Ethnic-Cultural Group Selection: Asian-Americans

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Professor’s Name

Course

Ethnic-Cultural Group Selection: Asian-Americans

The United States of America has been the leading nation worldwide in cultural diversity. Due to its immense size and diverse heritage, the US has now developed the most complex cultural identities around the globe (Thalmayer et al., 2021). The cultural diversity in the United States has been facilitated by the blending of immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnicities who have moved into America and made America a melting point. Research indicates that diversity in America has been dramatically increasing due to the increased immigration rate. Cultural diversity in the United States has led to the formation of subcultures within the country. However, these subcultures have scattered in different geographical areas as a result of settlement patterns influenced by non-native, regional weather, and landscape differences. Cultural diversity in the United States has been associated with various advantages. For instance, it has led to multiple benefits, such as significantly contributing to the economy by facilitating innovative ideas and contact structures across the globe, and it is significant to include cultural diversity in various sectors. However, since variety in the United States has been discussed abroad, it is based on and ranges from gender, race, sexuality, and political and religious views. Cultural diversity in our country is incredible. This essay focuses on Asian-American as one of the different subcultures that have developed in the United States and that count be one of the various subcultures in America.

The United States is recognized as a strong country, and being born in such a strong country; I count myself lucky since it upholds cultural diversity to top-notch. Recognizing cultural diversity in the country has helped us identify and respect other people’s ways of being that are different from our own, enables smooth interactions, and builds bridges of respect, trust, and understanding of various subcultures like the Asian-American. Asian-American is one of the inter-ethnic group living in the United States that has contributed to cultural diversity. The Asian American culture has shown a dramatic increase in population across the country, and it has been referred to as the fastest growing racial and ethnic community. Research indicates that Asian Americans are more diversified, which is triggered by various values and philosophies. I am interested in this inter-ethnic group because I have less interaction with it in the counseling office. I have realized that there have been issues concerning counseling for this subculture in America because language and counselor ethnicity are the major issues impacting Asian Americans when seeking counsel. According to multicultural practice theory indicates that any individual involved in the counseling process should work in recognition of cultural diversity in order to attend to all people that seek help from them despite being from another subculture.

An established counseling office for Asian Americans is found in the Asian American Counseling Center. The counseling office’s establishment is because there has been a high prevalence of depression and mental health issues among this ethnic group that needs counseling and help people with such problems. Researchers additionally indicate that this center has been established due to increased diversity and the Asian American population. There is a need for efficient and effective mental health services for this ethnic group. This speculation is justified by various reviews that show that Asian Americans are affected by complex depression. This disorder seems to be more multifaceted, thus making the group more heterogeneous compared to other subcultures in the United States (Kam et al., 2019). According to Asian American Christian Counseling Service reveals that Asian American mental health specialists from various Asian American religions began meeting and providing support and consultations to church leaders about how to counsel and manage/control church followers with serious mental, complex emotions, and interpersonal problems. However, after various meetings, what revolved later these meetings was a vision for establishing effective and efficient professional counseling services for people from this ethnic group, both from church and community at large (Asian American Counseling Center on OpenCounseling, 2022). Therefore, after installing this center with a counseling office, effective programs and services were provided that are sensitive to cultural diversity depending on the nature of the community, religious beliefs, and other clientele issues. The center’s development was significant to Asian American ethnic groups because they could access culturally competent counseling services from professional and qualified experts within the region. This means that counseling therapists have been able to provide care despite the inaccurate historical stereotypes and myths regarding the ethnic group since they are aware of how the issue has negatively affected the community. Moreover, through culturally competent care provided at the Asian American counseling center, where counseling offices are situated, the therapist has understood that Asian American is immensely diverse in various ways, and they have not been making assumptions regarding any patient from the community (Gopalkrishnan, 2018).

Research conducted by the mental health department indicates that Asian Americans have the highest percentage of people with mental health issues and need counseling. However, despite Asian Americans having the largest share of people with mental problems, statistics indicate that significant disparities exist in the rates at which each population seeks therapist assistance (Misra et al., 2020). For instance, one out of five people in America experience health issues that need counseling; however, Asians are three times less likely to seek counseling when compared to whites. This ethnic group visits these counseling offices because Asian Americans visit these counseling offices when their mental status has worsened since they fear being stigmatized whenever they visit healthcare units. And due to the fear of being stigmatized, Asian Americans only meet at the counseling offices at Asian American when their mental health condition is a mess and have no fear of being stigmatized (Maeshima & Parent, 2022). This is because talking about mental health issues in the United States has been considered taboo, especially among the AAPIs, which discourages Asian Americans from seeking professional counseling assistance. The reason is that Asian Americans have the behavioral tendency to refuse to acknowledge mental health issues based on their traditional perceptions. Moreover, the failure of Asian Americans to seek professional mental health counseling has been led by a lack of cultural competence that could have addressed the issue of stigmatization among ethnic groups based on their race, gender, and cultural beliefs. And therefore, there is a need to create public awareness concerning the importance of seeking professional counseling at the Asian American counseling center for all members of the Asian American population. to help them get counseling for their mental health issues like depression and reduce the high rate of people being affected by this condition. This is because counseling offices at Asian American counseling center are open 24/7, counselors are available and can be conducted anytime, and an individual can get help instantly.

References

Asian American Counseling Center on OpenCounseling. OpenCounseling. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://www.opencounseling.com/united-states/torrance/counseling-agency/asian-american-counseling-center#expect.

Gopalkrishnan, N. (2018). Cultural diversity and mental health: Considerations for policy and practice. Frontiers in public health, 6, 179.

Kam, B., Mendoza, H., & Masuda, A. (2019). Mental health help-seeking experience and attitudes in Latina/o American, Asian American, Black American, and White American college students. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 41(4), 492-508.

Maeshima, L. S., & Parent, M. C. (2022). Mental health stigma and professional help-seeking behaviors among Asian American and Asian international students. Journal of American College Health, 70(6), 1761-1767.

Misra, S., Wyatt, L. C., Wong, J. A., Huang, C. Y., Ali, S. H., Trinh-Shevrin, C., … & Kwon, S. C. (2020). Determinants of depression risk among three Asian American subgroups in New York City. Ethnicity & Disease, 30(4), 553.

Thalmayer, A. G., Toscanelli, C., & Arnett, J. J. (2021). The neglected 95% revisited: Is American psychology becoming less American? American Psychologist, 76(1), 116.

Ethnic-Cultural Group Selection: Asian-Americans

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Professor’s Name

Course

Ethnic-Cultural Group Selection: Asian-Americans

The United States of America has been the leading nation worldwide in cultural diversity. Due to its immense size and diverse heritage, the US has now developed the most complex cultural identities around the globe (Thalmayer et al., 2021). The cultural diversity in the United States has been facilitated by the blending of immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnicities who have moved into America and made America a melting point. Research indicates that diversity in America has been dramatically increasing due to the increased immigration rate. Cultural diversity in the United States has led to the formation of subcultures within the country. However, these subcultures have scattered in different geographical areas as a result of settlement patterns influenced by non-native, regional weather, and landscape differences. Cultural diversity in the United States has been associated with various advantages. For instance, it has led to multiple benefits, such as significantly contributing to the economy by facilitating innovative ideas and contact structures across the globe, and it is significant to include cultural diversity in various sectors. However, since variety in the United States has been discussed abroad, it is based on and ranges from gender, race, sexuality, and political and religious views. Cultural diversity in our country is incredible. This essay focuses on Asian-American as one of the different subcultures that have developed in the United States and that count be one of the various subcultures in America.

The United States is recognized as a strong country, and being born in such a strong country; I count myself lucky since it upholds cultural diversity to top-notch. Recognizing cultural diversity in the country has helped us identify and respect other people’s ways of being that are different from our own, enables smooth interactions, and builds bridges of respect, trust, and understanding of various subcultures like the Asian-American. Asian-American is one of the inter-ethnic group living in the United States that has contributed to cultural diversity. The Asian American culture has shown a dramatic increase in population across the country, and it has been referred to as the fastest growing racial and ethnic community. Research indicates that Asian Americans are more diversified, which is triggered by various values and philosophies. I am interested in this inter-ethnic group because I have less interaction with it in the counseling office. I have realized that there have been issues concerning counseling for this subculture in America because language and counselor ethnicity are the major issues impacting Asian Americans when seeking counsel. According to multicultural practice theory indicates that any individual involved in the counseling process should work in recognition of cultural diversity in order to attend to all people that seek help from them despite being from another subculture.

An established counseling office for Asian Americans is found in the Asian American Counseling Center. The counseling office’s establishment is because there has been a high prevalence of depression and mental health issues among this ethnic group that needs counseling and help people with such problems. Researchers additionally indicate that this center has been established due to increased diversity and the Asian American population. There is a need for efficient and effective mental health services for this ethnic group. This speculation is justified by various reviews that show that Asian Americans are affected by complex depression. This disorder seems to be more multifaceted, thus making the group more heterogeneous compared to other subcultures in the United States (Kam et al., 2019). According to Asian American Christian Counseling Service reveals that Asian American mental health specialists from various Asian American religions began meeting and providing support and consultations to church leaders about how to counsel and manage/control church followers with serious mental, complex emotions, and interpersonal problems. However, after various meetings, what revolved later these meetings was a vision for establishing effective and efficient professional counseling services for people from this ethnic group, both from church and community at large (Asian American Counseling Center on OpenCounseling, 2022). Therefore, after installing this center with a counseling office, effective programs and services were provided that are sensitive to cultural diversity depending on the nature of the community, religious beliefs, and other clientele issues. The center’s development was significant to Asian American ethnic groups because they could access culturally competent counseling services from professional and qualified experts within the region. This means that counseling therapists have been able to provide care despite the inaccurate historical stereotypes and myths regarding the ethnic group since they are aware of how the issue has negatively affected the community. Moreover, through culturally competent care provided at the Asian American counseling center, where counseling offices are situated, the therapist has understood that Asian American is immensely diverse in various ways, and they have not been making assumptions regarding any patient from the community (Gopalkrishnan, 2018).

Research conducted by the mental health department indicates that Asian Americans have the highest percentage of people with mental health issues and need counseling. However, despite Asian Americans having the largest share of people with mental problems, statistics indicate that significant disparities exist in the rates at which each population seeks therapist assistance (Misra et al., 2020). For instance, one out of five people in America experience health issues that need counseling; however, Asians are three times less likely to seek counseling when compared to whites. This ethnic group visits these counseling offices because Asian Americans visit these counseling offices when their mental status has worsened since they fear being stigmatized whenever they visit healthcare units. And due to the fear of being stigmatized, Asian Americans only meet at the counseling offices at Asian American when their mental health condition is a mess and have no fear of being stigmatized (Maeshima & Parent, 2022). This is because talking about mental health issues in the United States has been considered taboo, especially among the AAPIs, which discourages Asian Americans from seeking professional counseling assistance. The reason is that Asian Americans have the behavioral tendency to refuse to acknowledge mental health issues based on their traditional perceptions. Moreover, the failure of Asian Americans to seek professional mental health counseling has been led by a lack of cultural competence that could have addressed the issue of stigmatization among ethnic groups based on their race, gender, and cultural beliefs. And therefore, there is a need to create public awareness concerning the importance of seeking professional counseling at the Asian American counseling center for all members of the Asian American population. to help them get counseling for their mental health issues like depression and reduce the high rate of people being affected by this condition. This is because counseling offices at Asian American counseling center are open 24/7, counselors are available and can be conducted anytime, and an individual can get help instantly.

References

Asian American Counseling Center on OpenCounseling. OpenCounseling. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://www.opencounseling.com/united-states/torrance/counseling-agency/asian-american-counseling-center#expect.

Gopalkrishnan, N. (2018). Cultural diversity and mental health: Considerations for policy and practice. Frontiers in public health, 6, 179.

Kam, B., Mendoza, H., & Masuda, A. (2019). Mental health help-seeking experience and attitudes in Latina/o American, Asian American, Black American, and White American college students. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 41(4), 492-508.

Maeshima, L. S., & Parent, M. C. (2022). Mental health stigma and professional help-seeking behaviors among Asian American and Asian international students. Journal of American College Health, 70(6), 1761-1767.

Misra, S., Wyatt, L. C., Wong, J. A., Huang, C. Y., Ali, S. H., Trinh-Shevrin, C., … & Kwon, S. C. (2020). Determinants of depression risk among three Asian American subgroups in New York City. Ethnicity & Disease, 30(4), 553.

Thalmayer, A. G., Toscanelli, C., & Arnett, J. J. (2021). The neglected 95% revisited: Is American psychology becoming less American? American Psychologist, 76(1), 116.