Brazilian Mental Health, Immigration Stress & Culturally Competent Therapy with Lidiana Cartolano, LMHC (Bilingual Portuguese Therapist in Florida)

In this episode of The Holistic Counselor Podcast, host Diana S. Rice, LMHC, CIMHP, CTP, QS sits down with Lidiana Cartolano, LMHC, M.Ed.—a bilingual Portuguese/English therapist and founder of VIVA Psychotherapy in Boca Raton, Florida.

Together, they discuss the unique mental health challenges faced by Brazilians and Portuguese-speaking immigrants, including immigration stress, family role pressures, cultural stigma, OCD, and faith-based misunderstandings. Lidiana also shares practical tools such as TF-CBT, play therapy, sandtray, and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR).

This conversation also highlights the Brazilian Mental Health Professionals Collective (BMHP)—the first organized network of its kind in the U.S., designed to increase access to culturally sensitive mental health providers who serve the Brazilian community.

As the year comes to a close, this episode invites you to reflect on the importance of community, culture, and connection in your own mental health journey.

Featured Quotes

"If God gives us doctors to heal our bodies, He also gives us therapists to heal our minds." — Lidiana Cartolano, LMHC

"A regulated parent can help regulate a child—but when the parent is dysregulated, that's often an unhealed part of themselves showing up." — Diana S. Rice, LMHC

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Brazilian Mental Health Professionals Collective (BMHP): www.bmhp.org

• VIVA Psychotherapy (Lidiana's practice): www.vivapsychotherapy.com

• Conexão Presente (Portuguese MBSR / Mindfulness playlist): YouTube Playlist

• The Holistic Counselor Podcast (Diana's podcast website): www.throughthevalleytherapy.com

• Book Mentioned: When Narcissism Comes to Church by Chuck DeGroat

Episode Chapters

0:00 — Intro, year-end reflection, review/share CTA 2:30 — Lidiana's journey: Psychologist in Brazil → LMHC in the U.S. 10:00 — Immigration stress: breadwinner pressure, family role shifts, burnout 13:30 — Second-generation struggles: bullying, perfectionism, OCD 21:30 — Family systems in therapy: play therapy & sandtray 31:00 — Cultural fit: language, spirituality, warmth in the therapy room 36:00 — Tools & modalities: TF-CBT, MBSR, play therapy, sandtray 54:00 — Brazilian Mental Health Professionals Collective (BMHP) 1:05:00 — Portuguese closing message & resources 1:07:00 — Outro

Call to Action

If this episode encouraged you, please take a moment to rate & review the show and share it with a friend. Your support helps others—especially in Brazilian and Portuguese-speaking communities—find culturally aligned care and resources.

Diana S. Rice, LMHC, CIMHP, QS Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL #MH18034) Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional Qualified Supervisor for Registered Interns

Therapy Website: www.throughthevalleytherapy.com Consulting & Coaching: www.transformedmindcc.com Podcast: The Holistic Counselor Podcast Blog: Liberation Lunes

Instagram: @throughthevalleytherapy @theholisticcounselorpodcast