As one of the few Chinese Americans in his New York City neighborhood, Ben Chan recalled facing “all kinds of discrimination” as he grew up. The microaggressions, systemic racism, and physical and verbal violence he experienced began in elementary school, lasting all the way through college and beyond.
These experiences left a deep impression on him. Yet he had no idea this wasn’t normal, and how much it affected him, until he found the right therapist to process his trauma.
“A lot of these experiences I didn’t really have a place to talk about, or anybody really to talk to about,” says Chan to AsAmNews. “It’s really in the last few years that I’ve been working with a therapist that specializes in racial trauma that I’ve been unpacking these things.”
For Chan, and many other Asian Americans nationwide, culturally competent therapists are critical for mental healthcare. Yet these therapists remain difficult to find. As more Asian Americans reach out for mental health treatment, this lack of therapists is a block to getting the help they need.
There is a nationwide shortage of therapists that serve the Asian American community. In 2021, less than 4% of psychologists identified as Asian American or Asian Pacific American, compared with 80% who identified as White. On top of that, not all of those psychologists are trained in culturally competent care.
As a result, it can be especially difficult for Asian Americans to find the right psychologist. For Chan, finding a therapist who could treat racial trauma was a difficult process.
Read more as AsAmNews.com.
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