I have another confession to make, besides the blog about shopping, I have not really written anything. Even the last post was written by my father in law. Those other posts were ghostwriters. But today I will write this post and overcome my fear of writing! I really did not enjoy writing as a kid as my grammar was not good.
I am a deeply flawed human being and writing is not my strong suit. If you are still okay with this..then keep reading!
On episode 10 of the Netflix Show Beef, Danny said “Western therapy doesn't work on Eastern minds.” Is that true?
As a Chinese American therapist who has been in the field for 10 years, I have had Two Taiwanese therapists, Cuban-White therapist, and Jewish White therapist. I have had Chinese, Black, White Supervisors. Also, I have seen many clients of Asian American background and non Asian American background. What I noticed surprisingly is that therapy does work for Eastern Minds but it has less to do with race but how open therapists are to learning about the client’s culture and how strong the relationship between the therapist and the client. However, if you find a therapist with a similar background, it is easier to connect with you from the beginning.
But…besides in NYC or LA, it may be hard to find an Asian American therapist. As an Asian American therapist myself, I learned that my field is very eurocentric. What has helped me is bending the frame and making therapy work for Asians. For example, I have experienced hearing from other people and podcasts that Asians that go to therapy have their non-Asian therapist confront them to cut off their parents or they are angry at their parents on their first few sessions and stop going. While those may be true it may need to be reframed instead of cutting off, helping clients learn boundaries or ways to deal with their parents and maintain a healthier relationship where the client is not an extension of their parents but their own individual self. Also, while anger is necessary to address, I would work on building a stronger relationship with clients and deal with the client's anger when they can tolerate talking about their emotions more and more and not just from the first few sessions!
So too long to read, you have to find a therapist that understands you and is willing to learn. If you want to hop on a quick chat to find out more about me, please reach out.
