Growing up on the “tiny island” of Samoa, Aigalesala Tauanu’u Afalava, MA, LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), noticed that talking about one’s feelings was uncommon and highly stigmatized; most were unaware of available resources, too. “This didn’t mean people on your island weren’t experiencing mental health concerns,” she says.

This has inspired her own professional work, where she’s witnessed a profound positive impact for clients who access a rich tapestry of traditions, familial networks and community gatherings. This increases connectedness and alleviates loneliness.

“Cultural festivals and events allow people to celebrate their history which in turn boosts people’s sense of identity and pride,” she explains. “At the same time, these festivals can promote a sense of empathy and appreciation of other people’s cultures, and I think exposure to these cultural events can also lessen a person’s biases and maybe widen their perspectives on different cultures.” And, she says, participating in enjoyable activities can provide a break from everyday stressors and help reduce anxiety. 

Vyshika M. Willis, LMFT (instructor/therapist at OHSU Avel Gordly Center for Healing) says she’s known what kind of work she wanted to pursue from the age of 8, thanks to watching her mother in action. “The majority of my mother’s work was counseling family members and those incarcerated,” she says. “She advocated for them and their family and still, today, some of them once on her caseload continue to acknowledge the impact of her advocacy, listening to their experiences and connecting with them on a human level.”

After witnessing both parents enrich the lives of others in the community, she’s been able to find work that allows her to cultivate compassion for others, too. She emphasizes the importance of historical context for many folks she works with, which can make it tricky to trust a system. On a positive note, a good number of clients have a connection to the Black church, which offers mindfulness practices like prayer and meditation, plus a community of people who can be trusted to hear one’s story. (She notes that across all licensures, only 4% are Black therapists.)

Recently, during the third webinar in the “Lifting the Fog: Mental Health” series, these two practitioners and experts in culturally responsive mental health care from Murdock Trust grantees chatted about how we can better support those with mental health beliefs — and cultural upbringings — that vary from our own.

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When it comes to getting others to open up about mental health struggles, Willis knows the importance of cultivating trust, which can be built over time. “The reality is, showing up, being present and showing a genuine concern, even if you have no experience in mental health care,” she shares, “can instill the beginning building blocks that lead to a person taking the first step in connecting to the appropriate resource.”

As a person facilitating this space for healing, Willis also feels strongly about advocacy, as this is one of many threads within her own upbringing. “It is also a call to action within the profession,” she says. “It is part of the healing process and amplifies the voices of the marginalized, underserved, overlooked, unheard and underprivileged.”

She finds that it empowers clients and raises their confidence to both find and use their voice. In working with clients in advocacy, she’s discovered an additional path to meeting a person’s needs. Advocating for yourself in the workplace overflows to others, she says. “One of the ways a person can begin advocating for others in the workplace (colleagues) is by assessing for the need and then assessing what you can do and have the capacity to do,” she says. “That can look like listening, encouraging, validating and/or supporting. With clients and colleagues it can also be using your own voice, power and privilege.”

When it comes to getting others to open up and address mental health struggles, Afalava says people can start by creating a safe environment that lets others know they’re there to support and listen without judgment or criticism. “Also, it helps to respect other people’s boundaries,” she adds. “Don’t force people to share more than what they are comfortable disclosing at the moment. You can let them know to take their time and just know that you are there when they are ready to open up.”

And for more “DIY-focused clients,” Afalava suggests actively exploring self-help resources. One such example is the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, which works to bridge communities and generations from 47 different countries through its wide range of programs and activities, some free and low-cost. “APCC partners with various mental health therapists (listed on their website) who represent different AANHPI communities,” Afalava explains. “The mental health workshops that are sponsored by APCC discuss various topics such as “Navigating Cultural Stigmas Around Mental Health,” “Know Your Feelings,” “What is Psychotherapy?” “Cultural Fatigue,” “Depression & Anxiety: What does it look like and how to navigate cultural impact around it.”” These workshops, part of a series created by Afalava and colleague Scarlett Ekeroma, MA, LMFT (Elevate Healing), were based on their combined experience of recurring themes that come up often in therapy sessions with AANHPI community members. (APCC sponsors these monthly workshops, free to anyone who would like to join virtually or in person at the APCC center.)

Both experts agree it’s crucial to avoid jumping to conclusions and pushing one’s own agenda on others. “In order to mitigate the risk of making erroneous assumptions and imposing ethnocentric cultural norms onto others,” Afalava says, “I think it is essential to demonstrate respect for diversity, and for people to refrain from engaging in stereotyping behavior or conversations.”

She thinks folks can steer clear of these impositions by simply asking open-ended questions in a way that invites the other person to freely share their own experiences and perspectives. “And once people are open and have a dialogue on their cultural differences,” Afalava says, “then we make sure that we are doing it with respect and genuine curiosity while avoiding making value judgments.”

Often we wait for someone to tell us when they need help, Willis says, but we all struggle. We should simply continue to check in on one another, she says. “Just show up.”

Since 1975, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has invested more than $1.3 billion in a diverse array of individuals and nonprofits serving the social, cultural, educational and spiritual fabric of the Pacific Northwest in innovative and sustainable ways.