The Asian community holds a symposium on adolescent mental health

Yang Jiaxi

During the Thanksgiving holiday break at the Clark Family branch of the St. Louis County Library, AACS Mental Health (Asian American Civic Scholars St Louis Youth Mental Health Initiatives) and SLEO (Students Leading Education) Opportunities held a symposium on adolescent mental health problems.

Dr. Min Liu, Professor of Health Communication at SIUE, moderated and was joined by Shawn He, physician at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Shawn He has extensive clinical experience and a long-standing commitment to adolescent mental health, bringing valuable and professional insights to the symposium.

The event attracted 16 Asian parents, as well as youth members of the AACS Mental health team.

Parents spoke up, shared their experiences, and raised practical questions and confusions.

Professor Liu Min pointed out: "Parents' love for their children is common, but each child's growth experience is different. Speaking to parents was very encouraging and reinforced the importance of promoting mental health education."

One parent said, "As first-generation immigrants, cultural differences make it challenging to communicate with our children. Learning to listen, to break free from the psychological shackles of your family of origin, and to seek professional help is a difficult but rewarding path."

Parents are keen that AACS and SLEO will continue to hold similar events to benefit more families. Through such forums, we can raise awareness of mental health in the Asian community and build Bridges between parents and children.