Understanding Korean Americans Mental Health

The first of its kind, this book helps readers better understand Korean American mental health issues and their ongoing implications. The editors offer culturally competent practices, program developments, and policies that will better address the Korean Americans who are dealing with mental health issues.

The first of its kind, this book helps readers better understand Korean American mental health issues and their ongoing implications. The editors offer culturally competent practices, program developments, and policies that will better address the Korean Americans who are dealing with mental health issues.

Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the United States. When Asian immigrants arrive in the United States, they regularly encounter a vast number of difficulties integrating themselves into their new culture. In Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families, distinguished researchers and clinicians discuss the process of acculturation for individuals and their families, addressing the mental health needs of Asian Americans and thoroughly examining the acculturative process, its common stressors, and characteristics associated with resiliency. This first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional title synthesizes current acculturation research, while presenting those concepts within a clinical framework. In addition to providing an in-depth look at both past and present research and offering directions for future topics to explore, the book also offers a range of practical tools such as research scales to measure levels of acculturation, interview techniques, and clinical approaches for special populations including children, the elderly, and their families. Thought-provoking and informative, Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families will enhance the understanding of the clinical and sociocultural problems Asian Americans face, providing clinicians with all the necessary insights to better care for their patients.

The book is based on interviews with seven Korean American caregiver's painful shared experiences of having mentally ill adult children. Multiple in-depth tape-recorded interviews in Korean and translated into English. They often had great difficulties utilizing existing mental health services. Language problems, unfamiliarity with Western mental health system impose difficulties in accessing resources, creating further stress and confusion.In result of this interviews, the author established non-profit multi-disciplinary professional Korean American Behavioral Health Association (KABHA) in 2001, consisting of bilingual Korean American (KA) Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Psychiatric Social Workers and Nurse Practitioners to promote the behavioral health of Korean American (KA) Community in the NY Tri-State area to reduce social stigma and family shame associated with mental illness. The KABHA has been actively advocating via media, workshops and collaboration with various community organizations.

This widely adopted text synthesizes an extensive body of research on Asian American personality development, identity, and mental health. Uba focuses on how ethnocultural factors interact with minority group status to shape the experiences of members of diverse Asian American groups. Cultural values and norms shared by many Asian Americans are examined and common sources of stress described, including racial discrimination and immigrant and refugee experiences. Rates of mental health problems in Asian American communities are reviewed, as are predictors and manifestations of specific disorders. The volume also explores patterns in usage of available mental health services and considers ways that service delivery models might be adapted to better meet the needs of Asian American clients.

This book studies Korean American girls between thirteen and nineteen and their formation with regard to self, gender, and God in the context of Korean American protestant congregational life. It develops a hybrid methodology of de-colonial aims and indigenous research methods, aiming to facilitate transformative life in faith communities.

A powerful account of a Korean American daughter's exploration of food and family history to understand her mother's schizophrenia.