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“The Son Belongs to His Mother”: South Asian Daughters-in-Law and the Mental Health Toll of Family Hierarchy
In many South Asian families, a daughter-in-law doesn’t simply marry a husband—she marries into a hierarchy. Her entry into the household often marks a shift in family dynamics, especially where a deep, enmeshed mother-son bond is already in place. What may appear on the surface as generational...
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Bridging Cultural Gaps in Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services
Cultural competence in child and adolescent behavioral health is just as essential as it is in mainstream adult services for effective care. According to the American Psychological Association (2021), while ethnic and racial minorities represent 40% of the U.S. population, they make up only about...
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The Cost of Silence: How Ignoring Mental Illness in South Asian Families Leads to Physical Health Issues
Mental health remains a stigmatized issue in many South Asian families, where cultural expectations and generational beliefs discourage conversations about psychological well-being. Instead of seeking help, individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are often...
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Spirituality Versus Psychiatry: Why Many South Asians Turn to Religion Before Therapy or Psychiatric Medication
Mental health in South Asian communities is a subject influenced by a combination of cultural, social, and religious factors. Many South Asians, particularly those in Western countries, have a unique relationship with mental health care that often leads them to prioritize spiritual or religious...
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Therapy is for “Other People”: Why Many South Asian Parents Dismiss Mental Health Support
In many South Asian communities, mental health remains a stigmatized topic, leading individuals to suppress their struggles rather than seek help. This cultural undertone often results in both parents and children enduring mental health issues in silence, perpetuating a cycle of unaddressed...
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Working with Newly Arrived Asylum Seekers: A Firsthand Look
New York Psychotherapy and Counseling Center (NYPCC) has been working with newly arrived immigrants since inception in 1974. With the majority of our clinicians bi-lingual, we pride ourselves in meeting the mental health needs of our Latinx population through a culture lens. It’s one thing to...
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Developing a Culture of Accountability and Belonging
Creating a psychologically safe and inclusive work culture of Accountability and Belonging is central to the role of a developing anti-racist leader. The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior that leaders are willing to tolerate. An effective culture shift requires the...
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Black Men and Mental Health: Practical Solutions
It's no secret that black men face a unique set of circumstances in our world; economic, healthcare, and educational disparities, systemic racism, and social injustice. These factors create a world where it seems Black men's lives are rarely valued, much less their thoughts and feelings. This has...
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Using the Seven Principles of Afrocentricity to Frame a Community-Based Organization’s Programs and Services for Individuals, Families, and Communities
Services for the UnderServed (S:US) is one the largest community-based, health and human services organizations in New York State and intentionally works daily to "right" societal imbalances by providing comprehensive and culturally responsive programming. The need to fulfill its mission of driving...
