Feel Good Friday - Asian Mental Health Collective

On the last Feel Good Friday of May, a month dedicated to both Asian American Pacific Islander heritage and mental health awareness, we’re highlighting an organization that addresses both themes, the Asian Mental Health Collective.

Founded in 2020, the mission of the Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC) is “to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community.” 

The reason to focus on Asian mental health is explained on their website. “Culture influences our values, beliefs, and norms. For the Asian diaspora, many find that these aspects of our culture are barriers to identifying, discussing and accessing mental health literacy and resources.” This short video explains some of the challenges Asians face, including the model minority myth, acculturation differences and stigma around going to therapy.

For people who have overcome concerns about not showing weakness or being seen as ungrateful for what they have, AMHC has provider directories where you can search for Asian therapists in the United States and Canada. Once you find someone in your location, you can review their background and any specialty focus areas.

In order to help achieve their vision to “make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide”, AMHC has several ways to get support virtually. You can join their private Facebook group, review videos of past meetings on their YouTube channel, or browse their resource library of hotlines and organizations dedicated to mental health in the Asian community. AMHC also offers access to support groups led by Asian therapists. Each group lasts for 8 weeks and there is no cost to attend the sessions.

To help the Asian Mental Health Collective continue their work, you can shop for merch, make a donation and help raise awareness on your favorite social media platform. Follow Asian Mental Health Collective on Facebook and on Instagram @asianmentalhealthcollective