RUHEALS

AAPI

 

How To Seek Culturally Competent Care

Culturally competent providers understand each person’s values, experiences and personal beliefs, and strive to provide services that support their goals and are aligned with their cultural values. When a person is struggling with their mental health, it is essential to receive quality and culturally competent care in order to improve outcomes.

Given the vast diversity of AAPI groups, culturally competent providers for these communities often show a strong desire to establish a trust-based therapeutic relationship with the individuals they are treating through effective listening and willingness to learn. They may understand and work with individuals to address concerns over medication, such as fear of side effects. A culturally competent provider may also demonstrate knowledge and acknowledgement of “cultural bound syndromes,” such as:

• “Hwa-byung” – Korean syndrome similar to DSM-5 major depression

• “Taijin kyofyusho” – Japanese disorder similar to DSM-5 social phobia

• “Shenjing shuairuo” – Chinese term for neurasthenia

While we recommend seeking help from a mental health professional, a primary care professional can be a great place to start for an initial assessment or to get a referral for a recommended mental health professional.

When meeting with a provider, ask questions to get a sense of their level of cultural sensitivity. Providers expect and welcome questions from their patients since this helps them better understand what is important in their treatment. Here are some questions to ask:

• Have you treated other AAPI people?

• Have you received training in cultural competence or on AAPI mental health?

• How do you see our cultural backgrounds influencing our communication and my treatment?

Whether you seek help from a primary care professional or a mental health professional, you should finish your sessions with health professionals feeling heard and respected. You may want to ask yourself:

• Did my provider communicate effectively with me?

• Is my provider willing to integrate my beliefs, practices, identity and cultural background into my treatment plan?

• Did I feel like I was treated with respect and dignity?

• Do I feel like my provider understands and relates well with me?

The relationship and communication between a person and their mental health provider is a key aspect of treatment. It’s very important that a person feels their identity is understood by their provider to receive the best possible support and care.

 

More Information

• If finances are preventing you from finding help, contact a local health or mental health clinic or your local government to see what services you qualify for. You can find contact information online at findtreatment.samhsa.gov or by calling the National Treatment Referral Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357).

• If you or your loved one does not speak English, or speak it limitedly, you have the right to receive language-access services at institutions that receive funding from the federal government as well as the right to request a trained interpreter and to receive information in your language.

 

Resources

NAMI Family & Friends
A free 90-minute or four-hour seminar, with an e-book available in three Asian languages: Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

NAMI In Our Own Voice
A stigma-busting presentation providing a model that facilitates highly individualized accounts of lived experience of mental health conditions. This video features program leaders from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.

NAMI Family-to-Family
An 8-week psychoeducation program for families and friends. A Chinese translation with cultural adaptations will be available in 2021, with online classes offered by NAMI Affiliates in a limited number of states, including California and New Jersey.

NAMI Support Groups
Peer-led and offers participants an opportunity to share their experiences and gain support from other attendees. Culturally sensitive groups are offered by NAMI Affiliates in a limited number of states, including California and New Jersey.

NAMI Blog — AAPI related posts
Where voices from diverse communities are heard on various topics.

Please note: The resources included here are not endorsed by NAMI, and NAMI is not responsible for the content of or service provided by any of these resources.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) — Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders
ADAA is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders through education, practice and research. It has a dedicated webpage on AAPI resources and research information.

Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI)
AAHI is a health and wellness initiative of Maryland’s Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Its website is available in four Asian languages: Traditional Chinese, Hindi, Korean and Vietnamese.

Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)
AAPA is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization of Asian American mental health professionals, with the mission of advancing the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education and policy.

Asian Mental Health Collective
A new global non-profit organization with the mission of normalizing and de-stigmatizing mental health within the Asian community through projects such as Facebook group, resource library, video web-series and meet-up groups.

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
Founded in 1986, APIAHF influences policy, mobilizes communities, and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.