By Nancy Lim-Yee, LCSW
The Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council hosted its annual summer gathering on August 30, 2014 at the Oakland Campus of the California State University East Bay.
In addition to having an opportunity to share some incredible Hawaiian food and to network with one another, members of the API Social Work Council were privileged to hear a thought-provoking presentation given by Dr. Philip Tsui entitled “Working with Asian Immigrant Clients and Their Families: Effective Strategies in the Context of Cultural Adjustments.”
Dr. Tsui is an approved provider of continuing education of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Visiting Lecturer at Hong Kong University and Adjunct Faculty Member of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at City College of San Francisco and California State University. He is clinical consultant for Hong Kong New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and San Francisco Suicide Prevention, Inc. Dr. Tsui has an extensive list of other impressive credentials too long to list in this brief article.
During Dr. Tsui’s two-hour presentation, he challenged our knowledge, our biases and our own stereotypes about Asian Pacific Islanders in the United States. He made us think about the myths, folklores and reality about Asian clients and their cultures. We had an opportunity to discuss the psycho-social and cultural context in working with Asian clients and their families. We also looked at the perception of mental disorders and psychiatric symptoms across generations. Our Council thanks Dr. Tsui for his well-organized and interesting presentation and hopes to be able to invite him back for another presentation in the near future.
The Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council has regular Council meetings and activities four to five times every year. If you are interested in participating or receiving more information, please send an email to our Communications Secretary, Mr. Coleman Wong, at cmcwong@pacbell.net. Please also check out our website at https://sites.google.com/site/apiswcgroup/.
Our Council will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year and plans a big celebration to commemorate this major milestone. Please stay tuned.
