Supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander Mental Health
This page is regularly updated with new resources and information.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have the lowest help-seeking rate for mental health services of any racial/ethnic group. This may be due to the many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment, such as the disparity between the high demand and poor availability of linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health service providers. Cultural identity, faith, stigma, immigration status and fear may also all play a role.
The list below contains a variety of mental health resources for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. For more information on culturally competent care, visit NAMI’s page about the AAPI community and mental health care.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Mental Health America AAPI Resources
Mental Health America provides data on mental health in AAPI communities, issues that might affect AAPI populations relating to mental health, access to resources and insurance, and a list of resources and partnerships which may be useful.
Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)
AAPA’s mission is to advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education, and policy.
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)
NAAPIMHA’s mission is to promote the mental health and well being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. NAAPIMHA strives to raise awareness of the role of mental health in an individual’s health and well-being, especially in Asian American Pacific Islander communities throughout the country.
The Asian Mental Health Collective
The Asian Mental Health Collective’s mission is to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community. They aspire to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide. They offer a community blog, therapist directory, and more.
Asian American Suicide Prevention and Education
The Asian American Suicide Prevention & Education is a joint project of Asian American Federation and Hamilton-Madison House. Information regarding the Asian Lifeline Hotline can be found on this site (Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and Fujanese are offered), as well as educational resources.
Asian Pacific Islander South Asian American (APISAA) Therapist Directory
An Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American (APISAA) Therapist Directory.
A Mental Wellness Activity Book for Asian Americans
The University of Connecticut’s Asian and Asian American Studies Institute has partnered with the #IAMNOTAVIRUS campaign and the Asian American Literary Review to provide students with this Mental Health Workbook. It includes journals, poetry, literature and more resources to help support Asian American mental health.
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations. We seek to build the organizational capacity of local LGBT AAPI groups, develop leadership, promote visibility, educate our community, enhance grassroots organizing, expand collaborations, and challenge anti-LGBTQ bias and racism.
STOP AAPI HATE
In response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center on March 19, 2020. The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
AAJC is the voice for the Asian American community – the fastest-growing population in the U.S. – fighting for their civil rights through education, litigation, and public policy advocacy. AAJC serves to empower communities by bringing local and national constituencies together and ensuring Asian Americans are able to participate fully in our democracy.
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
SAALT is a national movement strategy and advocacy organization committed to racial justice through structural change, which means they focus on transforming institutions while leveraging incremental change as a means to shift conditions and power.
National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA)
NaFFAA’s mission is to promote the welfare and well-being of Filipino Americans throughout the United States by amplifying their voices, advocating on behalf of their interests, and providing resources to facilitate their empowerment.
EPIC
EPIC is a national organization that promotes social justice by engaging Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities through culturally relevant advocacy, research, and leadership development.
#IAmNotAVirus
#IAmNotAVirus is an artist led initiative that does impactful work on dismantling racism by guiding individuals to explore their personal stories and think of them through an equity lens so they can make conflict less uncomfortable and become invested in growing in community.
CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism
The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino is a nonpartisan research and policy center that examines the ways that Bigotry, advocacy of extreme methods, or Terrorism, both Domestically and Internationally deny civil or Human Rights to people on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other relevant status characteristics. The center seeks to aid scholars, community activists, government officials, law enforcement, the media and others with objective information to aid them in their examination and implementation of law, education and policy.
National CAPACD
National CAPACD is a progressive coalition of local organizations that advocate for and organize in low-income AAPI communities and neighborhoods. We strengthen and mobilize our members to build power nationally and further our vision of economic and social justice for all.
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