Nearly 320,000 Cambodians live in the US, with about a third living in California. Many are survivors or descendants of those who fled the country during the Cambodian genocide. An estimated 2 million people died under the communist Khmer Rouge, leaving survivors with emotional, physical and psychological trauma.

Barriers such as language access or cultural stigma often prevent survivors from accessing mental healthcare to address the trauma. But one program in Alameda County has spent the last 20 years providing culturally sensitive mental health care to the Cambodian community, letting survivors lead the way — and participants say it works.

Guest: Soreath Hok, reporter for KVPR

Episode transcript

Links:

This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices