This session will address the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the AANHPI community in terms of mental health and wellness. Key topics of discussion will include overcoming barriers to access to resources, addressing the mental health stigma in the AANHPI community, and discussing ways in which to cope and support others.
Note: All WLP Sessions will be recorded live.
Krystle Canare is a strong advocate for mental health and addressing disparities experienced by underserved and under-represented communities. Krystle is currently a full-time Program Specialist for Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development where she coordinates the day-to-day operations of the Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. Prior to working at Georgetown, Krystle worked as a senior project coordinator for the National Council for Behavioral Health and consultant for the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration. Krystle has served as an Ambassador for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders during the Obama Administration, Steering Committee Member for the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health, and currently serves as the Vice President of the Asian Mental Health Collective and is a Health Equity Ambassador for the American Psychological Association. Krystle’s mental health advocacy and non-profit leadership expands to the Filipino American community as COVID-19 Task Force Fellowship Director for the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), Advisor to the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue, Inc’s (FIND, Inc) Alumni Network, and Coach for the National Federation of Filipino American Association’s Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (NaFFAA EPYC) program. She is the former Region Chair for NaFFAA’s Capital Region and President of the Philippine American Foundation for Charities, Inc. Raised in the Washington D.C metropolitan area, Krystle graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.S in Neurobiology & Physiology. Krystle attributes her passion for community building to the university’s Filipino American History & Biography course, Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy Office, and the Filipino Cultural Association. Follow Krystle at: @krystle_can (Twitter), @krys.dc (IG), @asianmhc, @iecmhc, @fylpro
DJ Ida is the Executive Director of the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association. She has a doctorate in clinical psychology and has worked with the AANHPI communities for over 40 years at the local and national levels with the primary focus on improving the qulaity of services and broadening the definition of mental health to take a more public health approach.
Angela Edward is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is an activist and a Micronesian American daughter with powerful experience serving persons from marginalized communities. Angela holds a Master of Social Work from Missouri State University. In the past decade, she has worked with families facing homelessness, young people, community elders, persons diagnosed with comorbidities, individuals impacted by mental illness, and with Asian American & Pacific Islander community members. Angela has served hundreds of women, youth, families and community members through direct services and advocacy in the state of Michigan over the past two years. She is dedicated to honoring her ancestors through community healing, civic engagement, youth advocacy and empowerment, and community organization with and for the Micronesian community. Follow Angela at www.angelaedward.com
Jennifer J. Chang (she/her) is a Ph.D. Candidate in counseling psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, completing her doctoral dissertation study about Asian American activists and their experiences of racial, ethnic, and activist identity development. She holds a B.A. in psychology from Bryn Mawr College and M.S.Ed. in mental health counseling from CUNY Queens College. Jennifer wears many hats as a therapist, researcher, scholar, activist, organizational consultant, facilitator, mentor, friend, daughter, sister, and proud Auntie. Her work as a researcher and clinician focuses on multicultural issues and the co-development of intersectional identities, with a specialty in Asian American psychology. With over 20 years of non-profit and community experience, Jennifer is a skilled youth educator and non-profit trainer with expertise in leadership development, managing group/team dynamics, destigmatizing mental health, utilizing mindfulness for social justice, and addressing issues related to diversity, inclusion, and equity (racial microaggressions, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, etc.). As a consultant, her mission is to empower individuals and teams to manage diverse organizations with more mindful (co-)leadership and also facilitate difficult dialogues with more confidence and cultural competence. Her guiding motto in this work is: “Leadership comes in all shapes and sizes.”
Anjana Sreedhar has a Masters in Public Administration from NYU. She has worked with Advisory Board, a healthcare research and consulting firm, and is an activist promoting anti-racism. She comes into the healthcare space with a keen understanding of the dynamics of power and policy and how they affect quality of life for Americans. While working as an administrative fellow at NYU Langone Health in New York City, she wrote an impactful account of the intersection of health policy, social justice, and history in Health Care of a Thousand Slights, Connecting Legacy to Access to Healthcare.
Matthew J. Miller, Ph.D. (he/him) is Professor and Co-Graduate Program Director of the counseling programs at Loyola University Chicago where he currently holds the Fr. Walter P. Krolikowski, SJ Endowed Research Professorship. He directs the Race, Culture, and Health Equity Lab, is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Counseling Psychology, and is a former Member of the Board of Directors for the Asian American Psychological Association. His research program (a) examines ways in which racism and cultural experiences relate to mental health in AAPI populations and in other diverse communities, (b) evaluates the measurement of racial and cultural constructs, and (c) tests evidence-based culturally responsive mental health interventions. He is also a filmmaker and the creator of SPOKENproject, where he produces documentary style mental health films in order to share mental health information and resources with communities in an accessible way. He is currently developing and testing a first-person narrative documentary style video intervention designed to increase one’s ability to cope with racism experiences and reduce racism-related stress. Follow Matthew at Twitter: @mmille27; @SPOKEN_project