About two years ago, when coronavirus cases began to peak in her impoverished San Antonio neighborhood, the Rev. Norma Fuentes-Quintero found herself taking on an additional duty — helping congregants deal with anxiety. The pastor, who leads El Templo Cristiano Assembly of God, which is largely Latino, has spent hours with one congregant in particular […]
Mental health program helps AAPI youth
March 31, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Last November, Changing Tides created CT Stream, a free Little Tokyo Service Center therapy program aimed at providing assistance for Asian American and Pacific Islander youth experiencing mental health issues. The program, located in Los Angeles, provides six to 10 therapy sessions per participant. The Changing Tides program was established in 2018. “As we’ve grown and as […]
Let your mental health ‘Shine’
January 6, 2022 by Leave a Comment
While working at DoSomething, a New York-based nonprofit for young people trying to create positive change, Naomi Hirabayashi met Marah Lidey, whose friendship and daily support blossomed. This inspired them to launch and co-found Shine, a self-care nonprofit, in 2016. In 2014 Shine created a prototype for 50 people. Later in 2016, it became a […]
The shadow pandemic: Teen suicides and depression rates spike, with few resources for help
December 23, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Teen suicide and depression rates amid the pandemic are as alarming as deaths from Covid-19, but few mental health resources are available to address this shadow pandemic, especially within communities of color. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Asian American children between the ages of 15 and 24. Black children between the ages […]
Let’s Talk … About therapy
October 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment
People sometimes ask, “How do I know I need therapy?” “How do I find a therapist that will truly understand me?” There are certainly long and detailed answers to these questions, but here are some condensed thoughts that may be helpful in answering these questions. Generally, when a person is feeling that life is not […]
Let’s talk … About secondary trauma
October 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
If you haven’t been following the news lately, you probably have smelled the smoke and noticed the ash dust on your car window. The catastrophic fires in California’s North Bay brought tragedy to our back door. We in the U.S. have recently experienced repeated natural and man-made disasters. If you were fortunate enough to not […]
Let’s Talk: About unfinished business
January 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
A young man once told me about the time his father was facing a terminal illness. He had gathered his sons together before his last days to apologize for having been neglectful and abusive. At the time, the adult son felt relieved to finally hear his father take responsibility for the way he had treated […]
A psychological lifeline for Asian American teens
October 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
On a cold, clear Sunday evening in March, Hung Wei sits in the living room of her home in Cupertino, a prosperous Silicon Valley suburb, surrounded by a dozen high school students. The teens, almost all Asian American, gather around a circular glass coffee table graced with brightly colored figurines. Two girls of Indian descent […]
Campaign counters depression stigma among Asian Americans
May 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
So you’re Asian American and you’re depressed. You suffer from insomnia and stomachache – symptoms frequently associated with depression. But heaven forbid you want to seek the help of a mental health caregiver. As a member of the “model minority” community in the United States, would that not diminish your standing in the eyes of […]
A hidden tragedy — mental illness and suicide among Asian Americans
What do Jiwon Lee, Kevin Lee, and Andrew Sun have in common? Sadly, they are three Asian American college students who killed themselves in high profile cases in April at prestigious universities. Kevin Lee, (no relation to Jiwon), a sophomore at Boston University studying biomedical engineering was found dead in his dorm room. Andrew Sun, […]