On Reclaiming Mental Health for Asian Americans

Many in the Asian American community are experiencing a renewed connection to their identity, inspiring them to radically reconsider the cultural frameworks that enabled their assimilation into American culture. As Asian Americans investigate the personal and societal effects of longstanding cultural narratives suggesting they take up as little space as possible, their mental health becomes critically important. Although over 18 million people of Asian descent live in the United States today, they are the racial group least likely to seek out mental health services. 

Through her work and in her latest book, Permission to Come Home, Taiwanese American clinical psychologist Jenny Wang confronts and destabilizes the stigma Asian Americans face in caring for their mental health. She offers permission to embrace mental and emotional self-care while understanding and honoring the richness of heritage to embody a new, complete identity.  

Join Dr. Wang for a powerful conversation with CIIS Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Psychological Services Center Lani Chow about the intersection between Asian American identity, mental health, and social justice. From recognizing emotions, to establishing boundaries, managing anger, and introducing play into one’s life, Dr. Wang shares a road map for the journey to wholeness.


Jenny Wang is a Taiwanese American clinical psychologist and national speaker on Asian American mental health and racial trauma in Asian American, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and immigrant communities. Her work focuses on the intersection of Asian American identity, mental health, and social justice. She is the founder of the @asiansformentalhealth Instagram community, in which she discusses the unique experiences of Asian diaspora and immigrant communities. She spearheaded the Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American Therapist Directory and its companion Canadian directory to help Asians seek culturally reverent mental health providers.

Lani Chow, PhD, has been the Director of Clinical Training for the Psychology Doctoral Program at CIIS since 2014. She has been the Director of the Psychological Services Center since 2008. Dr. Chow regularly teaches Foundation Clinical Skills, Ind. and Couples, Professional Laws and Ethics, Gender and Sexuality a Culture and Ethnicity. Her research interests are clinical training and supervision, the intersection of Psychoanalysis and Community Mental Health, psychodynamic theory and practice; relational theory and intersubjectivity, gender and sexuality, feminist theory, culture and community, and trauma and recovery.

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