Healing During Uncertainty: Asian American Mental Health

Friday, May 2, 2025 | 8:30am to 4pm

CUNY School of Law
2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY 11101

RSVP Closed: https://25-05-02symposium.eventbrite.com

The Asian American / Asian Research Institute’s 2025 symposium, co-organized with NYU Steinhardt, explores the intersections of identity, culture, history, and systemic factors in shaping mental health experiences within Asian and Asian American communities. Centered around three key themes, the symposium aims to address both longstanding and emerging challenges while equipping attendees with insights and practical strategies to advance mental health support.

Building on the spirit of AAARI’s 2004 conference on “Asian American / Asian Studies: Aspects of Social Interaction,” this event fosters collaboration between mental health professionals, students, and early-career practitioners, while promoting meaningful discussions on policy implications and systemic change. It also reflects on past efforts and paves the way for a more inclusive, culturally responsive approach to mental health, benefiting both current and future generations. Despite challenges in institutionalizing Asian American studies, CUNY has been a hub for vibrant activism and creative interventions to support AAPI students and communities.

By bridging research, clinical practice, and community engagement, the symposium will address race-based trauma and foster partnerships to drive impactful change, with workshops, discussions, and advocacy efforts aimed at advancing AAPI mental health across clinical, organizational, and policy levels. Join us for a day of reflection, connection, and action to shape the future of mental health within Asian and Asian American communities.

Themes:

• Youth Mental Health: Addressing the mental health needs of Asian and Asian American youth, with particular attention to cultural expectations and identity development.
• Identities and Belonging: Exploring how diverse identities shape mental health experiences, resilience, and belonging within Asian and Asian American communities by navigating multiple identities, challenging stereotypes, and finding affirmation within their communities.
• Migration and Mental Health: Investigating the mental health impacts of migration, acculturation, and the challenges of navigating new environments.

Program

8:30am to 9:30am
Registration and Breakfast

9:30am to 9:45am
Welcome

• • John J. Chin, Interim Dean, AAARI-CUNY
  • Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng, Vice Dean for Research and Equity, NYU Steinhardt

9:45am to 9:50am
Break

9:50am to 11:05am
Breakout Session Theme 1: Youth, Students, and Identity
This session focuses on the challenges and support systems relevant to young Asian and Asian Americans, including students and LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Panel 1: “Supporting Asian and Asian American College Students: Navigating Mental Health Challenges and Cultural Barriers”
This panel explores the unique mental health challenges faced by Asian and Asian American college students, emphasizing cultural expectations, stigma, and the critical role of culturally tailored support systems in fostering resilience and identity development.

• • • • Esther Son (College of Staten Island/CUNY) – “Navigating Cultural Expectations and Mental Health Challenges Among Asian American/Asian College Students”
      • Yiwei (Cecile) Xu (New York University) – “The Help-Negation Effect: Understanding the Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking in Asian American Youth”

Panel 2: “Healing and Resilience in AANHPI Youth: Embracing Strengths and Overcoming Mental Health Barriers”
This panel highlights the mental health challenges and resilience of AANHPI youth, emphasizing the transformative power of play, community, storytelling, and culturally responsive strategies in supporting their emotional well-being and identity development.

• • • • Ivy Li (Apex for Youth) & Melissa Lee Alvey (Apex for Youth) – “The Power of Play: Reconnecting Families and Rebuilding Joy in Asian American Youth”
      • Matt Kamibayashi (The Asian American Foundation) – “Beyond the Surface: Uncovering the Mental Health Challenges and Strengths of AANHPI Youth”
      • Nida Fazili – “Healing through Stories: Exploring Mental Health and Identity in the Kashmiri Diaspora”

Panel 3: “Supporting Asian and Asian American Youth: Navigating Mental Health, Family, and Identity in Complex Contexts”
This panel explores the unique mental health challenges faced by Asian and Asian American youth, focusing on the intersecting issues of race, immigration status, family dynamics, and culturally adapted interventions for better well-being and academic success.

• • • • Rikka Venturanza (California State University, Northridge) – “The Intersecting Struggles of Asian American Students in Mixed-Status Families: Navigating Race, Belonging, and Achievement”
      • Cordelia Zhong (Teachers College, Columbia University), Xiao Shi (Hamilton-Madison House) & Kemar McIntosh (NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) – “Culturally Adapted Suicide Prevention: A Family-Based Approach for Asian American Adolescents”

Panel 4: “Identity and Allyship: Exploring Mental Health in Asian and Asian American LGBTQIA+ Communities”
This panel explores the role of family dynamics, critical consciousness, and allyship in supporting the mental health and identity development of Asian and Asian American LGBTQIA+ individuals.

• • • • Alyssa Soeun Choi (John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY) – “Navigating Family Dynamics: The Role of Heterosexual Siblings in LGBTQIA+ Identity Development”
      • Dale Maglalang (NYU Silver School of Social Work) – “Critical Consciousness as a Buffer: Discrimination and Substance Use Among Asian American Sexual Minorities”

11:05am to 11:10am
Break

11:10am to 12:25pm
Breakout Session Theme 2: Trauma, Healing Modalities, and Community Care
This session delves into approaches for addressing trauma and promoting healing, utilizing artistic expression and community-centered strategies.

Panel 5: “Healing Across Generations: Culturally Responsive Clinical Approaches to Trauma and Mental Health in Asian and Asian American Communities”
This panel explores innovative, culturally grounded therapeutic practices—through theater, art, and collective action—to address generational and historical trauma and promote mental health and resilience in Asian and Asian American communities.

• • • • Ashley Cheng & Alicia W. Leong (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) – “Building Communication and Relational Health in Asian American Families through Theater”
      • Eleanor Chin – “Exploring Generational Trauma Through Art Therapy: Healing and Resilience”
      • New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health (Daniel B. Tanh, Deena Patel & Yuna Youn) – “Healing from Historical Trauma: Addressing Mental Health through Collective Action and Culturally Responsive Strategies”

Panel 6: “Healing Through Art: Exploring Identity, Trauma, and Empowerment in AAPI Communities”
This panel showcases the power of art and storytelling in addressing intergenerational trauma, reclaiming cultural identities, and fostering healing and empowerment within AAPI communities.

• • • • Amy 김선혜 Fortunato (Queens College/CUNY) – “Visualizing Liminality: Designing for the Korean Adoptee Community”
      • Lucy Yao + Dorothy Chan – Chromic Duo – “From Roots We Carry: Intergenerational Healing through Art and Storytelling”

Panel 7: “Community-Based Approaches to Mental Health: Supporting Immigrant and AAPI Communities”
This panel explores the crucial role of community-based organizations (CBOs) in providing culturally responsive mental health care to immigrant and AAPI communities, focusing on youth, women, and marginalized groups.

• • • • Miral Abbas (Coalition for Asian American Children + Families) – “Bridging Gaps in Immigrant Mental Health: The Role of Community-Based Organizations”
      • Kristen Sze-Tu (Coalition for Asian American Children + Families) – “Healing Ourselves: AAPI Youth-Centered Mental Health and Racial Healing”
      • Daphne Thammasila (Asian American Federation) – “Breaking Barriers: Collaborative Approaches to Asian American Mental Health”

Panel 8: “Decolonizing Healing: Community, Trauma, and Mental Health for Refugee and Immigrant Communities”
This panel explores culturally grounded, community-based approaches to healing trauma in Southeast Asian, Arab American, and East Asian immigrant communities, challenging Western mental health paradigms.

• • • • Linda Luu (New York University) – “War, Refugee Trauma, and Healing in Southeast Asian Communities”
      • Mariam Rahyab (New York University) – “Arab American Mental Health and the Need for Decolonial Mental Health Approaches”
      • Aaron Chang (CUNY School of Medicine) & John Park (The Pond) – “Intergenerational Trauma and Help-Seeking Behaviors in Asian American Communities”

12:25pm to 1:55pm
Lunch & Keynote

• • Mimi Khúc, Writer, Scholar, and Co-Editor of The Asian American Literary Review
    “Touring the Abyss with dear elia: Unwellness and Care in the University”
    
    Join Dr. Mimi Khúc as she shares her work on unwellness and the university from her new book, dear elia: Letters from the Asian American Abyss. Applying her framework of a “pedagogy of unwellness,” Dr. Khúc explores the contours of student and faculty unwellness and locates it within the racialized ableism of meritocracy that undergirds university life (and beyond). Academic hyperproductivity across university strata is a kind of unrelenting dehumanization that relies on something she names “compulsory wellness”—the pressure to always pretend you are ok and achieve at the highest levels. We in the university live and work in a machine that makes us unwell while not allowing us to be unwell and punishes us for being unwell and asks us to punish others for being unwell so that we can prove we are well. Join this event to explore together how to disinvest in this form of university wellness and begin to build structures of care that we need.

1:55pm to 2:00pm
Break

2:00pm to 3:15pm
Breakout Session Theme 3: Systemic Issues, Intersections, and Specific Communities
This session examines the impact of broader societal factors like racism and stereotypes, explores intersectional identities, and focuses on the experiences of specific communities.

Panel 9: “Intersectional Identities and Relationships: Exploring the Impact of Colonialism and Cultural Challenges on AAPI Women and Men”
This panel delves into the complex intersections of identity, colonial history, and gender within AAPI communities, exploring how these factors shape romantic relationships and mental health experiences.

• • • • Sarah Kinane (Fordham University) – “Biracial Identity Formation: Exploring the Experiences of White-Passing Asian-American Men”
      • Gabrielle Abrazaldo (Apicha Community Health Center) – “Colonialism’s Legacy: The Impact on Filipino American Women’s Romantic Relationships”
      • Hamida Chumpa & Mousumi Sabina (Laal) – “Supporting Bangladeshi Immigrant Women: Culturally Responsive Mental Health Strategies”

Panel 10: “Mental Health Across South Asian Immigrant Communities: Challenges, Stigma, and Collaborative Solutions”
This panel addresses the mental health challenges faced by South Asian immigrant communities, focusing on stigma, acculturative stress, and community-based solutions for better mental health awareness and care.

• • • • Naheed Ahmed – “Empowering South Asian Immigrants in NYC: A Community-Driven Approach to Mental Health Awareness”
      • Aakriti Prasai (New York University) & Sadikshya Adhikari – “Breaking the Silence: Mental Health Stigma Among Nepali-Speaking Immigrants in NYC”
      • Aasma Nuzzi (Council of Peoples Organization) – “Acculturative Stress and Mental Health: The Role of Religiosity in South Asian Muslim Immigrants”

Panel 11: “Challenging the Model Minority Myth: Health, Identity, and Stress in Asian and Asian American Communities”
This panel explores the impact of the “model minority” stereotype on mental and physical health, discrimination, and identity formation within Asian and Asian American communities, offering strategies to overcome these barriers.

• • • • Siyao Wu (Teachers College, Columbia University) – “Stress, Health, and Mind-Body Connection: A biopsychosocial approach to Understand Health Conditions of Asian Communities”
      • Nari Yoo (NYU Silver School of Social Work) – “The Model Minority Myth and Its Impact on Mental Health in Sexual Minority Asian Americans”
      • Oliver Yimeng Xu (Teachers College, Columbia University) – “Interrogating Model Minority Discourse: Scholarship, Identity, and Myth”

Panel 12: “The Mental Health Impacts of Anti-Asian Racism and Identity Transformation During the Pandemic”
This panel examines how anti-Asian racism during COVID-19 shaped the mental health, identity, and sense of belonging for Asian and Asian Americans, with a focus on older adults, students, and cross-generational narratives.

• • • • Na Yin (Baruch College/CUNY) & Van Tran (CUNY Graduate Center) – “The Mental Health Toll of Anti-Asian Racism on Older Adults During COVID-19”
      • Jocelyn Kim (Fordham University) – “The Experiences of Korean American College Students as They Utilized Co-Ethnic Digital Counterspaces During COVID-19”

3:15pm to 3:20pm
Break

3:20pm to 4pm
Close Out Session

• • Kyoko Toyama, Professor, Counseling, LaGuardia Community College/CUNY
  • Haruka Kokaze, Workplace Mental Health Research Associate & Lead Japan Strategy Analyst at Columbia University Mental Health + Work Design Lab & One Mind
  • Payal Doctor, Professor, Philosophy, LaGuardia Community College/CUNY

Co-Organizer
NYU Steinhardt

Co-Sponsors (In Formation)
CUNY School of Law
Different Roads to Learning
LaGuardia Community College AAPI Heritage Month Committee
Asian American Federation
Asian Mental Health Collective
Coalition for Asian American Children + Families
Hamilton Madison House
Potluck Asian America
Stand with Asian Americans
Tsuru for Solidarity