Beyond the Couch

This week, Sam chats with Snehal Kumar about recovery and prevention of burnout, and the ways in which it especially shows up for those in marginalized communities. They talk about how to notice burnout creeping up on you, especially while living in NYC, and the consequences of long-term burnout. They also discuss the importance of challenging our own perceptions of work, seeking community, and learning to listen to your body in order to combat chronic exhaustion.

Snehal Kumar (she/her), a NYS licensed psychologist, offers individual counseling to adults, offers consultation/supervision to other therapists, and leads workshops for organizations. Her specializations include burnout recovery, mindfulness, and diversity-related concerns. Connect with Snehal on her website or via email at [email protected]

Wishing everyone rest and warmth through the holidays. We'll be back with a new episode on January 11th!

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
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This week, Christie chats with Melissa Soong about becoming more attuned to natural patterns to better care for ourselves and our mental health. Melissa shares how eastern medicine, such as acupuncture, can help us explore root causes of maladies and addiction, observe and treat our bodies through a holistic lens, and achieve sustained health and balance in our lifestyles. They also discuss the ways in which the practice of east asian medicine can open the doors to a stronger sense of community and willingness to seek health support, especially for marginalized and at-risk communities.

Melissa (she/her) is a LMSW, with over a decade of experience as a program director and social worker in supportive housing for people with HIV/AIDS, mental health disorders and substance use disorders. She is a Registered Trainer and AcuDetox Specialist for the NADA protocol (ear acupuncture for stress) where she helped to build and provide holistic services in a harm reduction setting. Also, she is a Science of Self yoga teacher and teacher trainer, specializing in the study of applying the meridian anatomy of East Asian Medicine to the physical practice of yoga. Connect with Melissa on her website or on Instagram @mel_durga

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Science of Self
• Yu and Me Books
• Dope is Death Documentary

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
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Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
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This week, Sam chats with Chrissy Chua-Ly van Manh about the importance of a therapist’s role in helping clients with trauma overcome the fears and triggers that they have accumulated through their experiences. They discuss the hurdles that therapists face when seeing trauma clients, as well as the particular challenges that a survivor of trauma must overcome in an often non-linear process of recovery. They talk about the importance of trust and rapport between the therapist and client in ensuring positive outcomes, and how to avoid burnout and make sure to fully show up for a client in these crucial sessions.

Chrissie Chua-Ly van Manh, LMHC (she/her), is a 1.5 generation immigrant from Hong Kong and a New Yorker since 2008. She is a licensed mental health counselor and have been practicing for the past 6 years with experience in community based organizations and group private practice with experience working with clients from childhood to late adulthood. Connect with Chrissie online or on Instagram @thelittlethingsny

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACEs)

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
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Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
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This week, Diana and Dr. I-Ching Grace Hung chat about the integration of Buddhist philosophies into therapy, living in a resting state rather than a grind state, and how to make life work for us in unconventional ways. They talk about what traveling and living abroad have taught them about savoring life and living with more ease, as well as the surprising adjustments that have come up along the way.

Dr. I-Ching Grace Hung (she/her) is a licensed psychologist and coach, offering teletherapy to individuals and couples in NY, CA, and MI, and coaching services globally. Grace specializes in helping people find meaning, purpose, identity, and fulfillment through a unique lens of Buddhism + psychology, anchoring on the pursuit of self-awareness, growing deeply and intentionally, all with a dash of candidness in the face of the chaos/hilarity of life. She is currently living out her own version of a fulfilled life, featuring slow travels, remote and flexible work aligned with her purpose. Connect with Grace on Bridges and Instagram @thewakingbell

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
Join our Clinician Community

Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
[email protected]
buymeacoffee.com/bridgesmh

This week, Christie sits down with Angela Kerrigan to examine impostor syndrome through the lens of racial identity and chat about ways to challenge these feelings of inadequacy. They discuss how stereotypes and microaggressions keep people of color in cycles of self-doubt by questioning their belonging or imposing unrealistic standards. Angela shares how she worked through her own feelings of impostor syndrome, and how she’s seen the power of community in dissipating these thoughts. They also talk about how rest can be a radical act in challenging our thoughts about productivity, but also the systems of oppression that have seeded our impostor syndrome in the first place.

Angela Kerrigan (she/her) is a therapist in private practice working with clients in NY and TX. She also helps other therapists manage and overcome their own imposter syndrome. Angela loves helping fellow Asian Americans really step into themselves and figure out what it means to live authentically. Connect with Angela at angelalcsw.com or on Instagram @angela.lcsw

Mentioned in this episode:

• Blair Imani
• Linda Lee
• Dr. Valerie Young’s 5 types of Imposter Syndrome 
  • The Expert
  • The Natural Genius
  • The Soloist
  • The Superhero
  • The Perfectionist

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
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Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
[email protected]
buymeacoffee.com/bridgesmh

This week, Christie, Sam, and Diana reflect on how far they’ve come since recording their very first podcast episode a year ago! They muse on how quickly time has passed, the amazing people they’ve been able to have on the podcast, and how much they’ve grown and learned in the process. They also answer some questions that have come in from listeners.

Thank you everyone for listening over the past year! We’re so grateful for our building community, and can’t wait to keep the conversations going.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Financial Anxiety, Scarcity, & Enoughness with Lindsay Bryan-Podvin
• Granting Ourselves Permission with Dr. Jenny Wang
• Lessons from Asian American Activists Michael Liu & Pam Tau Lee
• Coping with Seasonal Depression with Alena Kwong
• Failing My Way Forward and Embracing Career Changes with Cynthia Pong
• Going Beyond the Mind with Psychedelics in Therapy with Lynn Min

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
Join our Clinician Community

Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
[email protected]
buymeacoffee.com/bridgesmh

This week, Sam chats with Lynn Min, LMHC, about the therapeutic use of psychedelics to reach greater self-understanding, self-compassion, and actual healing. They go into what it feels like to come out of psychedelic trips and feel lighter and at peace, and the power of these medicines to rewire your brain to become more receptive to healing. They marvel at the magic of being able to look at your traumas and wounds without being triggered in the aftermath, and what it means to have an ego death. They explore the historical stigmas surrounding spiritual drugs and how people have begun to start accepting them in light of new research about their scientifically-backed benefits, especially in therapy.

Lynn Min, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor, a certified life coach, a pastor, and a mom of three. Connect with Lynn at lynnmin.com or @soulmattersllc

Mentioned in this episode:

• How to Change Your Mind
• Fantastic Fungi
• Listen to our last episode with Lynn: The Inner Work of Social Justice with Lynn Min

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
Join our Clinician Community

Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
[email protected]
buymeacoffee.com/bridgesmh

This week, Diana chats with Lindsay Bryan-Podvin about the anxieties we have about money and how to cultivate a healthier relationship to our finances. They discuss the mental, cultural, and emotional hurdles that keep many people, especially those who identify as BIPOC or come from immigrant backgrounds, from gaining financial literacy. They talk about how to cultivate a sense of enoughness in the midst of a capitalistic society and how to approach money in a way that aligns with your values. Pointing out that current financial advice so often comes from a place of white privilege and outdated notions of “the American dream,” Lindsay also discusses how decolonizing attitudes towards debt and money can lead to greater empowerment for all.

Follow us on IG for a giveaway of Lindsay’s book, “The Financial Anxiety Solution: A Step-by-Step Workbook to Stop Worrying about Money, Take Control of Your Finances, and Live a Happier Life”!

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin (she/her) is a biracial financial therapist, podcast host, speaker, and author of the book The Financial Anxiety Solution. In her coaching practice, she helps therapists in social justice or of marginalized identities grow their profitable practices from the inside out; so they can stop feeling icky about money, and start setting and sticking to sustainable rates that allow them to grow their businesses in alignment with their values. Connect with Lindsay through her website and Instagram @mindmoneybalance

Mentioned in this episode:

• For therapists: Free guide to help you fill your therapy private practice www.mindmoneybalance.com/freeguide
• For anyone: Free quiz to learn more about your financial archetype www.mindmoneybalance.com/quiz

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
Join our Clinician Community

Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
[email protected]
buymeacoffee.com/bridgesmh

This week, Christie sits down with Anna Huang and Chloe Chan of @ mottstreetgirls to talk about the community and vibrancy of New York City’s Chinatown. They chat about how they came to appreciate their identities more through learning more about their culture’s history and how they have come to view education as a way to heal the cycle of collective trauma. The discuss their views on the gentrification of Chinatown, being unexpected small business owners, and how they remain powered and grounded by their passion for the community. 

Anna Huang and Chloe Chan are the co-founders of Mott Street Girls. By hosting Chinatown walking tours, creating educational social media content, and partnering with community organizations, MSG strives to preserve Chinatown’s rich cultural heritage, bring business to the neighborhood, and share the stories of our community. Connect with Anna and Chloe on Instagram @mottstreetgirls

Mentioned in this episode:

• Uncle Lou Cantonese Restaurant
• Artbean Coffee
• House of Joy Traditional Chinese Dim Sum
• Yu and Me Bookstore
• Lanterne Candle Lab
• Kitsby Dessert Shop
• Check out Sammy’s @sammynycart gallery show (through 12/28/22) with Mott Street Girls at Pearl River Mart to benefit Chinatown businesses that were affected by the pandemic
• Listen to the episode with Sammy here

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
Join our Clinician Community

Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
[email protected]
buymeacoffee.com/bridgesmh

This week, Diana chats with Asha Aravindakshan about making the power of personal relationships, putting yourself out there, and resisting societal and cultural expectations in making a career change. They talk about the ways in which you can build out your first- and second-degree networks, manage uncertainty and tolerance for risk as you make a career pivot, and tips and strategies for effectively finding a new job. Referring to the phenomenon of the “bamboo ceiling,” they also delve into some of the challenges that prevent APISA-identifying people from achieving certain goals, and the ways in which those challenges can be mitigated.

Follow us on IG for an upcoming giveaway of Asha’s book, Skills: The Common Denominator!

Asha Aravindakshan (Are-uh-vin-doc-shin; she/her) is the author of Skills: The Common Denominator, which highlights true stories of transferable skills for career success. She’s presented at conferences in the Americas and is the recipient of awards on digital transformation and future of work. Asha studied business at GW and MIT. Connect with Asha on Instagram and Twitter @dcasha

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right by Gorick Ng
• Stuck: Why Asian Americans Don't Reach the Top of the Corporate Ladder by Margaret Chin

 
Bridges Mental Health connects Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Americans (APISA) with culturally responsive mental health professionals and resources. We hope to make mental health care more accessible and approachable across the Asian diaspora.
Find a Therapist
Join our Clinician Community

Write to us with comments & questions, we'd love to hear from you.
@bridgesmentalhealth
[email protected]
buymeacoffee.com/bridgesmh