Asians Do Therapy Yin J. Li, LMFT

In this conversation, I speak with J.S. Park. 

His posts and words have, at times, moved me to tears.  It was such a pleasure to speak with him about work, life, death, birth, grief and bulgogi! 
More specifically, we talk about:
his journey to becoming a chaplainclimbing mount assimilation and what gets lostwhat he means about being therapriestwhat got him into consistent therapy and medicationsuicide and his attempt 20 years ago. CONTENT WARNING.  it's between minutes 12 and 28.the birth of his second child people's misunderstandings about grief. Joon has a new book, As Long as You Need, coming out April 2024. You can pre-order your copy here.  And, if you are like me who likes to listen to books, I am so glad he is recording the audio for it because his voice,  like his words, are a balm.
J.S. Park (he/him) is a hospital chaplain, author, and online educator. For eight years he has been an interfaith chaplain at a 1000-plus bed hospital that is designated a Level 1 Trauma Center. His role includes grief counseling, attending every death, every trauma and Code Blue, staff care, and supporting end-of-life care. He also served for three years as a chaplain at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast.

J.S. has a MDiv completed in 2010 and a BA in Psychology. He also has a sixth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. J.S. currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and his three-year-old daughter and their adopted dog. They are expecting another child, their son. @JSPark3000



If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please share it with a trusted person or call 988 or text 741741. 

In this conversation, I speak to Michelle MiJung Kim.  She is a queer Korean American immigrant woman writer, speaker, activist, and entrepreneur. She the author of the award winning, The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change.
Michelle is the first non-therapist I have on the podcast for some time.

I have been inspired by her advocacy and activism, specially so in the last several weeks as it relates to Palestine.

We talk about her lived experiences and how they have shaped her relationship to silence and speaking, her holding and oscillating between compassion and criticality for herself and others. We also talk about DEI work, her thoughts on how it relates to social justice, and the cognitive dissonance of the private and the corporate. 

Michelle also shares about her first session in therapy, which I think many of us can relate to.

I hope our conversation help spark reflections on your relationship to speaking and silence.  And, that perhaps it moves you to speak (more) and to (continue) take action when you feel called for, even if new, uncomfortable or even risky at times.

Let Michelle and I know how our conversation resonates with you. It helps us keep going.  And, share this conversation with others.

@michellekimkim
@asiansdotherapy

The specific Michelle's IG post mentioned:
https://tinyurl.com/e3wem6sk
https://tinyurl.com/yeyu7hbc
https://tinyurl.com/5n7ruryw

The Occupation of the American Mind is the documentary mentioned.
https://tinyurl.com/3m33cj7m

Michelle MiJung Kim (she/her) is a queer Korean American immigrant woman writer, speaker, and activist. She is the award winning author of The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change and co-founder of Awaken. Michelle has been a lifelong social justice activist and currently serves on the board of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. Her work has appeared on world-renowned platforms such as Harvard Business Review and The New York Times, and she was named LinkedIn’s Top Voice in Racial Equity and Medium’s Top Writer in Diversity. She lives in Oakland, CA. https://www.michellemijungkim.com/

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In this conversation, I speak with Dhwani Shah, MD (he/him) who is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. 
Some highlights of our conversation:
what psychoanalysis is and is not; some realities and misconceptions of ithow love and hate exists in all of our relationshipshow therapy is a listening practice above allthe intersection of therapy and culturethe collective racialized fantasies of "Asian American" I really appreciated Dhwani's openness in sharing his thinking, his background, and how he became a psychoanalyst.  I think he captured the beauty of the psychoanalytic encounter and its emancipatory potential.

Let me know what you think of our conversation.  
Dhwani Shah, MD (he/him) is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst currently practicing in Princeton, NJ. He is a clinical associate faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a faculty member at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.  He has authored articles on topics ranging from neuroscience, mood disorders, and psychoanalysis. Dr Shah’s book entitled The Analyst’s Torment: Unbearable Mental States in Countertransference was recently published by Phoenix Publishing House and was featured in Brett Kahr’s “Top Ten Books of 2022.  dhwanishahmd.com

A plug for a project that I am working on, bringing Asian Americans and Psychoanalysis together, The Asian American Center for Psychoanalysis, visit taacp.org for more information and follow on Instagram.

In this episode, I speak with Vickie Ya-Rong Chang (she/her). 

I got connected to Vickie because I wanted to speak to a clinician who had been working with clients and had expertise on climate anxiety and despair. 

The psychological and emotional impact of climate change is irrefutable. We don’t need research to know that we can’t be doing well when our home, our planet is on fire and flooding. But research does show that with increased temperatures, our baseline level of distress also increases. There are specific research showing that higher temperatures lead to higher levels of suicide, aggression and violence. 

Not to mention the acute trauma and post traumatic stress of climate disasters that destroy lives and livelihoods. 

Vickie mentions a few ways that we can “treat” climate anxiety. The courage it takes to face and feel what we have done and how we can stay present while taking action. 

And, our conversation takes me to an unexpected place. 

Vickie, in her being and wisdom, reminded me of the earth of my body and that maybe, like many others, my greatest attachment wound is the disconnection and alienation from mother earth. 

I hope you enjoy our conversation and it speaks to something in you. 
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Vickie Ya-Rong Chang (she/her) was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. In her work as a psychologist and group facilitator, she is dedicated to personal = collective liberation. A core team member of East Point Peace Academy, her work focuses on the Fierce Vulnerability Network, a national constellation of direct action teams positioned at the intersection of climate justice and racial healing. In her individual and group support work, she works primarily with BIPOC and Asian immigrants, offering awareness and somatic practices. She is strengthened by her connection to the Chinese ancestral lineage including Wudang Mountains; and to the people, culture, and land of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico and Arunachula in Tiruvannamalai, India. To connect to her, visit www.vickiechangphd.com and learn about her work at East Post Peace Academy https://www.eastpointpeace.org/retreat_reflections.
Resources:
APA report. Mental Health and Our Changing Climate
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf
Speaking of Psychology Podcast. How to cope with Climate Anxiety
https://open.spotify.com/episode/40hfsum6RhkOk932h1aZ2e
How to Save a Planet Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/1KzrasExlM5dgMYwgFHns6

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In this episode, I speak with Rosa Lim (she/her) who is a clinical psychologist based in NYC.
We cover a lot in 45 minutes. Rosa and I talk about: 
·       the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating,
·       how eating disorders is a disorder of disconnection, 
·       the correlation of trauma and eating disorders,
·       how eating disorders develop,
·       the kinds of treatments available and what healing looks like,
·       what to look for in a clinician,
·       what could be helpful in preventing eating disorders,
·       and how our experiences of immigration, food, and language intersects with the development and treatment of eating disorders.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, there might be information in this episode that might evoke strong reactions. At times you might feel understood and hopeful; and at other times, you might feel defeated and scared. Whatever this conversation brings up, my hope is that you can be gentle with yourself and know that healing is possible even if challenging. 
Eating disorders are a serious condition. Bulimia and anorexia can be life threating. 
As with any health condition, there is not a single, sure way to address it.  Please do your research and enlist friends and family to help in the process whether reading books, listening to podcasts, or finding a clinician or clinicians.
Here are the resources that Rosa mentions on the podcast:
·       National Eating Disorders Association
·       Academy of Eating Disorders
·       Eating Disorder Anonymous


Rosa Lim, PhD, (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist in NYC who has worked in private practice and in college counseling for the past 20 years. Currently, she is involved with the William Alanson White Institute’s Eating Disorders, Compulsions, and Addictions program, as both a member of the steering committee and as guest faculty.  She can be contacted at rosa.lim@gmail.com.

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In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang (she/hers) about her new book, Permission to Come Home. Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans. 

Some of what we talk about in this conversation:
How the book came to beHow she weaved in the personal, the educational and the practicalHer journey off the well marked pathHer experiences in therapyHer love for Asian and Asian AmericansI hope this conversation inspires you to start, to continue on your path to health, to home.

Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang, PhD is a first generation, Taiwanese American psychologist, author, speaker based in Houston, TX.  She is the founder of @asiansformentalhealth on Instagram and the Asian therapist directory,  https://asiansformentalhealth.com. Her book, Permission to Come Home is launching May 3, 2022.

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