Suicide Prevention and Intervention for Asian American & Asian Immigrant (AAAI) Youth (Webinar Series)
Webinar 3: Caring for Youth & Families Impacted by Suicide
Date & Time: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
12- 1:30PM PT
Location: Zoom
Registration is FREE & LIVE now. [REGISTER HERE]
About
Join us for the third webinar in the Suicide Prevention & Intervention for Asian American & Asian Immigrant (AAAI) Youth series, focused on supporting youth, families, and communities impacted by suicide.
While prevention remains critical, many AAAI families and communities are also navigating the complex and often isolating experience of grief after suicide. This session will explore what it means to provide care, connection, and support during this time, with attention to the cultural, relational, and systemic factors that shape how grief is experienced and expressed.
Speakers will share perspectives from research and practice on the grieving process among youth and families impacted by suicide, including factors that can support healing as well as those that may intensify distress. The webinar will also highlight common barriers to accessing grief support, the role of community and faith-based networks, and the ways in which cultural values and beliefs influence help-seeking and coping.
Through both research-informed insights and real-world experiences, this webinar will offer reflections and emerging approaches to strengthening postvention efforts, improving access to care, and supporting diverse AAAI communities in navigating loss and healing.
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this webinar, participants will be able to:
Describe at least two common grief responses among AAAI youth and families impacted by suicide loss.
Explain at least two culturally informed approaches to support the healing of AAAI individuals and families impacted by suicide loss.
Identify at least two strategies to improve access to and connection with grief support services for AAAI communities.
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:
Brian Keum, Ph.D.
Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley
Brian TaeHyuk Keum is an Associate Professor in the Community Health Sciences Division at the University of California, Berkeley. His research aims to mitigate mental and behavioral health disparities by examining culturally-informed, intersectional, and digitally-relevant social determinants such as online violence and discrimination, gendered racism, gendered racial socialization, and affirmative coping and prevention approaches. Integrating public health, counseling psychology, and technology, he also explores disparities in mental health services for minoritized clients and culturally sensitive digital mental health platforms.
Hyeouk Chris Hahm, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research at the Boston University School of Social Work
Dr. H. Chris Hahm is Associate Dean for Research at the Boston University School of Social Work and the first Asian American to be promoted to full professor at BUSSW. Her work centers on health disparities, health risk behaviors, and mental health, with particular expertise in epidemiology, theory development, and suicide prevention among Asian Americans and US young adults. Dr. Hahm’s research has been consistently funded by major organizations, including NIH, NSF, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Her work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, and The Economist. She currently serves as Vice President of the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) and will be inducted into the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare in 2025.
Michelle Carrillo
Founder and President of Arielle’s Light
Michelle Carrillo is the Founder and President of Arielle’s Light, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to mental health support for youth and young adults. After losing her daughter, Arielle, to suicide, Michelle transformed her grief into a mission to help other families find hope, healing, and connection during life's most difficult moments.
Through Arielle’s Light, Michelle works to reduce barriers to therapy, raise awareness about mental health, and support young people and families impacted by mental health challenges and suicide loss. Drawing from both her personal journey and advocacy work, she is passionate about creating compassionate spaces where survivors feel seen, supported, and understood. Michelle is also committed to fostering conversations that reduce stigma and encourage healing across diverse communities and cultures.