Resources and Support for Asian and Asian American Communities

The Asian Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE) study, based out of the Boston University School of Social Work, seeks to improve the mental and sexual health of Chinese-American, Vietnamese-American or Korean-American young women in a manner that is sensitive to their unique cultural experiences and challenges. Their site includes information about the study as well as resources for the community.

Asian Women for Health (AWFH) is a peer-led, community-based network dedicated to advancing Asian women’s health and wellbeing through education, advocacy, and support. Their website includes a list of mental health resources.

Together Empowering Asian Minds (TEAM) aims to engage, educate and empower Asian Americans with culturally relevant resources and peer support to destigmatize seeking mental health support. Their resource lists include videos, podcasts, articles, fact sheets, and toolkits to support mental health.

The Japanese Bostonians Support Line (JB Line) supports members of the Japanese community in New England with problems they face in their daily lives by providing consultation, giving them needed information, offering them direct support services, or connecting them with other social resources. The support line is available weekdays from 10am-4pm in English and Japanese.

Saheli offers non-judgmental, culturally sensitive domestic violence services to South Asian women and families. Services are offered in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Sindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Nepali, and Arabic. They also offer a 24-hour helpline that can be reached by phone at 1-866-472-4354.

The Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness creates high-quality, evidence-based resources and services focused on mental health education and prevention for parents, students, educators, and clinicians, specifically those from Asian cultural backgrounds. They also facilitate access to culturally sensitive care for those who need it.

The UMass Chinese Mental Health Program works to build academic collaborations between mental health professionals in the United States and China. In addition to promoting this cross-cultural exchange, they provide Asian mental health consultation services and are working to develop Harmonious, an online resource to assist people of Chinese heritage in finding mental health support.

The Mustard Seed Generation (MSG) is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to education around mental health issues of Korean Americans. They directly work with first- and second-generation families, young adults, students, church leaders, and mental health professionals through conferences, workshops, trainings, and summits.

The Asian Mental Health Project offers resources to find support and to help educate Asian American communities about mental health.

South Asian Mental Health Initiative & Network serves South Asians (individuals with ancestry from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives) by providing educational resources, a blog, and a provider directory.

Asian American Psychological Association COVID-19 Resources (AAPA) compiles a list of mental health and self-care tips, information on responding to racism and xenophobia, and parenting resources for Asian Americans.

National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) promotes the mental health and well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through training, resources for services in all 50 states, and national advocacy.

Asians Do Therapy is a website created to reduce stigma and increase the accessibility of therapy for Asian communities. The site includes information about therapy, guidance on how to find a therapist, and stories from Asian Americans about their experiences with seeking support.

Project Lotus destigmatizes mental health in Asian-American communities by tackling the model minority stereotype through culturally-relevant education for the community and the empowerment of voices. Project Lotus advances the movement for Asian Americans to be able to discuss, care for, and advocate mental health freely, without shame or stigma.

The National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health curated a list of resources on discrimination, anti-Asian racism, and trauma for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The Asian Pride Project celebrates the journeys, triumphs, and struggles of LGBTQ individuals and their Asian and Pacific Islander families and communities through film, video, photography, and written word.

Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans is a resource guide by the Human Rights Campaign foundation and the National Queer Asian Pacific Islanders Alliance (NQAPIA) designed to help Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with the coming out process.

The Visibility Project uplifts stories and images of the national queer Asian Pacific American women and transgender community. They also have a resource list on their website.

The Asian Mental Health Collective works to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community. They offer many resources and a directory of providers that serve Asian Americans across the country.

The Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) advocates and produces resources to support the mental health of Asian Americans. They produce a journal and newsletters to support the education of Asian American behavioral health practitioners.

@themindhealthspot is an Instagram account run by an Asian-American therapist and psychologist-in-training who regularly discusses how issues like racial trauma and internalized capitalism impact mental and emotional health.

Misfortune Cookies is a podcast where Asian Americans can share their mental health stories. The goal of the podcast is to de-stigmatize mental health for Asian Americans and create a space where people can listen to one another and help each other process life’s misfortunes.