Welcome to the line up for the 2024 Asian American Mental Health Training Conference. The following is a list of presentations that we will be offering this year during our conference.
Individual Family Therapy for Intergenerational Conflict in Asian American Communities
Stephen Cheung, PsyD
Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, Azusa Pacific University (APU), Azusa, CA
Intergenerational conflict (IC) is very common in Asian American immigrant families due to myriad sociocultural factors such as acculturative stress, language and cultural barriers, and generation gaps within the family. The recent literature reported that failure to resolve IC can result in broken family relationships, depression, and poor self-esteem in family members. The treatment for the same can include parenting education, filial therapy, or family therapy. Conjoint family therapy is highly recommended because of its efficacy for conflict in relationships and various mental disorders. However, due to its complexity, conjoint family therapy has been daunting for a lot of mental health professionals and is often avoided.
In this presentation, the speaker will discuss some seminal principles and strategies of conjoint family therapy for IC with a case example; he will then apply these principles in a culturally sensitive fashion to an individual Asian American client. He will use a demonstration video to delineate some helpful procedures for implementing family therapy with only an individual.
From Lola’s Tales to Today’s Trials: Building Strong Families with Filipino-Centered Parenting Programs
Joyce R. Javier, MD, MPH, MS, FAAP
Associate Professor, Department of Health Systems Science
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
This presentation will start with an introduction of the speaker followed by presentation of the learning objectives. The speaker will share lessons learned from community-based participator research studies she has conducted with Filipino community stakeholders aimed at the prevention of Filipino adolescent mental health disparities. She will share risk factors and protective factors for Filipino youth mental health problems, factors that address increase the use of evidence-based parenting interventions among Filipino parents, and strategies for implementing evidence- parenting interventions among hardly reached populations through the use of didactic teaching and presentation of digital stories and a culturally tailored video of parent testimonials. The session will end with questions and answers and attendees will be asked to complete an evaluation of the presentation.
At The Junction of Asian & Neurodivergent: An Intersectional Exploration of How Cultural Collisions May Protect and Harm
Lynette Lau, PhD
Assistant Clinical Professor, UCLA Department of Psychology
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
The concept of embracing and celebrating neurodiversity has been steadily gaining traction in recent years. Increasingly, we see clinicians advertising that they are “neurodiversity affirming” and corporations rushing to implement and showcase neuroinclusive work practices. Yet, what does it actually mean to be “neurodiversity affirming” and what do neuroinclusive practices actually entail? What do these terms mean for those with Asian ancestry when the data repeatedly point to racial disparities in diagnosis and treatment of neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD and autism?
This presentation provides an overview of what neurodiversity affirming mental health practice
looks like and explores some intersectional realities of being both Asian and Neurodivergent,
including how the intersection of these identities can at times protect but other times harm.
Expanding Our Scope: Addressing Family Needs in Adult Psychiatric Settings
Descartes Li, MD
Professor and Vice Chair for Medical Education
Weill Institute for Neurosciences and University of California, San Francisco
This presentation will explore the critical role of family involvement in the assessment and treatment of chronic and persistent mental illness. Participants will learn to apply the Life Course Method for psychiatric interviewing, emphasizing the importance of understanding a patient’s entire history and including family input in the process. The workshop will cover evidence-based psychosocial interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), Family Focused Therapy (FFT), and Psychoeducation (PE), which are vital in managing bipolar disorder. Additionally, attendees will be introduced to the LEAP (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner) communication techniques, designed to foster better collaboration between healthcare providers, patients, and their families, leading to improved treatment adherence and outcomes. Through case vignettes and practical strategies, the workshop aims to equip participants with the tools necessary to engage families effectively in the psychiatric care of adults with bipolar disorder.