Mental Health Resources For The AAPI Community And Other Resources For Education And Advocacy

Anti-Asian racism and violent attacks against members of the AAPI community have been long-standing problems in the United States. Since the COVID-19 crisis began, hate speech and violence against the AAPI community have only increased.

While the solution to this is dismantling white supremacy and ending systemic racism, we have a long way to go. As we do this work, it is important to make sure members of the AAPI community have access to the mental health resources and support they need.

While the term AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) encompasses a wide range of countries, ethnicities, nationalities, and identities, many different communities within the AAPI label face their own unique challenges.

What we’ve collected here are organizations, individuals, and resources that specifically serve and/or talk about the AAPI community as a whole or specific identities within it. We will continue to add to this list and we welcome recommendations or feedback at [email protected].

Donate to or get support from organizations providing mental health resources specifically for AAPI

• Asians Do Therapy has content about reducing the stigma around therapy in AAPI communities and provides guidance on how to get started.
• Asian Mental Health Collective has a mental health blog and podcast plus a community for AAPI therapists.
• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association has a directory of AAPI providers and provides mental health support and advocacy.
• Asian American Psychological Association’s mission is to "Advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education, and policy."
• Asians for Mental Health is a directory of AAPI mental health providers.
• Project Lotus is a youth-led organization educating and empowering today’s Asian-American communities, advancing the movement of Asian-American’s blossoming, and addressing mental health stigma, shame, and overall perception of mental health.
• The Color of Success Podcast with Dr. Stephanie J. Wong hosts guests who share their success stories, discuss coping strategies to maintain mental resiliency, and talk about ways these strategies have contributed to them following their personal and professional dreams.
• MannMukti encourages open dialogue around mental health challenges for South Asians.
• SouthAsianTherapists.org is a directory of mental health providers that are offering care for the South Asian Community.

Individuals and organizations advocating for AAPI mental health and other education and resources on social media

• @asianmentalhealthcollective is building a community for Asian mental health support.
• @projectlotusorg is a youth-led organization aiming to destigmatize mental health in Asian-American communities by tackling the model minority myth.
• @asianmentalhealthproject is educating and empowering Asian communities to seek mental health care.
• @asiansformentalhealth is run by clinical psychologist Dr. Jenny Wang.
• @aafederation has been empowering NYC’s Asian American community since 1989.

More resources for action, education, and advocacy

• Anti-Asian Violence Resources Card contains dozens of resources that have been gathered to help individuals educate others, take action, donate, and more.
• Stop AAPI Hate is a place to record hate incidents to identify who this is happening to and where.
• The long, ugly history of anti-Asian racism and violence in the U.S. from The Washington Post.
• Why This Wave of Anti-Asian Racism Feels Different in The Atlantic.
• The AAPI COVID-19 Project is a collective research project examining the ongoing COVID-19 crisis as it shapes the lives of Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders in the United States with a great list of resources.
• Work with ReadySet to make your company more diverse and inclusive.
• The APA Heritage Month 2020: an Asian Studies librarian's reading list was compiled by Casey Lee, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Librarian.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please do not use this site. Take immediate action: here is a list of crisis resources for you and your loved ones.