Asians Do Therapy

In this conversation, I speak with Panthea Lee.  She has written for The Nation, The Atlantic, Harper’s Bazaar, worked at the United Nations, and co-founded a social justice organization, Reboot, which she led for over 13 years working on initiatives and launching programs in over 30 countries for the likes of UNICEF and the World Bank. Her full bio below.

I first learned about Panthea by reading he story on the cover of The Nation, Sex, Death, and Empire: The Roots of Violence Against Asian Women, which is a must read.   Subsequently, I learned about her work in social transformation, structural justice and I wanted to ask her about her observations and wisdom on how change happens.  More on her reflections on Love and Liberation, here.

We talk about "the work" needing to be commensurate to our positionality and passions, scale and leverage, awareness vs alignment, being in the fight vs being of service, cosmic justice, how the biggest problems are relational problems. We also talk about her move back to Taiwan and what salsa dancing can inform us about power and leadership. 

Panthea Lee (she/they) is a writer, cultural worker, and transdisciplinary designer/facilitator committed to life and liberation. She has stewarded and supported coalitions of community leaders, artists, healers, activists, and institutions fighting for dignity in over 30 countries. Her practice is rooted in commitments to deimperialization, collective healing, and global solidarity, and explores ways—through narrative, practice, and infrastructure—to weave the spiritual and political in realizing structural justice. Panthea has held fellowships at Stanford University’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity and Digital Civil Society Lab, and at Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination. She has served as trustee at DemocracyNext, The Laundromat Project, People Powered, and RSA (Royal Society of Arts). From 2010-23, she served as co-founder and Executive Director of the award-winning Reboot. Her work has been covered by Al Jazeera, CNN, Fast Company, and New York Times, and her words have appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s Bazaar, In These Times, The Nation, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and more. Panthea is based in Taipei, Taiwan, on the traditional lands of the Ketagalan people. https://www.panthealee.com/

In this conversation, I speak with erin Khuê Ninh.

erin has some really important ideas about the Asian immigrant family that are a bit confronting and perhaps truth telling.  She argues that the Asian immigrant family is a form of a capitalist production unit, producing “model children” who strikingly resemble the model minority. 

Some of the topics we talk about:

• the themes of debt and repayment
• how the model minority might not be myth after all
• how love is interlaced with power
• Asian American racialization vs subjectification

If you are a second generation, child of Asian immigrants, you ought to listen. erin has a message for you.

erin Khuê Ninh is Professor and Chair of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She writes about the model minority as racialization and subject formation (not myth). Her books are Passing for Perfect: College Impostors and Other Model Minorities, and Ingratitude: The Debt-Bound Daughter in Asian American Literature.  Along with Shireen Roshanravan, she edited #WeToo: A Reader, a special issue on sexual violence for the Journal of Asian American Studies. She is a Leo, an eldest daughter, and not a dog person. Make of that what you will.

New podcast episode!

In this conversation, I speak with Sahaj Kaur Kohli.

We chat about:

• the re-authoring of her story through writing her book
• her hopes and fears surrounding its release
• being a cultural broker in her family and the shifts in her family dynamics with her parents and siblings
• mental health and what it means, differences in mental health education and therapy
• her therapy journey and challenges of finding a therapist for herself 

I found Sahaj to be warm, endearing, and transparent about her process and story.  You can purchase her book at But What Will People Say? Book (sahajkaurkohli.com)

Let us know what you think of our conversation!

Sahaj Kaur Kohli  (she/her) is the founder of Brown Girl Therapy (@browngirltherapy), the first and largest mental health and wellness community organization for adult children of immigrants, a licensed therapist, and a columnist for the Washington Post’s advice column Ask Sahaj. Sahaj’s words and work have been featured in Today, Good Morning America, CNN, The New York Times, HuffPost, and others. Sahaj also serves as a consultant, educator and international speaker. She has sat on panels and delivered workshops and keynotes for The White House, Amazon, Google, Athenahealth, Merck, JPMorgan Chase, LinkedIn,  UNICEF, among others.

If you enjoy this conversation, share it and leave us a review.

In this conversation, I speak with J.S. Park. 

His posts and words have, at times, moved me to tears.  It was such a pleasure to speak with him about work, life, death, birth, grief and bulgogi! 

More specifically, we talk about:

• his journey to becoming a chaplain
• climbing mount assimilation and what gets lost
• what he means about being therapriest
• what got him into consistent therapy and medication
• suicide and his attempt 20 years ago. CONTENT WARNING.  it's between minutes 12 and 28.
• the birth of his second child 
• people's misunderstandings about grief. 

Joon has a new book, As Long as You Need, coming out April 2024. You can pre-order your copy here.  And, if you are like me who likes to listen to books, I am so glad he is recording the audio for it because his voice,  like his words, are a balm.

J.S. Park (he/him) is a hospital chaplain, author, and online educator. For eight years he has been an interfaith chaplain at a 1000-plus bed hospital that is designated a Level 1 Trauma Center. His role includes grief counseling, attending every death, every trauma and Code Blue, staff care, and supporting end-of-life care. He also served for three years as a chaplain at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast.

J.S. has a MDiv completed in 2010 and a BA in Psychology. He also has a sixth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. J.S. currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and his three-year-old daughter and their adopted dog. They are expecting another child, their son. @JSPark3000

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please share it with a trusted person or call 988 or text 741741. 

In this conversation, I speak to Michelle MiJung Kim.  She is a queer Korean American immigrant woman writer, speaker, activist, and entrepreneur. She the author of the award winning, The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change.

Michelle is the first non-therapist I have on the podcast for some time.

I have been inspired by her advocacy and activism, specially so in the last several weeks as it relates to Palestine.

We talk about her lived experiences and how they have shaped her relationship to silence and speaking, her holding and oscillating between compassion and criticality for herself and others. We also talk about DEI work, her thoughts on how it relates to social justice, and the cognitive dissonance of the private and the corporate. 

Michelle also shares about her first session in therapy, which I think many of us can relate to.

I hope our conversation help spark reflections on your relationship to speaking and silence.  And, that perhaps it moves you to speak (more) and to (continue) take action when you feel called for, even if new, uncomfortable or even risky at times.

Let Michelle and I know how our conversation resonates with you. It helps us keep going.  And, share this conversation with others.

@michellekimkim
@asiansdotherapy

The specific Michelle's IG post mentioned:

https://tinyurl.com/e3wem6sk
https://tinyurl.com/yeyu7hbc
https://tinyurl.com/5n7ruryw

The Occupation of the American Mind is the documentary mentioned.

https://tinyurl.com/3m33cj7m

Michelle MiJung Kim (she/her) is a queer Korean American immigrant woman writer, speaker, and activist. She is the award winning author of The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change and co-founder of Awaken. Michelle has been a lifelong social justice activist and currently serves on the board of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. Her work has appeared on world-renowned platforms such as Harvard Business Review and The New York Times, and she was named LinkedIn’s Top Voice in Racial Equity and Medium’s Top Writer in Diversity. She lives in Oakland, CA. https://www.michellemijungkim.com/

If you enjoy the podcast, give it a 5 star review on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

In this conversation, I speak with Dhwani Shah, MD (he/him) who is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. 

Some highlights of our conversation:

• what psychoanalysis is and is not; some realities and misconceptions of it
• how love and hate exists in all of our relationships
• how therapy is a listening practice above all
• the intersection of therapy and culture
• the collective racialized fantasies of "Asian American" 

I really appreciated Dhwani's openness in sharing his thinking, his background, and how he became a psychoanalyst.  I think he captured the beauty of the psychoanalytic encounter and its emancipatory potential.

Let me know what you think of our conversation.  

Dhwani Shah, MD (he/him) is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst currently practicing in Princeton, NJ. He is a clinical associate faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a faculty member at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.  He has authored articles on topics ranging from neuroscience, mood disorders, and psychoanalysis. Dr Shah’s book entitled The Analyst’s Torment: Unbearable Mental States in Countertransference was recently published by Phoenix Publishing House and was featured in Brett Kahr’s “Top Ten Books of 2022.  dhwanishahmd.com

A plug for a project that I am working on, bringing Asian Americans and Psychoanalysis together, The Asian American Center for Psychoanalysis, visit taacp.org for more information and follow on Instagram.

In this episode, I speak with Vickie Ya-Rong Chang (she/her). 

I got connected to Vickie because I wanted to speak to a clinician who had been working with clients and had expertise on climate anxiety and despair. 

The psychological and emotional impact of climate change is irrefutable. We don’t need research to know that we can’t be doing well when our home, our planet is on fire and flooding. But research does show that with increased temperatures, our baseline level of distress also increases. There are specific research showing that higher temperatures lead to higher levels of suicide, aggression and violence. 

Not to mention the acute trauma and post traumatic stress of climate disasters that destroy lives and livelihoods. 

Vickie mentions a few ways that we can “treat” climate anxiety. The courage it takes to face and feel what we have done and how we can stay present while taking action. 

And, our conversation takes me to an unexpected place. 

Vickie, in her being and wisdom, reminded me of the earth of my body and that maybe, like many others, my greatest attachment wound is the disconnection and alienation from mother earth. 

I hope you enjoy our conversation and it speaks to something in you. 

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Vickie Ya-Rong Chang (she/her) was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. In her work as a psychologist and group facilitator, she is dedicated to personal = collective liberation. A core team member of East Point Peace Academy, her work focuses on the Fierce Vulnerability Network, a national constellation of direct action teams positioned at the intersection of climate justice and racial healing. In her individual and group support work, she works primarily with BIPOC and Asian immigrants, offering awareness and somatic practices. She is strengthened by her connection to the Chinese ancestral lineage including Wudang Mountains; and to the people, culture, and land of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico and Arunachula in Tiruvannamalai, India. To connect to her, visit www.vickiechangphd.com and learn about her work at East Post Peace Academy https://www.eastpointpeace.org/retreat_reflections.

Resources:

APA report. Mental Health and Our Changing Climate

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf

Speaking of Psychology Podcast. How to cope with Climate Anxiety

https://open.spotify.com/episode/40hfsum6RhkOk932h1aZ2e

How to Save a Planet Podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/1KzrasExlM5dgMYwgFHns6

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In this episode, I speak with Rosa Lim (she/her) who is a clinical psychologist based in NYC.

We cover a lot in 45 minutes. Rosa and I talk about: 

·       the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating,

·       how eating disorders is a disorder of disconnection, 

·       the correlation of trauma and eating disorders,

·       how eating disorders develop,

·       the kinds of treatments available and what healing looks like,

·       what to look for in a clinician,

·       what could be helpful in preventing eating disorders,

·       and how our experiences of immigration, food, and language intersects with the development and treatment of eating disorders.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, there might be information in this episode that might evoke strong reactions. At times you might feel understood and hopeful; and at other times, you might feel defeated and scared. Whatever this conversation brings up, my hope is that you can be gentle with yourself and know that healing is possible even if challenging. 

Eating disorders are a serious condition. Bulimia and anorexia can be life threating. 

As with any health condition, there is not a single, sure way to address it.  Please do your research and enlist friends and family to help in the process whether reading books, listening to podcasts, or finding a clinician or clinicians.

Here are the resources that Rosa mentions on the podcast:

·       National Eating Disorders Association

·       Academy of Eating Disorders

·       Eating Disorder Anonymous


Rosa Lim, PhD, (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist in NYC who has worked in private practice and in college counseling for the past 20 years. Currently, she is involved with the William Alanson White Institute’s Eating Disorders, Compulsions, and Addictions program, as both a member of the steering committee and as guest faculty.  She can be contacted at [email protected].

If you found this podcast helpful, share it with friends and/or leave a review.

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In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang (she/hers) about her new book, Permission to Come Home. Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans. 

Some of what we talk about in this conversation:

• How the book came to be
• How she weaved in the personal, the educational and the practical
• Her journey off the well marked path
• Her experiences in therapy
• Her love for Asian and Asian Americans

I hope this conversation inspires you to start, to continue on your path to health, to home.

Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang, PhD is a first generation, Taiwanese American psychologist, author, speaker based in Houston, TX.  She is the founder of @asiansformentalhealth on Instagram and the Asian therapist directory,  https://asiansformentalhealth.com. Her book, Permission to Come Home is launching May 3, 2022.

If you like this podcast, leave a review!

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In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Valerie Yeo (she/her), a psychologist who specializes in religious and racial trauma based in Portland, Oregon.

Our discussion is within the context of the Evangelical church. Some of what we discussed:

• Adverse religious experience and religious trauma. How are they different?
• When folks are deconstructing their faith, what might they be experiencing?
• The intersections of Christianity, white supremacy and the Asian American experience
• What resources are available for folks who in the process of deconstructing

Whether you are someone in the process of deconstruction or have friends or family going through it or whether you are a therapist working with someone who is deconstructing, I hope you find this episode helpful.

Dr. Valerie Yeo (she/her) identifies as Singaporean-Chinese-American, and is a licensed psychologist in Portland, OR. She has a private practice in which she values holding space for BIPOC individuals, with emphasis on those in the Asian-American community who have experienced racial and religious trauma. Her role as a psychologist includes providing individual therapy and immigration-based assessments, as well as teaching, supervising, and mentoring future mental health providers. Dr. Yeo believes strongly in honoring our full selves—emotional, somatic, mental, spiritual, and social, within our present and historical contexts.

She will be offering Moving Through Religious Trauma, a workshop for Asian-Americans starting in April 2022. To connect with Valerie, follow her at @asianexvangelical and https://valerieyeopsyd.com/

Additional resources:

Liberated Together

Your Favorite Heretics

 Ex-vangelical Podcast

Religion Dispatches

Reclaiming My Theology Podcast

Progressive Asian American Christians (PAAC)

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