Past Events and Recordings of Let’s Talk 2020-2021

find handouts here.

‘Maineland’ Screening
Featuring Director Miao Wang

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Friday, October 30th

7:00 - 9:30 pm

MAINELAND is a documentary filmed over three years in the U.S. and China. It follows the experiences of two Chinese international students who board
and study in rural Maine. After the screening, there will be a special panel discussion featuring
director Miao Wang, a mental health expert, educator, and students, including the student
Harry who was featured in the film.

As more and more young Asian international students travel (often solo) to the U.S. for their education, more attention needs to be paid to this special group. Through a panelist discussion and Q&A with the audience, we hope this event will serve to:

- Increase awareness of the psychosocial, cultural, and emotional stressors that uniquely affect young international students.

- Facilitate dialogue around how best to support international students and their families both before and while international students are studying abroad.

For more information about MAINELAND and/or to learn more about obtaining the film or arranging your own educational screening, please visit: www.mainelandfilm.com.

 

Panelists

Featured
Miao Wang
Miao Wang

Miao Wang is a Beijing-born New York-based filmmaker. She founded her production studio Three Waters Films in 2005, where, in addition to producing critically acclaimed and award-winning non-fiction films, she also creates commissioned work and branded content for corporate and commercial clients that have garnered top advertising awards. Her documentary features Maineland (2017, SXSW Jury Winner and NYTimes Critic's Pick) and Beijing Taxi (2010, New York Magazine Critic's Pick), and short-film Yellow Ox Mountain have screened at over 200 international festivals and institutions such as SXSW and the Guggenheim Museum, with US theatrical releases, nationwide broadcasts, and digitally released globally on multiple platforms. She directed Made by China in America, a documentary short in the acclaimed We the Economy series of 20 shorts by 20 directors. Her clients include Ogilvy, DuPont, Philips, Microsoft Design, Time Inc., Guggenheim Museum, the Criterion Collection, and Vice Media. Miao is a recipient of grants and fellowship from the Sundance Institute, the Jerome Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, the Tribeca Film Institute, Tribeca All Access, IFP Filmmaker's Lab, Independent Film Week, Women Make Movies, and the Flaherty Film Seminar. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Miao holds a BA in economics from the University of Chicago, and an MFA in design and film from Parsons School of Design.

Junru (Harry) He
Junru (Harry) He

Junru He, is a graduate of international studies and Economics programs at Washington & Jefferson College. He is also a certified Agile project manager. Harry has been interested in cultural differences, public policies, and how policies are made in different areas. These interests started to mount as he came to the U.S. for high school at his 16, and as he became one of the protagonists in Maineland. Thus, he then studied political science in college, interned in United Nations in Geneva, participated in the Harvard Model United conference multiple times, and presented papers that studied public trust, political regime differences, etc. Currently, Junru is serving as a consultant at Beijing Alliance PKU Management Consultants Ltd(Allpku). Junru was born and raised in Guangzhou, China, and had resided in Hong Kong SAR, China; Portland, ME; Pittsburgh, PA, Boston, MA and Seattle, WA in the U.S.

Josephine Kim, Ph.D.
Josephine Kim, Ph.D.

Josephine M. Kim, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC teaches in the Prevention Science and Practice/CAS in Counseling programs at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Massachusetts and a National Certified Counselor whose clinical skills and experiences span many contexts including residential facilities, hospitals, community agencies, and public and private schools. She is the keynote speaker at numerous parent, teacher, counselor, and youth conferences in Asia and in the U.S.

Yinan Liang
Yinan Liang

Yinan Liang is a first-year MA student at Teachers College, Columbia University, major in Clinical Psychology. She received her B.A. degree in Psychology from Brandeis University, 2020. As a research assistant at Age, Cultural, and Cognition lab in college, she was doing research on depression symptoms and memory specificity across culture. She was a Roosevelt Fellow, a peer academic advisor at Brandeis. She worked as an RA at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital for The Developmental Risk and Cultural Resilience Program with Immigrant women in the Great Boston area trying to improve the wellness of their daily lives. She also volunteered at Samaritans, a crisis hotline, supporting callers who are in emotional distress. As an international student, she has been dealing with struggles like cultural differences and academic stresses. By actively seeking for support, she became stronger inside out and is willing to share more about her experiences in the U.S. Her future goal is to get a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology, and her research interests are cross-culture study on depression, suicidal ideation, and stress-related topic, especially include working with Asian/Asian-American students and families.

Yi Yang, Ph.D.
Yi Yang, Ph.D.

Yi Yang, Ph.D., is a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist, working with adolescents, adults, couples, and groups in English and Mandarin Chinese. Her writing on international student mental health and family relationship can be found at DrYiYang.com and Wechat official account haizichuguohou. She provides training and supervision and gives talks on intervention and prevention to students, parents, high schools, colleges, and mental health professionals in the US and China. She is the Director of China Psychoeducation at MGH Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness.

Xiaoqiao Zhang, Ph.D., Moderator
Xiaoqiao Zhang, Ph.D., Moderator

Xiaoqiao Zhang, Ph.D., is the Director of International Outreach at the MGH Center for Cross Cultural Student Emotional Wellness. She is a recent graduate with a dual degree in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education and Comparative and International Education at Penn State University. Her research focuses on overall well-being and experience with international students, particularly on Chinese international students studying in the United States. She is currently a research fellow at the Massachusetts General Brigham, focusing on researching and developing a project to support international students in cultivating a sense of belonging in their chosen destination. Before her research position, she had worked in two private higher education institutions in Pennsylvania as the associate director for international student admissions. Through her professional experiences, she understood the enrollment perspective and passion in pursuing her career to understand better and support international students after they came to the United States.

Project Lotus Collaboration:
Asian Wellbeing and the College Process


PART 1: SUPPORTING ASIAN YOUTH DURING COLLEGE APP SEASON

Sunday, November 1, 2020 at 4:00-5:30pm PST / 7:00-8:30pm EST

Due to various cultural factors, Asian American students can have a particularly difficult time navigating stress and their emotional wellbeing during the college application process. Join this webinar and Q&A session to learn about different stressors, the importance of student wellbeing and stress management techniques during college application season, and how to best support your teens' health and success.


PART 2: UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF ASIAN YOUTH IN COLLEGE

Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 4:00-5:30pm PST / 7:00-8:30pm EST

The emotional well-being of Asian American college students is often overlooked and misunderstood. Pressure, anxiety, and various stressors emphasize the need for support not only from the university, but also from Asian American families to ensure their students’ health and success. Join this webinar and Q&A session to better understand the importance of Asian students’ emotional well-being in college, the specific problems they face, and ways to avoid emotional distress when making the transition between high school and college.

Featured
Juliana Chen, MD
Juliana Chen, MD

Juliana H. Chen, MD is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH), and an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is Co-director of The Resilience Project’s Parent Program based out of NWH, and Associate Director of the MGH Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness. She also has a private practice in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Chen has been actively involved with training and education, including teaching residents and Harvard Medical students, and regularly provides professional consultation to parents and schools. Her clinical interests especially include working with Asian/Asian-American students and families, and parent guidance to help promote overall wellness in kids and teens.

Szu-Hui Lee, Ph.D.
Szu-Hui Lee, Ph.D.

Szu-Hui Lee, Ph.D. is the Director of Counseling & Psychological Services at Phillips Exeter Academy. She is a board-certified clinical psychologist with more than a decade of research and practice experience with community and boarding school populations. She received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowships at McLean Hospital. She continues to hold an appointment as a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her areas of expertise include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the treatment of anxiety disorders. Other clinical interests include cross-cultural adjustment, issues of first-generation and international students, identity development and relationships.

Bonnie Liao, Ph.D, Licensed Social Worker, Rutger's University
Bonnie Liao, Ph.D, Licensed Social Worker, Rutger's University

Bonnie Liao received her master’s degree in social work, MBA, and Ph.D. in Physics. She founded nonprofit YingHua Language School, YingHua International School, and two leadership summer programs. Since 2004, she has given 100+ talks on parent-child relationships.

Bonnie also was an intern social worker at the Clinical & Psychological Services Center at Princeton University.

Project Lotus is a nonprofit dedicated to destigmatizing mental health in the Asian American community by tackling the model minority myth through education and empowerment. You can find more about Project Lotus and the programs and work they do at www.theprojectlotus.org or on social media @projectlotusorg.

Labels and Meanings in Asian America

Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 5:00-7:00pm EST

What does “Asian-American” mean to you? Pan Asian Coalition for Education (PACE) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education launches its first panel event of the academic year. Panelists Minju Bae, Mark Tseng-Putterman, and Jenn Fang will discuss the impacts and the meanings of different terms that label the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

***Recording will not be provided

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Reimagining College Admissions for Exploration, Reflection, and Healing

Sunday, November 22, 2020 at 7:00-8:30pm EST

Throughout high school, students are told they need to work hard so they can submit a strong college application, but what happens when you actually sit down to write the application? How can introspection, reflection, and self-development not only benefit students during this process but also facilitate lifelong growth and deeper understanding? In this session, led by college counselor Nathan Yoo (B.A. Princeton, M.Ed Harvard '21), we will unpack the importance of identity exploration before, during, and after the college admissions process for Asian and Asian American high school students.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Asian American High School Students

***Recording will not be provided

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When Xenophobia Spreads Like a Virus

Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 01:30pm EST

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Dr. Erika Lee is a Regents Professor of History and Asian American Studies, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor, the Rudolph J. Vecoli Chair in Immigration History, and Director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of four award-winning books, including The Making of Asian America: A History and the recently-published America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States. Called “unflinching and powerful” by Carol Anderson (author of White Rage) and “essential reading” by Ibram X. Kendi (author of How to Be an Antiracist), America for Americans was the winner of the American Book Award and was highlighted by the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the New York Public Library as one of the most important books illuminating the Trump era and the 2020 election.

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Professor of History, Race and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, will deliver introductory remarks.

***Recording will not be provided

Intersection of Asian American, Bipolar Disorder, and a Successful Life Thereafter with Michelle Yang

Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 1:00-2:00pm EST

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What I Wish My Teachers Understood About Me: A Conversation on Asian & Asian American Cultural Identity

Saturday, December 12, 2020 at 7:30-9:00PM EST

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Target Audience: Professionals and Educators who support students of Asian descent

There is a tendency to group all Asian & Asian American students together under a singular stereotype or narrative. However, in reality, there is a wide range of Asian identities and experiences that are accompanied with unique struggles. Failure to recognize the diversity among Asian identities could lead to students feeling misunderstood and unseen and can significantly stunt student growth. Each student brings a unique culture, history, and personal story into the classroom, and recognizing this diversity is imperative to student flourishing. This webinar is intended for professionals and educators who seek to understand the diversity of identities, experiences, and challenges that come with the Asian & Asian American cultural identity, specifically how one's cultural identity affects areas of learning, mental health, and growth.

SUPPORTING ASIAN AMERICAN YOUTH IN ACADEMIC AND CAREER DECISION-MAKING

Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 7:00 - 8:30PM EST

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Students are more likely to find success when they perceive that they are understood and supported by their parents. However, adult and child perceptions of "support" may differ greatly. How can parents support Asian American youth in academic and career decision making? This webinar is for parents of high school and college students and will address the importance of emotional support and positive communication for students' academic success and mental wellness. Topics will be explored through a live, moderated skit led by Dr. Eunice Yuen.

Dr. Eunice Yuen, M.D., Ph.D, is a child and adult psychiatry fellow at the Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Yuen grew up in Hong Kong, moved to the US in her late teens, and is now the mother of two Asian American children. She is the founder and director of Compassionate Home, Action Together (CHATogether), which uses drama vignettes as educational tools to promote emotional wellness in Asian-American children, young adults, and parents. 

Asian American Mental Health: Impacts of Culture, Barriers to Access, and Stigma

Friday, February 5 2021, at 6:00 - 7:00 PM EST

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Asian Americans frequently face the “model minority” stereotype, resulting in a misconception that they experience fewer mental health problems than other ethnic minorities. Yet, significant evidence suggests that Asian Americans continue to experience high rates of psychopathology, with internalizing problems such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide appearing to be of particular concern. Moreover, since the COVID19 pandemic, Asian Americans are experiencing increasing compounding effects of racial discrimination - subtle and overt – affecting their mental health outcomes.

Miwa Yasui is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Her areas of interest include cultural influences on developmental and familial processes such as ethnic identity development and ethnic-racial socialization, the examination of the culturally responsive assessments and interventions for ethnically diverse children and youth, intervention and prevention of problem behaviors among youth, and observational methodology.

Unpacking Stigma and Breaking Barriers: Mental Health in the South Asian Community

Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 03:30 PM EST

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Making mental health services more accessible and responsive to AAPI communities

Friday, March 26, 2021 6:00-8:00 PM

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What does research inform us about cultural adaptions of psychotherapy?
In practice, how can we make therapy more personally relevant for the AAPI community?
How can we support and empower members of our community in the context of the recent increase in anti-Asian racism and violence?

Our distinguished panel of researchers and clinicians each gives a presentation, followed by a panel discussion addressing Q&A.

Panelists:

Dr. Gordon C. Nagayama Hall
Professor Emeritus
University of Oregon

Dr. Janie Hong
Psychologist and Clinical Associate Professor
Stanford University School of Medicine
Founding Partner, Redwood Center for CBT and Research

Dr. Uma Chandrika Millner
Psychologist and Assistant Professor
Lesley University

Moderators:

Alice Zhang, MBA Candidate
Harvard Business School
Co-founder, Anise Health

Nisha Desai, MBA Candidate
Harvard Business School
Co-founder, Anise Health

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Lydia X. Z. Brown is a gender queer and transracially/transnationally adopted East Asian autistic activist, writer, and speaker whose work has largely focused on violence against multiply-marginalized disabled people, especially institutionalization, incarceration, and policing. They have worked to advance transformative change through organizing in the streets, writing legislation, conducting anti-ableism workshops, testifying at regulatory and policy hearings, and disrupting institutional complacency everywhere from the academy to state agencies and the nonprofit-industrial complex. At present, Lydia serves as Chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, board member of the Autism Women's Network, and founding board member of the Alliance for Citizen-Directed Services.

Kenna Chic currently works at a health law firm and previously worked in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee, and the National Institutes of Health. She graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where she studied Foreign Service with a minor in Disability Studies. She has been a mental health advocate at the local, state, and national level for over nine years, dedicating her work to removing barriers to mental health access. As a stakeholder representative and voting member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Behavioral Health Integration Task Force, Kenna worked towards expanding of mental health services and increasing COVID-19 congressional relief funding for tele-health grant programs. She was also a law fellow with the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation and served as a member of Mental Health America's first Collegiate Mental Health Innovation Council. Finally, as a member of the Jed Foundation’s Student Advisory Council, Kenna worked with Facebook on technology and suicide prevention resources.

Yoojung Rhee is an AAPI assistant professor at Gallaudet University focusing on sports law, sport policy, and physical or mental risk management in sport and recreation. Yoojung completed her MA in Sport and Entertainment Management (MSEM) at the University of South Carolina and completed her PhD in Sports Management at the University of Florida. Yoojung is currently working on integrating sports law and policy with deaf communities, which include projects studying sport fan behavior among deaf/hard-of-hearing people, application of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 in USA Deaf Sports Federation, and analysis of stakeholder liability for communication and information accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

 

Webinar Factsheets

SUPPORTING ASIAN AMERICAN YOUTH IN ACADEMIC AND CAREER DECISION-MAKING

WHAT I WISH MY TEACHERS UNDERSTOOD ABOUT ME: A CONVERSATION ON ASIAN & ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL IDENTITY

 

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