Cultural competence issues in counseling and therapy for Asian Americans

Abstract

Many Asian Americans suffer from mental health problems, and only a fraction of them receive necessary counseling and therapy services. This chapter examines cultural competence issues among Asian Americans in the context of their historical and cultural background and immigration patterns; the impact of the model minority myth on Asian Americans that has become a pivotal and ubiquitous cause for their mental health problems; and some of the salient challenges faced by Asian Americans as well as two models of cultural competence that can be used when working with Asian Americans. With the lack of disaggregate data on the number of Asian Americans who received mental health services (as opposed to that of specific Asian ethnic groups), there is a need for large-scale and longitudinal studies for Asian Americans in regard to the issues of mental health disorders (involving the multidimensionality of various factors) affecting Asian Americans. It is suggested that mental health professionals utilize the 3H principles to further develop a new model of cultural competence for the delivery of mental health services for Asian Americans.