Mandarin speakers in SoCal are getting a new space to talk about mental health

When someone goes through a mental health crisis, loved ones are thrown into a maze of important and important decisions.

Where to find care? How to deal with insurance? When to call 911?

For those in LA’s large Chinese immigrant community with limited English, helping loved ones can be challenging and isolating.

Starting Monday, a new Mandarin-language family support group in the San Gabriel Valley aims to provide much-needed resources, sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in LA County.

Monthly meetings will be at the Holiday Inn in El Monte, held at night to accommodate community work schedules, and open to anyone from the area.

“For new immigrants, but also long-term residents who are just not comfortable communicating in English the way they are in their native language, it just makes sense for us to do that,” said Richard Tom, president of the San Gabriel Valley chapter of NAMI.

Years in the making, the support group happened to launch at a time of growing anxiety for immigrant communities amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Tom says that providing support in Mandarin can help break down barriers for people who are hesitant to seek help.

“Obviously, now, with the issue of immigration, there is also a sensitivity to access languages ​​for people who are not afraid to go to places where they will be misunderstood,” he said.

Remove the stigma

Tom says the support group not only breaks down language barriers but also recognizes the cultural stigma that many participants can navigate.

“There is what you would expect in many cultures, which is the shame and embarrassment associated with having someone with a mental health problem,” says Tom.

Organizers say that despite LA’s large Chinese-speaking population, no consistent family support groups in the language have existed locally in recent years.

One of the biggest hurdles was finding Chinese-speaking family members and friends who could go through the two-day facilitator training and commit to leading the support group forever – while caring for others struggling with mental illness.

At the same time, the concept of peer support – turning to someone with life experience rather than a professional – is still uncommon in many Chinese immigrant communities, said Nancy Eng, NAMI SGV board member.

But, “one of the reasons that the support group is so good is that it gives a visual and also a feeling that when you are together in the room, the headaches that you face – the fatigue, the frustration – you are not alone,” said Eng.

Try your best

The Chinese language program was launched with seven facilitators, all with personal experience supporting loved ones with mental illness.

Support groups can normalize the idea of ​​seeking professional help, the coordinator says, being a bridge to therapy or a psychiatrist for people in crisis, as well as for their loved ones.

Fellow members can also share their experiences with painful decisions such as seeking care involuntarily or watching a loved one enter the criminal justice system.

In support groups, Tom says, families hear something they rarely hear elsewhere: that they are doing their best.

“There’s a very strong element of validation for people,” he said.

Mary YanYan Chan, who coordinates the Chinese language program, said her own experience in a support group has helped her deal with a brother with untreated bipolar disorder.

“I just follow the steps, and in the meantime, I will help others behind me, to promote them, because this is the work of the people,” said Chan.

A grant from Cedars-Sinai helped support the initial launch over the summer. But organizers say its future will depend on participation and securing long-term space, hopefully with community organizations.

details

When: Mondays on a monthly basis, from 6:30 to 8 pm
where: Holiday Inn, 9920 Valley Blvd., 1st floor, El Monte
Info: mchan@namiglac.org