We Do
La Familia Counseling Center, Inc. (La Familia), is dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth and families in Sacramento County. With over 50 years of service, we provide multicultural counseling, outreach, and support to individuals and families facing challenges due to low income, systemic barriers, and adversity.
Our programs are designed to empower families, helping them overcome obstacles, build resilience, and achieve lasting success. We offer free services tailored to the unique needs of our diverse community, with bilingual staff available to ensure accessibility for all.
As a trusted resource, La Familia has been recognized at local, state, and national levels for the impactful work we do in fostering safer, healthier communities.
La Familia
La Familia Counseling Center’s unique service delivery model, Cultura deSalud (Culture of Health), has been at the heart of our work for over 45 years. Originally known as “The Enchilada Approach to Reawakening Therapy,” this visionary model was developed by our founders, Zaida Thormes Fernandez and Anita Ramos Barnes, as early as 1973. Long before cultural relevance became a national focus, they understood the critical need for mental health services rooted in community, culture, and lived experience.
Every La Familia program is developed within this culturally grounded framework, and our team is trained to live these values in their daily work—earning the trust of the communities we serve and building lasting relationships rooted in respect and understanding.
Cultura de Salud is more than a model—it’s a movement that continues to transform lives through culturally responsive, community-driven care.
Mission
To improve the quality of life for at-risk youth and families of diverse backgrounds by offering multicultural counseling, support, and outreach services and programs to help families to overcome adversity, to become empowered, and to succeed in their lives.
We are accountable for our actions and results. La Familia must be a good steward of the funds that are invested in the agency.
We believe the only way to be successful is to create lasting partnerships based on mutual respect.
We believe in inclusiveness. La Familia is committed to diversity within our staff and program delivery.
We care about the welfare of the families we serve and improving their quality of life. La Familia believes that caring helps to reduce the isolation and hopelessness that confronts so many in our communities.
We understand that there must be compassion for others and not be quick to judge. There are circumstances that create overwhelming barriers to individuals, and we must empower them with skills and resources to overcome those barriers.
We believe in the importance and value of family. We understand that families are very diverse and do not fit the traditional norm. We have worked hard to create a sense of family at La Familia through La Familia’s staff and program delivery system.
We believe in empowering individuals with skills and resources in order to become self-sufficient. We believe that individuals need to be empowered so they can impact policies that impact their lives and work with others to improve their community’s quality of life.
As a leader and catalyst for change, La Familia looks for strategies, approaches and models that can be utilized to solve community problems, enhance capacity building, are strength-based and promote self-sufficiency.
We understand that enthusiasm is contagious and it brings hope and opens up new exciting ways to see oneself and the world. Enthusiasm generates innovation and creativity.
