In America's increasingly diverse society, it is imperative that mental health providers prioritize the development of their cultural competence to assure that they are equipped to meet the needs of their clients. Cultural Considerations in Asian and Pacific Islander American Mental Health offers a broad array of perspectives from clinicians and researchers actively working with racially/ethnically diverse populations. This book addresses psychosocial cultural issues that impact the mental health of the growing Asian American population. The book opens with the concept of what and who is an Asian American, as well as the myriad distinctions and differences among various Asian groups. Covered chapter topics include a historical overview of the diverse populations among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans; a discussion of the tensions and similarities between empirically supported treatments and cultural competence; Asian and Pacific Islander American elders and depression; and a psychodynamic perspective regarding the treatment of dual diagnosis with an Asian American client. This book is a must-read for mental health clinicians, students, community workers, school counselors, and nurses who work with diverse populations.

Following on the previous volume, Mental Health in Asia and the Pacific, which was co-edited with Milton Lewis, this book explores historical and contemporary developments in mental health in China and Chinese immigrant populations. It presents the development of mental health policies and services from the 19th Century until the present time, offering a clear view of the antecedents of today’s policies and practice. Chapters focus on traditional Chinese conceptions of mental illness, the development of the Chinese mental health system through the massive political, social, cultural and economic transformations in China from the late 19th Century to the present, and the mental health of Chinese immigrants in several countries with large Chinese populations. China’s international political and economic influence and its capabilities in mental health science and innovation have grown rapidly in recent decades. So has China’s engagement in international institutions, and in global economic and health development activities. Chinese immigrant communities are to be found in almost all countries all around the world. Readers of this book will gain an understanding of how historical, cultural, economic, social, and political contexts have influenced the development of mental health law, policies and services in China and how these contexts in migrant receiving countries shape the mental health of Chinese immigrants.

Many first and second generation Asian immigrants experience acculturation challenges to varying extents. These challenges, such as language barriers, racial discrimination, underemployment, the loss of support networks and changes in family role and structure, may exacerbate a myriad of mental health issues. In addition, their help-seeking behaviour, as shaped by a general adherence to a collectivistic worldview and indirect communication style, often creates challenges for the practitioners who are trained under a Western practice modality. Drawing on literature from English-speaking countries with sizeable Asian immigrant populations such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom, this text is designed especially for clinicians and students working with Asian immigrant populations. It discusses the therapeutic process in psychotherapy and counselling with these clients, exploring both key psychodynamic constructs and social systemic factors. Building on contemporary relational theory, which emphasizes the centrality of the helping relationship and sensitivity to the client’s subjective realities, the book demonstrates how western-based concepts and skills can be broadened and applied in an Asiacentric context, and can be therapeutic even in social service and case management service settings. There are chapters on issues such as domestic violence, intergenerational conflicts, depression amongst elders, and suicide, discussing the prevalence and nature of the mental health issues and each containing case vignettes from various Asian ethnic groups to illustrate the application of relational approaches. This book is an important cross-cultural reference for practising social workers and counsellors as well as for social work students undertaking clinical practice courses.

There have been significant advances in research on Asian American mental health within the past decade. This chapter discusses resources and strategies for conducting culturally responsive assessment and treatment with Asian Americans that highlight the theories and knowledge gained since the publication of the previous edition of this Handbook in 2000. The first section on assessment discusses race, immigration, and culture-related factors that affect the phenomenology of distress among Asian Americans. The second section on treatment discusses theories and evidence regarding factors that increase therapeutic credibility as well as the recent advances in applying evidence-based treatment with Asian Americans.

This book offers to serve as a guide for professionals in understanding and applying a strength based perspectives for Chinese clients with mental illness and to discuss the Chinese articulation of concepts and practice of these perspective within Chinese culture. Ever since the emergence of a medical model in the explanation of mental illness, the disease model or deficit/problem orientation became the dominant paradigm in perceiving, treating and rehabilitating persons with mental illness. The terms 'mentally ill' and 'mental patient' serve as labels for both professionals, family caregivers and members of community to describe the burden, the needs of care and treatment for persons with mental illness. These labels also justify the establishment and implementation of mental health services. Under the influences of the disease model, persons with mental illness are regarded as subjects for academic research, patients for treatment, clients for intervention, and objects for stigmatisation and labelling.