Culturally Responsive Counseling with Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders
Fulfills requirement: Diversity and Multicultural Issues
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) are among the fastest growing racial/ethnic groups in the United States and are expected to be the largest immigrant group by 2055. They include at least 40 distinct ethnic groups with their own histories, cultures, and languages.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, disparities between perceived mental health needs and utilization of services have widened, particularly among individuals with moderate to severe psychological distress, and there has been an escalation in race-based discrimination and violence. To better address the needs of AANHPI clients, mental health professionals are called to develop culturally-responsive treatments that (1) take into account their relevant values, beliefs, norms, languages, practices, and lived experiences and (2) reduce the risk of misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, and premature termination.
This advanced beginner/intermediate course was developed to provide mental health professionals with an in-depth opportunity to improve their understanding of the historical and cultural backgrounds that are specific to subgroups of AANHPIs and the common issues related to providing counseling and psychotherapy with clients. The course materials are drawn from two sources, available in both audio and written formats. The first source reviews the most up-to-date research and practice in culturally-responsive mental health treatment for AANHPIs, while the second source is an engaging interview with Helen Hsu, Psy.D., and Jan Estrellado, Ph.D.
The first section of the course reviews ways in which therapists can develop cultural competence and humility, and it provides guidelines for selecting measures and interventions. Next, it presents nuanced data related to the prevalence of mental illness and substance use, perceived need and utilization of mental health care, and cultural barriers and stigmas. The first section also addresses key themes in counseling and psychotherapy for AANHPI clients, mental health issues across the lifespan, and best practices.
In the second section of the course, Drs. Hsu and Estrellado address the diversity within the AANHPI cultures, the reasons for low rates of participation and high rates of dropout in professional mental health treatment, and best practices in working with common presenting problems in therapy. Drs. Hsu and Estrellado primarily focus on ways to confront the model minority myth, internalized racism, and intergenerational trauma. Although not officially part of the course, resources include: links to organizations that therapists may find helpful in their work with AANHPI clients.
Educational Objectives
This course will teach the participant to
- Discuss attitudes toward mental health treatment and barriers to care for AANHPIs.
- Explain individual factors to consider when working with AANHPI clients.
- Identify treatment approaches across the lifespan and for AANHPI males and females.
- Describe best practices in addressing common challenges, including the model minority myth, perpetual foreigner myth, internalized racism and intergenerational trauma.
Syllabus
Part One: Culturally Responsive Mental Health Treatment for AANHPI Clients
- Introduction
- U.S. Census data
- Disparities between perceived mental health needs and utilization of services
- Need for culturally-responsive treatment
- Defining culture, race, and ethnicity
- Developing cultural competence and humility
- Cultural competence versus cultural humility
- Attitudes and behaviors of culturally-responsive mental health professionals
- Steps toward culturally-responsive evaluation and treatment planning
- Guidelines for selecting measures and choosing and adapting interventions
- Prevalence of mental illness and substance use disorders among AANHPIs
- Need to disaggregate data on depression, suicidality, substance use
- Perceived need and utilization of mental health care among AANHPIs
- Barriers to utilization of mental health services and how to overcome them
- Beliefs and stigmas commonly found among AANHPI populations
- Intersectionality and assessment
- Country of origin
- Immigration, trauma, and citizenship status
- Language and communication
- Acculturation/assimilation
- Geographic location
- Family and gender roles
- Education and socioeconomic status
- Sexuality
- Religion and spirituality
- Disability status
- Useful assessment measures for AANHPI clients
- Outreach with AANHPIs
- Counseling and psychotherapy with AANHPI clients
- General issues in establishing rapport
- Choosing individual, family, and group therapy and mutual help groups
- Addressing key themes in counseling and psychotherapy with AANHPIs
- Model minority myth
- Perpetual foreigner stereotype and rise in race-based trauma since COVID-19 pandemic
- Intergenerational trauma
- Mental health issues across the lifespan
- Working with AANHPI females
- Working with AANHPI males
- Capitalizing upon individual, familial, and cultural strengths
Part Two: Interview with Helen Hsu, Psy.D., and Jan Estrellado, Ph.D.
- Terminology and diversity within the Asian populations
- Reasons for low participation rates in mental health treatment and high rates of dropout
- Cultural, geographic, language, and financial barriers
- Ruptures in therapeutic alliance due to therapist microaggressions and faulty assumptions
- How to support clients living authentically within the context of their cultural values
- Addressing internalized oppression and intergenerational trauma