Psychological Well being Assets for Asian Individuals

For our Pan-Asian community members, we’ve compiled a list of organizations that provide mental health resources and connect Asians with culturally informed therapists. We have also included some links to general wellness resources and online cultural communities.

Below is a list of racial justice organizations working to fight hatred and violence, and to uplift and empower Asian communities. We have also included crowdfunding campaigns that you can use to donate to directly support victims and families of anti-Asian violence.

Discrimination and violence against Asian communities are fueled by the predominance of whites. For our white readers, we’ve provided a handful of resources, including audience intervention training and training on the history and current state of systemic discrimination in the United States.

Mental health resources by and for Asian communities

1. The Asian Mental Health Collective works to normalize and destigmatize conversations about mental health in Asian communities around the world. It includes the Therapist Directory for Asian, Pacific Islanders, and South Asian Americans (APISAA), as well as a list of local community organizations and a podcast, Mental Health Mukbang.

2. The Asian Mental Health Project is an LA-based community organization focused on Asian American mental health and emotional wellbeing. Founder Carrie Zhang hosts weekly community check-ins through Zoom, where members can openly exchange and hear from guest presenters about fear management, intergenerational trauma, toxic masculinity, and more. The organization also hosts virtual wellness summits that focus on the intersection of culture, social issues, and mental health. You can donate to AMHP GoFundMe to support its online mental health services and resources. (Non-profit status 501 (c) (3) is currently being applied for.)

3. Inclusive Therapists is a database that connects anyone seeking culturally sensitive care with therapists who are undergoing racial trauma training. There is also a dedicated directory for those looking for discounted teletherapy.

4. Project Lotus is a youth-led mental health nonprofit that breaks the stereotype of a model minority through culturally based education and community empowerment.

5. The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance is an association of national and local LGBTQIA + organizations that serve Asian Americans. Your list of affiliates is a useful tool for those in need of support and fellowship.

6. Asian American Suicide Prevention & Education is an organization providing educational materials to help combat stigma and suicide in the mental health field in Asian American communities.

7. Red Canary Song is a grassroots organization of sex workers from Asia and with a migrant background who build framework conditions for labor rights and provide mutual help to end the sex trafficking.

Other resources for mental wellbeing

1. Open is an online mindfulness studio offering yoga, meditation, and breath work with leading teachers such as Mel Mah and co-founder Manoj Dias. It offers unlimited courses for $ 20 per month.

2. Headspace offers mindful meditation when needed, including classes on working with challenging emotions such as anger, sadness, and loneliness. The Rachel Ricketts series may feel especially helpful: it focuses on racial injustice and grief. After a seven- or fourteen-day free trial, subscription fees are $ 12.99 per month or $ 69.99 per year. Student and group plans are also available.

Organizations that celebrate Asian American culture and identity

1. The Peahce Project is a student and young adult-led organization that celebrates Asian-American identity through visual arts, writing, community interviews, and podcasting.

2. Our Experience is an online platform for Asian Americans to share stories about cultural identity.

3. Asian American Girl Club is an online community and brand for Pan-Asian girls and women. It works to break stereotypes and rewrite the narrative about what it means to be an Asian American.

4. AAPI Women Lead is a progressive organization that aims to end racist and gender-based violence by increasing the visibility of women on Asian and Pacific islanders and boosting their stories, stories and lived experiences.

Direct support to the families of victims of racist violence

1. The number of families affected by racist violence is enormous. Funding has been set up to help families feed themselves, hold funerals, and take legal action against those responsible for killing their loved ones. Any list we provided would only represent a small fraction of these cases. Please consider contributing to the means of celebrating the lives of Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie Tan, Soon Chung Park, Daoyou Feng, and many others, and investigate any incidents of racism Violence in your community to find ways to support families close to home and dismantle the systems that made their murders possible.

2. GoFundMe has launched a series of crowdfunding campaigns for those affected by violence against Asian communities, including those directly affected by the Atlanta attacks.

Anti-racism organizations, education and training

1. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is a civil rights group that provides legal resources for Asian American community organizations and leads legal and policy action against anti-Asian violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking.

2. The Asian American Feminist Collective is a coalition for intersectional feminist politics rooted in Asian-American communities.

3. Hate Is a Virus is an anti-racism advocacy group and mobilization group for justice and equality of the AAPI. The Community Action Fund raises donations for national and local organizations that focus on mental health programs, protecting the elderly, representing the AAPI and building solidarity.

4. Stop AAPI Hate is a coalition dealing with AAPI hate crimes and anti-Asian rhetoric. It is a platform for reporting hate incidents, disseminating security information, and raising funds for anti-racism response networks such as Movement Hub.

5. The Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit is the work of fifteen grassroots Asian American organizations that examine the structural roots of racism, capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism. The 300-page toolkit can be downloaded for free. There are workbook modules designed for both group workshops and individual learning on topics such as the stereotype of the model minority, gender and patriarchy, and racism against blacks.

6. Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice have teamed up to offer free training on spectator intervention and training on conflict de-escalation. Attend a session to learn strategies for intervening against racial and xenophobic harassment both online and in real life.