Overcoming Challenges to Mental Health Services for Asian New Yorkers (2017)

This report highlights the four major challenges to mental health services for Asian New Yorkers: 1) the lack of awareness and acceptance of mental health due to social stigma and a clash in values; 2) shortage of linguistically and culturally competent mental health practitioners and services; 4) lack of access to mental health care services in general, as there are few entry points beyond individualized therapy and the cost of services is a deterrent for those without health insurance; and 4) lack of research into the mental health needs of and service models that work best for the Asian community due to the absence of disaggregated data for Asian ethnicities and funders’ proposal criteria that oftentimes exclude integrated or alternative service models.

The report calls for further investment in Asian-led and Asian-serving community-based organizations to lead efforts to expand community education programs and engagement around mental health, training for mental health service providers, and expansion of service capacity. In addition, the report calls for initiatives to create networks of professionals to share knowledge and resources and for further evidence-based research on alternative service delivery models that work for the Asian community. Download here:
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