, and thus Ayúdate was born, focused on the Hispanic community in PA.
The idea took shape between 2021 and 2022 while participating in UpPrize. Out of the 60 organizations, Ayúdate was selected among the 10 finalists, which confirmed the feasibility of the proposal. The organization began operating in August 2022 with a pilot program consisting of 11 people and 11 volunteer therapists. “We started with $10K that a member of the executive committee gave us, a seed that has grown for the common good,” she shares.
“The city of Pittsburgh is my home. Both personally and professionally. Regarding Ayúdate, we have received financial support from various local private foundations, and the team that is part of Ayúdate, such as Luz Pifano, Jannette Castro, and the members of the executive committee, has been and is essential. It is an honor to work with them.”
Currently, Ayúdate operates entirely virtually and has served around 350 people, conducted over 2700 therapeutic sessions thanks to the collaboration of more than 40 therapists, and offered around 15 psychoeducational workshops. Most of its users come from Venezuela and Mexico, followed by immigrants from Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Perú, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua.
Building bridges for the community
“Collaboration is one of our principles and values. We build bridges for access to mental health in Spanish with Outside the Borders, Latino Community Center, The Salvation Army, Maya Organization, Trying Together, Health and Education Alliance, and recently with Frontline Dignity”, says Sewald-Cisneros.
She explained that many of these organizations address social, educational, or community needs, while Ayúdate complements those efforts by providing mental health support. Faced with the challenges that those arriving in the United States under adverse conditions encounter, Sewald-Cisneros emphasized the importance of finding their own “support circle.” Also to learn the language and actively integrate into the society that welcomes them.
“Living as an immigrant is difficult, it takes time, work, and patience, especially in these times,” she concludes.
