Culturally Responsive Counseling for Asian Americans: Clinician Perspectives

Research has consistently found acute mental health treatment disparities among Asian Americans. One proposed reason for the underutilization of mental health services by Asian Americans is that available services are not culturally competent. This exploratory study presents qualitative data gathered from interviews with professional counselors who serve Asian American clients. Findings revealed significant barriers to counseling due to cultural stigma and shame, suppression of emotions, and communication gaps between clients and counselors. In response, clinicians frequently made adjustments to therapeutic approaches to accommodate the cultural beliefs and practices of clients and families. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

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Acknowledgment

The authors acknowledge the Social Science Research Center at California State University Fullerton for its assistance with data analysis.

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean government (NRF- 2012S1A5A2A03033933).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Social Work, California State University Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA Mikyong Kim-Goh
2. Department of Social Welfare, Pyeongtaek University, Pyeongtaek-si, South Korea Hyunmi Choi
3. Department of Social Welfare, Chonbuk University, Jeonju-si, South Korea Myeong Sook Yoon

1. Mikyong Kim-Goh