“Dr. Jenny T. Wang has been an incredible resource for Asian mental health. I believe that her knowledge, presence, and activism for mental health in the Asian American/Immigrant community have been invaluable and groundbreaking. I am so very grateful that she exists.”—Steven Yeun, actor, The Walking Dead and Minari
Now available in paperback! This first-of-its-kind, practical book invites Asian Americans, immigrants, and those from marginalized communities to explore their mental health while honoring their rich heritage and embodying a new, complete, and whole identity.
Asian Americans are experiencing a racial reckoning regarding their identity, inspiring them to radically reconsider the cultural frameworks that enabled their assimilation into American culture. As Asian Americans investigate the personal and societal effects of longstanding cultural narratives suggesting they take up as little space as possible, their mental health becomes critically important. Yet despite the fact that over 18 million people of Asian descent live in the United States today — they are the racial group least likely to seek out mental health services.
Permission to Come Home takes Asian Americans on an empowering journey toward reclaiming their mental health. Weaving her personal narrative as a Taiwanese American together with her insights as a clinician and evidence-based tools, Dr. Jenny T. Wang explores a range of life areas that call for attention, offering readers the permission to question, feel, rage, say no, take up space, choose, play, fail, and grieve. Above all, she offers permission to return closer to home, a place of acceptance, belonging, healing, and freedom. For Asian Americans and Diaspora, this book is a necessary road map for the journey to wholeness.
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ISBN-13: 9781538708019
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Balance
Publication Date: 05-07-2024
Pages: 288
Dr. Jenny Wang is a Taiwanese American clinical psychologist and national speaker on Asian American mental health and racial trauma in Asian American, BIPOC, and immigrant communities. Her work focuses on the intersection of Asian American identity, mental health, and social justice. She is the founder of the @asiansformentalhealth Instagram community, in which she discusses the unique experiences of Asian diaspora and immigrant communities. She spearheaded the Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American Therapist Directory and its companion Canadian directory to help Asians seek culturally-reverent mental health providers.
Table of Contents
Introduction ix
Chapter 1 Permission to Question 1
Chapter 2 Permission to Feel 27
Chapter 3 Permission to Rage 57
Chapter 4 Permission to Say No 83
Chapter 5 Permission to Take Up Space 115
Chapter 6 Permission to Choose 137
Chapter 7 Permission to Fail 165
Chapter 8 Permission to Play 189
Chapter 9 Permission to Grieve 211
Chapter 10 Permission to Come Home 239
Conclusion: Final Thoughts 262
Resources 264
References 267
Appendix: Examples of Core Values 269
Acknowledgments 270
Reading Group Guide 273
About the Author 276
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