Asian Therapist - Vancouver Counselling Clinic

Do I need an Asian Therapist?

Not all Asians need an Asian Therapist to heal, learn, and grow. Working with an Asian Therapist at Vancouver Counselling Clinic can be very helpful, as we have personally experienced aspects of the cultural norms, values, rules, and family systems. If you are looking for an Asian Therapist in Vancouver, we welcome you to chat with us to get a sense of what working with an Asian Therapist could feel like.

We acknowledge that “Asians” are a generalization of our ancestry and roots, and that we are far from being a monolithic (AKA. “all the same”) culture. We work with each of our Asian clients to carefully understand their unique cultural values, families, relationships, and ways of upbringing. At Vancouver Counselling Clinic, we have a team of Asian Therapists waiting for you on the other side. It all begins with “Hello”.

Virtual Session

$150

60 minutes

50 min. of Counselling + 10 min. Clinical Notes

Virtual Session

$235

90 minutes

80 min. of Counselling + 10 min. Clinical Notes

In-Person Session

$160

60 minutes

50 min. of Counselling + 10 min. Clinical Notes

In-Person Session

$245

90 minutes

80 min. of Counselling + 10 min. Clinical Notes

Did you know that according to the 2021 Census

What kinds of topics are in Asian Counselling?

Here are a few topics that could be challenging for some non-Asian therapists to conceptualize with Asian clients if the therapist has not received formal training or developed the clinical experience

Values the collective over the individual

Dignity and prestige to determine social order, worth, and status

Intentional physical punishment to cause pain

enrichment and involvement in child’s academic lives

Values the collective over the individual

Parent-child, siblings, and extended family members

Narcissistic traits, anxious traits, and emotional dysregulation

Repaying the perpetual debt for the gift of life from parents

Needs of elders and parents can take priority over children’s need

Using shame, guilt, social comparison, strict rules, threats, and blackmail for power enforcement.

Sets the societal expectations and family norms for order and harmony

Especially with in-laws and parents

Why do we focus on mental health for Asians in Vancouver?

Due to the collectivist basis of many Asian cultures within the Chinese diaspora, Asian families are often highly enmeshed and have rigid hierarchical order with family roles and responsibilities that are often gendered and based in cultural traditions.

Navigating family roles in intergenerational and parent-child relationships

Traditional family roles
Appeasing the demands of elders or in-laws
Traditional gender roles
Rigid gender and sexual identities - heteronormative expectations
Selecting a suitable romantic partner
Weddings and marriage
Pressures to get married and have children
Parenting or child rearing practices

Intergenerational and parent-child conflicts often revolve around responsibilities

Criticisms on appearances - diets, habits, body image, fitness
Controlling or pressuring school and career path choices
Lack of emotional boundaries and emotional regulation
Finances (especially if there is Financial Anxiety or scarcity)
Strict house rules, chores lists, and motivating with "you should"
Rest (and relaxation) - seen as being "lazy" or "useless"
Play (and pleasure) - seen as an "overindulgence"

Why do we focus on mental health for Asians in Vancouver?

Amid and shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sudden and steep rise in anti-Asian crimes in Canada. According to the Chinese Canadian National Council – Toronto Chapter, there was a 47% increase in reported racist incidents between 2020 to 2021 with women, children, and adolescents experiencing a 286% increase through submitted complaints. In this report, there was a 348% increase in workplace discrimination and 1,103% increase in abuse of power by police, including brutality incidents. In these self-reports, up to 74% of claimants listed “mental distress and emotional harm”. At the time, numerous organisations warned that these reported figures were much underrepresented and underreported due to the barriers and stigma in culture and society to report these incidents.

Facing racial oppression, violence, and discrimination as a visible minority in Canada can be a harsh, traumatic, and isolating reality for many, including experiences of intergenerational trauma that perpetuate the pain of being othered, excluded, and diminished.