Counseling Asian Americans

Melissa Hayward-Kendrigan

Interview with Katherine Frain

The term Asian American refers to Americans whose families originated in many different Asian countries.

Geographically, Asia includes countries encompassing the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian

subcontinent including, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine

Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. In recent years the US census has referenced those people who are

descendants of the original residents of the Pacific Islands with Asian Americans.

As of 2010, The Asian American population is almost 15 million, representing 5% of the total population.

More than 60% of Asian Americans are immigrants; more than two thirds speak a language other than English at home and about 40% do not speak English very well.

Asian American Population

The population is composed of about 40 distinct subgroups that differ in language, religion, and values.

3.8 million Chinese

2.4 million Filipinos

1.9 million Asian Indians

1.7 million Vietnamese

1.6 million Korean

1.3 million Japanese

Origins of Asian American immigration as of 2000

Katherine speaks about what she would like to be called....

What Katherine prefers to be called...

Key Demographics95% of Asian Americans live in metropolitan or urban areas 51% live in the Western part of the United States Asian born residents constitute one fourth of the nation's total foreign-born population. Almost three quarters of Asian American households are made up of families Among Asian American groups , there are at least 32 different primary languages spoken. Asian Americans, especially Asian Indians, Chinese and Japanese, in the year 2000 were more likely than whites to have earned at least a college degree Laotians and Cambodians were more likely to have less than a ninth grade education. In 2001 40% of Asian American families had incomes over 75,000 annually, whereas 10% lived below the poverty line, including 66% of Laotians, 49% of Cambodians, and 34% Vietnamese

History1880s Chinese Exclusion Act Japanese immigrant to US to replace Chinese immigrants after 1882 1924 Immigration Act banned Japanese immigrant 1942 the Executive Order 9066 sent Japanese to concentration camp after Japanese attacked Honolulu Filipino was once an American territory 7/4/1946 until 12/12/1989 1965 immigration act brought large numbers of Chinese, Filipino and Koreans to the US Spring of 1975 end of Vietnam war and 125,000 Vietnamese left their country for US

Historical events affecting the counseling process

Katherine speaks about

Asian American Culture• Religion- Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Christian,

Daoism and many others • Language- Different dialects even within one country or

one region. • Asian Americans commonly share the world view to

maintain harmony and equilibrium • Asian Americans focus less on the individual compared

to Western culture • Family oriented as a whole, even the extended family • They help each other within the family

• First generation of earlier immigrants tend to keep traditional culture

Cultural conflict between generations.

Loss of traditional culture in the later generations, especially for those native born Asian Americans.

Discipline/ Children should strive for family goals and not bring dishonor to the family

Respect for their elders

Value Education/ especially Japanese Americans

Four ForcesPsychodynamic

• Emphasize Asian cultural values as interpreted by the client, including the importance of family needs as opposed to stereotyping all ethnic clients from a particular group as the same

• Counselor must build a rapport and trust to achieve a strong therapeutic alliance while honoring the clients particular cultural background and experiences.

• Family connectedness can have implications for individual development and can influence the course of psychotherapy for Asian American clients.

• May need to be willing to include family members in therapy

Cognitive-Behavioral• Strength Focused Approach • Problem and solution based • Individualistic approach may or may not work well with Asian Americans because of

family connectedness.

Existential Humanistic

• Relationship oriented • De-emphasis on diagnosis which may make the client feel

more comfortable about seeking counseling services. • Focuses on here and now. • May take some time to earn trust with this approach

Multicultural

• Multicultural pulls on all forces, this would be beneficial to use with the Asian American population.

• Very context driven; appreciates the norms and values of the culture.

Culturally Responsive Counseling with Asian American Men

Front Cover William Ming Liu, Derek Kenji Iwamoto, Mark H. Chae Routledge, Jan 19, 2011 - Psychology - 367 pages

Katherine and Values affecting the counseling process

Do:First establish a relationship with your client in order to earn trust.

Treat every client with a blank slate. They are their own unique self. Assess the ethnic self identity of the client.

Consider the family and community context during assessments and problem definition.

Determine whether somatic complaints are involved, and assess their influence on mood and relationships.

Make eye contact, Be aware of non verbal cues

Use strategies appropriate to the collectivistic, hierarchical, and patriarchal orientation of Asian Americans, when needed.

Conduct a positive asset search

Be open

Dont:

• Assume that all Asian Americans are the same

• Stereotype

• automatically consider interdependence a sign of enmeshment.

• Take on an authoritarian role in sessions

StereotypeAll Asians are the same Model minority Asian women are passive sexual objects Asian men are controlling and unattractive

Asian American Success Story

Economics the higher percentage of Asian American families have more than one wage earner. between group differences in education and income higher prevalence of poverty despite the higher median income

• 12.5% for Asian Americans • 15.1% for Pacific Islanders

Rates of poverty are particularly high among Hmong, Guamanian, Indonesian, and Cambodian immigrants

Education Among the Hmong only 40% have completed high school

Fewer than 14% of Tongan, Cambodian, Laotian, and Hmong adults have a bachelors degree.

Katherine speaks about what life is like in the US for someone that is

Asian American.

Thank you Katherine Frain

References Barnes. J.S., &Bennett, C.E. (2002, February). The Asian Population: 2000

(Census 2000 Brief). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Frain, K (personal communicator, April 18, 2014).

Hong, G. (1989) Application of cultural and environmental issues in family

therapy with immigrant Chinese Americans. Journal of Strategic Therapies, 8, 14-21. McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., and Pearce. J.K. (2005). Ethnicity and Family

Therapy (3rd edition). New York: Guilford.

[Photographs of Nina Reyes]. [ca. 2014]. A Journal of Asian American

Poetry.Lantern Review.

Sue, D. W. and Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and

Practice (6th edition). New York; Wiley.

Culturally Responsive Counseling with Asian American Men

Front Cover William Ming Liu, Derek Kenji Iwamoto, Mark H. Chae Routledge, Jan 19, 2011 - Psychology - 367 pages

Interviewing and Change Strategies for Helpers: Fundamental Skills and Cognitive Behavioral

Interventions, 6th

Front Cover Sherry Cormier, Paula Nurius, Cynthia Osborn