Suicide Prevention and Intervention for Asian American & Asian Immigrant (AAAI) Youth (Webinar Series)

Webinar 1: Trends and Unseen Risks in AAAI Youth Suicide

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Date & Time: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
12- 1:30PM PT
Location: Zoom

Registration is FREE & LIVE now. [REGISTER HERE]

About

Suicide remains the number one leading cause of death among Asian American & Asian Pacific Islander (AAPI) adolescents ages 13-18, with suicide rates continuing to increase since 2014. Despite this, AAPI youth have reported the lowest mental health service utilization. This webinar is the first in a 3-part series that will focus on culturally responsive prevention and intervention strategies for suicide among AAAI youth. We will provide an overview of epidemiological data and recent research on suicidal ideation, suicide, and risk factors among AAAI adolescents in California. We will also highlight systemic and cultural barriers to accessing high-quality care and showcase successful community efforts advancing suicide prevention for this population.

Learning Objectives

As a result of attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify at least two statistics around suicide ideation prevalence and risk among AAAI youth.

  2. Describe at least two risk factors related to increased suicidal ideation in AAAI youth.

  3. Describe at least two community actions to help reduce suicide for AANHPI youth.

Moderator:

Cruz Chan, M.A., LMFT, RDT
Clinical Manager, Healing for Asians at Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS), San Francisco

A Cantonese and Mandarin-speaking clinician, Cruz graduated from California Institute of Integral Studies (San Francisco), with a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Drama Therapy.  In Cruz's new role as Clinical Manager, Cruz will be further developing the RAMS Healing for Asians program which provides trauma informed mental health services to limited English speaking Asian victims of crime. This RAMS program is part of San Francisco’s multi-system, initial answer and collaborative solution to the “Anti-Asian Hate”. Cruz is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist as well as a Registered Drama Therapist. Cruz's background also includes providing mental health services to children, youth, families and adults at RAMS outpatient and school-based programs. Prior to clinical work, Cruz has also participated in many drama performances and was a radio host and producer in Macau. Currently, Cruz is actively receiving training in psychodrama under the guidelines of the American Board of Examiner of Psychodrama, Group Psychotherapy and Sociometry (ABE), and presented in the 2020 North American Drama Therapy Association Conference.

Speakers:

Camillia Lui, Ph.D.
Scientist with the Public Health Institute (PHI) & Alcohol Research Group (ARG)

Pata Suyemoto, Ph.D.
Executive Director for the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)

Dr. Pata Suyemoto is a feminist scholar, writer, educator, curriculum developer, equity trainer, mental health activist, and artist. She is the Executive Director for the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) and is passionate about creating awareness of AANHPI mental health issues and elevating the voices of those with lived experience. She is the Associate Director of Equity for the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention. In 2024, she won the American Association of Suicidology’s Transforming Lived Experience Award and her claim to fame is that she rode her bicycle across the country in the summer of 2012.