"Depression Among Asian Americans" conference; Sat., April 27, 2013; 9 am-4:30 pm, Edison, NJ

[Pearl J. Park]

New Jersey Asian American Association for Human Services (njaaahs.org) presents

 

"Depression Among Asian Americans: Culture-Specific Prevention and Intervention Strategies"

Sat., April 27, 2013, 9:00AM–4:30PM 

Venue: Royal Albert’s Palace, 1050 King Georges Post Road, Edison, New Jersey, 08863*; (732) 661-1070; in...@royalalbertspalace.com

 

An estimated 1 in 10 Americans deals with depression in a given year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. But for Asian Americans, dealing with depression or any other form of mental illness may present a particularly difficult set of challenges. Depression may manifest differently among different Asian American groups. Moderated by the president of the NJ Psychiatric Association, Vasudev Makhija, MD, this conference will focus on the prevention and treatment of depression amongthe 4 largest Asian American groups in NJ: South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, and Korean. Due to the stigma of mental illness and systemic barriers in care, Asian Americans utilize mental health services at significantly lower rates than the general population in the U.S. Like all immigrants, Asian Americans, the majority of whom are foreign-born, experience the stresses of acculturation and assimilation, which may contribute to their mental health issues. Using a real-life narrative to examine critical social and systemic factors that affect Asian American families with mental illness, the conference will screen "Can" one of the first documentary films (amongourkin.org) to present the experience of mental illness from an Asian American perspective. Unlike other major minority groups, Asian Americans are publicly perceived as the model minority, which presents an inaccurate picture of their mental and physical health. This public perception often limits education, prevention, and treatment efforts for mental illness in these communities.

 

Registration Fee:

$20.00 per person (includes conference material and buffet lunch)  To register for this event, please click here to pay the $20 registration fee by PayPal (or download registration form). (6 CEUs for Nurses, Social Workers and Professional Counselors pending) 

 

$10.00 for students (ID required at the registration desk) To register for this event as a student, please click here to pay the $10 registration fee. 

 

For group conference registration of five or more, a discount is available. Please call 908-400-7254

 

Agenda

Registration and Coffee & Bagels  - 8.30AM

 

Welcome – 9.00AM 
Antony Pitchai Stephen, Ph.D.
President and Chair, NJAAAHS,

Introduction to Conference
Marley Nicolas, MSN, RN, Vice-President, NJAAAHS                                                                   

 

Greetings from:

Assistant Commissioner Lynn Kovich, M.Ed.

Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services,
NJ State Department of Health and Human Services.

 

Keynote Speech:

Kam Man Kenny Kwong, Ph.D., MSW
Assistant Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, NYC
Chair, Health & Mental Health Field of Practice

 

Moderators & Panelists Introductions: Helen Dao, MHH, Advisory Board Member, NJAAAHS & CEO Dao Consulting Services, Inc.

 

Depression Among the 4 Major Asian American Groups in NJ

Moderator: Vasudev Makhija, MD; President, New Jersey Psychiatric Association

 

Depression Among South Asians
Antony Pitchai Stephen, Ph.D., President, NJAAAHS & Adjunct Professor,
NJCU – Sociology/Anthropology Dept

 

Depression Among Filipinos

Emilie Dearing, MSN, RN, National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse, Los Angeles, CA. 

 

Depression Among Chinese Americans
Teddy Chen, Ph.D., LCSW, Director, Mental Health Bridge Program, Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, NYC

 

Depression Among Korean Americans
Kunsook Bernstein, Ph.D., NP, CASAC, RN,
Associate Professor, Hunter College, NY

 

Q&A

 

Buffet Lunch (12.30PM and break)

"Can" FILM SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION sponsored by the Korean American Community Foundation (kacfny.org)
Produced by Light Fish Arts, LLC

 

1:30PM:  A documentary film, “Can” (amongourkin.org) (65 min) by Pearl Ji-hyon Park

What does it take to heal from mental illness? Winner of the 2012 Voice Award honorable mention, this documentary film depicts a first-person account of 37-year-old Can Truong, a refugee who was among the millions of boat people who fled Vietnam, as he searches for healing, dignity and recovery from initially depression and then bipolar disorder. Over a 12-year period, Can tried more than 20 different medications, was hospitalized 7 times, and underwent 15 electroconvulsive treatments (ECT). Fighting despair and suicidal impulses, Can becomes active in the mental health consumer movement, a social and political effort by people labeled with mental illnesses who believe in recovery through self-determination and peer support.

 

Panel Discussion moderated by
Vasudev Makhija, MD, President, New Jersey Psychiatric Association

 

Panelists
Shin Woo Kim, LMSW; President, Korean American Behavioral Health Association and Social Worker at Creedmore Psychiatric Institute

Pearl Ji-hyon Park, Producer/Director, "Can"

Lawrence H. Yang, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, NY

Maggie Luo, MA; Communications and Technical Resources Coordinator, NAMI NEW JERSEY (naminj.org) 

 

Questions & Answers: Open discussion

 

4.00PM: Conference Recommendations Led by Fred Andes, DSW, MPA, LCSW, LCADC, Associate Professor, Sociology/Anthropology Dept., NJCU; Consultant, NJAAAHS

Program Evaluation

(CEUs for Nurses, Social Workers and Professional Counselors pending)

 

4.20PM:   Concluding Remarks: Claire Iwatsu, BFA, Board Member

 

Conference co-sponsored by:

• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)
• National Alliance on Mentally Ill (NAMI)
• Philippine Nurses Association of NJ
• St. Peter’s University, Center for Personal Development, Jersey City, NJ
• New Jersey City University, Sociology and Anthropology Department
• Param Care Foundation, Edison, New Jersey
• Japanese American Citizens League
• Pan American Concerned Citizen Action League, Inc. (PACCAL), Jersey City, New Jersey
• Organization of Chinese Americans
• Behavioral Health Associates of Hudson, Union, New Jersey
• Iwatsu & Associates
• The Friends of Grace Seniors
• Bridges to Success Inc. Paterson, New Jersey
• Manavi
• Nursing Network LLC, Clifton, New Jersey
• Hindu American Seva Charities
• Muslims Against Hunger
• Korean American Behavioral Health Association
• New Jersey Asian American Law Enforcement Officers Association
• New Associates, LLC
• Dao Management Consulting Services, Inc.