Providers’ experiences of working with Asian American individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness.

Despite cultural adaptations of evidence-based practices and increased cultural competency programs, Asian American communities chronically underutilize mental health services and have significantly high early treatment drop-out rates. Often these communities delay accessing treatment unless there is a diagnosis of serious mental illness in the family. While Asian communities have been known to prefer providers of similar ethnicities, ethnic concordance has been presented as a singular solution to address the underutilization of mental health services among these communities. However, little is known about the experiences of Asian American providers working with Asian Americans diagnosed with serious mental illnesses and their families within mental health system in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of Asian American providers working with these communities. Sixteen providers from diverse Asian backgrounds working at two community mental health centers in the East and West Coasts of the United States participated in two sets of focus groups conducted by Asian American researchers. Framework Analysis methodology revealed challenges experienced by providers related to client engagement, managing boundaries, communication, and organizational challenges. In addition, providers described strategies used that focused on recovery and rehabilitation, cultural responsiveness, family engagement, and organizational supports. These results have important implications.