Touro College Graduate School of Social Work Professor to Speak on the Mental Health Treatment of Asian Americans
Dr. Donna Wang to Present at Annual Council on Social Work Education
New York, N.Y. - Dr. Donna Wang, LMSW, associate professor at Touro College’s Graduate School of Social Work, will give a presentation on Oct. 16 entitled, “Directions for Contextual Considerations for Effective Mental Health Treatment of Asian Americans,” at the Council on Social Work Education’s 56th annual program meeting to be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
In her presentation, Dr. Wang will discuss barriers to effective mental health treatment for Asian Americans; suggest methods for improving education, outreach, and raising awareness of differences in self-determination; as well as mental health access and treatment options in this population.
“My purpose is to educate social workers about some of the cultural barriers that prevent those in the Asian American community from seeking mental health services,” Dr. Wang said. “Examples of such barriers can include language differences, legal status, health and wellness beliefs, bias and racism, and the impact of having experienced a traumatic event.”
Dr. Wang will also explore the powerful role that family, culture, and community play in Asian Americans’ decision-making processes involving medical or mental health care. She said that Asians are more likely to rely on input from family members than their western counterparts in seeking medical or mental health treatment options.
Touro College’s Graduate School of Social Work’s Master of Social Work program is designed to train clinical social work practitioners to awaken and enliven the innate ability of individuals, families, groups and communities to learn to meet their own needs and sustain their own state of equilibrium, thereby enhancing human well-being. The program meets all academic requirements for both social work licenses: LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) and LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a nonprofit national association representing more than 3,000 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1952, this partnership of educational and professional institutions, social welfare agencies, and private citizens is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in this country.
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