About

New York contains the highest portion of total Asian Americans and Asian population of any U.S. city, with over 16% to 17% of its population since 2020.  A significant proportion of the AA population is first- and second-generation immigrants, who have suffered various types of traumas before and after migration. The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of recent anti-immigrant rhetoric also pose greater mental health challenges against the Asian American and Asian communities. However, mental health needs among AAAIs have been under-reported and under-treated due to assessment biases, cultural stigma, and a lack of culturally responsive services and systems of care. The main objective for this workshop is to discuss community needs, obstacles, and innovative approaches of providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive mental health care for Asian American and Asian children and families in the New York metropolitan area, by gathering mental health service providers, researchers, community-based organizations, policy makers and community members.

In the past 4 years, the Lotus project is devoted to address trauma-informed care and prevention and mental health issues in AANHPI communities in collaboration with local service providers, researchers, policy makers, and community members. The Lotus Project has hosted six workshops mainly addressing trauma-informed care for AANHPI children and families (e.g., Afghan communities in Sacramento, CA; AAAI communities in the San Francisco Bay area; AAAI communities including South Asians in the greater Atlanta area; AANHPI communities in Honolulu, HI; AAAIs in the greater Washington D.C. area; and AAAI communities in Boston, MA). We have also hosted a number of webinars (4 times a year) addressing specific topics of mental health issues in AAAI communities (e.g., intergenerational trauma, violence and mental health issues among AAAI women). We have developed a network among workshop and webinar participants and are providing information about culturally competent mental health programs and resource guides.