This year’s Asian American Mental Health Training Conference brings together five speakers who will address the theme of “Asian American Adolescents & Adults: A Closer Look at Mood, Psychotic, and Substance Use Disorders.” Each expert has decades of experience in mental health services and research across these disorders. They will share perspectives and strategies which have been effective in supporting Asian American clients to gain better treatment outcomes and well-being. The presentations are wide-ranging, and they are intended to address the complexities of serving adolescents and adults who have been affected by these disorders. This one-day training conference is designed for mental health professionals and students/trainees to acquire knowledge and skills to help our Asian American consumers and their family members. Specifically, the conference will enable participants to:
1. Be equipped with the knowledge and skills to recognize mood symptoms and stress in Asian youth, distinguish between risk and resilience factors for psychiatric disorders, implement effective intervention strategies, and competently evaluate and treat youth in diverse mental health settings.
2. Explain the epidemiology and local context of co-occurring mental health and substance use in Asian American youth, identify relevant risk and protective factors, apply culturally responsive, evidence-based strategies to enhance treatment engagement and address these issues within youth and their family systems.
3. Describe the role of family processes during bipolar disorder and apply evidence-based strategies from family-focused therapy (FFT) to support adolescents and adults with bipolar disorder.
4. Engage families in the treatment of bipolar disorder by applying evidence-based psychosocial interventions, LEAP communication techniques, and culturally competent psychoeducation strategies, while recognizing the impact of family dynamics on patient outcomes and promoting collaborative, effective care.
