Asian and Asian-American Mental Health
Asians are not a monolith. Culturally competent therapy matters.
The term "Asian American" started in 1968, when students at UC Berkeley founded the Asian American Political Alliance. The group sought to unite students of Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino descent to fight for political and social recognition. "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders" (AAPI) is a term that has its roots in the 1980s and '90s, when the U.S. Census Bureau used the "Asian Pacific American" classification to group Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders together. Activists have critiqued both terms for asking differences in histories and needs among communities, as well as supporting the myth that Asian Americans are a monolithic group.
The acronym APIDA stands for Asian Pacific Islander Desi American, a pan-ethnic classification that intentionally includes South Asians (Desi) as part of the community. As a first-generation Vietnamese American therapist, I am eager to support and advocate for the APIDA community. I am comfortable creating a safe space, asking sensitive questions, and connecting themes to support your journey with your cultural identities and challenges. Because many of those who are either immigrants or children of immigrant parents face isolation, guilt, and experiences of loneliness, I would better relate and provide culturally clinical tools to decrease negative experiences and increase understanding of cultural or generational differences amongst individuals, couples, and families.
Challenging Familial Norms
It is a cultural norm to emphasize selflessness, sacrifice, and the needs of the familial unit. Many Asian cultures tend to prioritize the family's needs over individual desires. These patterns can lead to parents having more control over their children's choices, unhealthy expressions of tradition, and emotionally immature households that can feel suffocating. Topics of Discussion
Delayed Personal Development
Many Asian families hold the values of filial piety and have high expectations of younger generations to respect and give back to their elders. The patterns of consistent sacrifice of your life and needs can impede your own personal or emotional growth. This often influences negative cycles in how you may show up in your interpersonal or even professional relationships. Over time, individuals became dismissive of their own emotional experiences, with minimal skills to cope healthily with emotional discomfort and little action focused on their own needs or interests.Multicultural Differences & Diversity
Many of my clients are working professionals on an H-1B1 visa. Given that they are not American-born and raised, they face challenges of unique values, beliefs, and ways of life that increase stress in their acculturation process. This unique population may be pressured to be high achievers, coupled with the need to "fit in" and adapt to the US culture, while most of their support system is abroad. As the policate and economic atompshere changes rapidly, it is common for this population to experience increased stress.
The Model Minority Stereotype
The term "model minority" is most used to describe Asian Americans. It overgeneralizes the group seen as having attained educational and financial success relative to other immigrant groups due to silent sacrifices, striving, and a hardworking attitude. The "positive" stereotype also believes that Asians are immune to familial trauma, medical, or mental health issues. The term perpetuates a false narrative that is harmful for other communities of color, specifically African and Black Americans. Our Asian identity is not a weapon to put down other minorities.
Intergenerational & Unresolved Trauma
Asian communities face trauma such as diverse, dysfunctional interpersonal or familial conflict, colonialism, war, assimilation, racism, and discrimination. Because there is a high prevalence of underutilization of therapy services in Asian communities, many people are left undiagnosed or untreated. An example may be a parent who is highly anxious and risk-averse, leading them to coddle their children and inflicting their worries onto their children's independence, which is another form of not being able to let go of being a caretaker. Gentle Boundaries & Bridging Gaps
Many clients benefit from a safe, nonjudgmental space to explore their familial and personal experiences. There are often discussions relating to feelings of grief, boundary setting, and validation of childhood emotional neglect. What do we do after? You get to choose. To do so, it is essential to highlight your unspoken expectations, needs, and feelings. Although there are goals to reconcile and repair, taking actions without emotional safety or repercussions from others can be traumatizing.
To bridge gaps, clients start to accept things out of their control, allowing themselves to grieve their unmet needs and tend to themselves first. Individuals benefit from striking a delicate balance between highlighting their needs and maintaining appropriate familial relations.
Most of my clients are Asian American,” Michelle said. “We work through family of origin issues in our regional group. From generational trauma, anxiety, and depression, interpersonal conflicts, building self-acceptance, and self-awareness, to boundaries.”
She said her current client list is representative of “Asian American adults, working professionals, and women in transitional stages of their lives. I enjoy providing a safe and compassionate space for people to explore, accept, and heal burnout, anxiety, depression, and imposter syndrome.”
It all ties into Michelle’s original motivation, her love of learning about others and working with diverse communities to pursue social justice and culturally responsive mental health treatment.
Heard’s article: Michelle Vo & the Power of Taking Calculated Risks
Mental Health Stigma & the Taboo
Generations before us believed that an external factor causes mental health illness and issues, often spiritually related, that impact the harmony and harmful spirits. Modern-day stigmatization includes topics that are emotional or unpleasant. This decreased emotional availability as discussions are not to be explored and are often misunderstood. Many illnesses and emotional issues stay in the family because of problems of fear of judgment and concern for "losing face".Unspoken Challenges of Asian and Asian Americans
Cultural & Society Influences
The model minority myth simultaneously perpetuates the idea that Asian Americans must succeed and follow an expected mold, all while dismissing valid Asian American issues. These expectations are pervasive and internalized. Often leads to individuals rejecting and ignoring their own struggles in the actual lived experience due to racism. Individuals face thoughts and realize that peers “have done it before and have met success, I should be able to do it too”.Decreased Emotional Awareness & Coping or Regulation Skills
Many Asian Americans suffer alone due internalized pressure, anxieties, and shame. This leads to patterns of invalidating challenges in social, medical, and mental disturbances. Overall, leading to decrease in functioning, wellbeing, and ability to manage or acknowledge emotional challenges.
I resonate with the pressures of being Asian American and understand how my racial identity may face challenges in today’s society.
My goal as a therapist is not only to educate my APIDA (Asian American Pacific Islander Desi-American) clients but also to help them find empowerment in their emotional experiences, rich familial and cultural history, and cultivate a healthy lifestyle that can help them live a life in harmony with their own values.
