Often times Asian and Asian Americans have the perception that therapy is only for those with severe mental health conditions or for the emotionally weak.
And, that what they are struggling with doesn’t warrant going to therapy or / and that they can figure out on their own.
So, I surveyed 100 Asian American therapists from Los Angeles, CA to New York, NY to Columbus, OH and asked them:
Of your Asian / Asian American clients, what are the top reasons they started therapy?
From a list of over 35 options, the top 10 most popular answers were:
1. Anxiety symptoms
2. Family of origin conflict and issues
3. Depressive symptoms
4. Work / career / school stress
5. Relationship issues
6. Cultural identity
7. Trauma and PTSD
8. Disconnection and loneliness
9. Overwhelm of feelings/ feeling out of control
10. Suicide ideation
I hope this normalizes the reasons why people do therapy.
Profiles of the therapists surveyed:
• 54% identified as East Asian. 20% as South East Asian, 9% as South Asian, 9% as Mixed Race, 4% as Pacific Islander, 4% as other
• 66% work in private practice (office not affiliated with a hospital, clinic), 25% in an agency/clinic, 4% in a hospital, 4% in college counseling, 1% in high school counseling
• 34% identified as MFTs, 28% as Psychologists, 13% as LCSWs, 5% as LPCs, 5% as LMHCs, 2% Psychiatrist/Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners, 13% as trainees, interns, residents
(This content is shared directly from @asiansdotherapy instagram page, they do no have any affiliation with SoulFlo Therapy, follow them for more great content.)
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