Articles & Publications
What Are the Characteristics of Your Closest Friends?
People tend to prefer different kinds of friendships, based in part on their cultural experiences. Are your friends socially, emotionally, or functionally connected?
A close friendship can be one of the most meaningful relationships in someone's life.
Friendship can be influenced by a person's exposure to travel and different cultures.
Three common types of friendships that can develop include socially connected, emotionally connected, and functionally connected.
The Power of Collective Healing Among Asian Women
“It is critical and imminent that trauma stemming from racial and sexual violence, war, migration, discrimination, and microaggressions must be addressed in culturally respectful, sustainable, and effective ways.”
For Asian and Asian American women, here are some spoken and unspoken messages we receive from family members, society, and culture: “Be quiet.” “Don’t speak up.” “Don’t be different.” “Don’t be difficult.” Those voices continue to play an important role in personal, professional, and social interactions in daily life…
Asian American Rage and Why We Must Roar As If Our Lives Depend On It
“With all that we are up against, it’s challenging to be vocal about anti-Asian hate. This is precisely why the four of us, as Asian American women educators — right here and right now — jointly express passion in our classrooms and beyond. We reveal nuanced and humane stories individually and collectively. Though our experiences are distinct, we are bound by one thing: RAGE. As a collective, we cannot keep our traumas buried. We cannot brush off ignorant, racist accusations. We cannot continue to overlook the minuscule numbers of Asian American leaders in higher education administration. We can no longer ignore the generational differences within Asian communities. The role of the model minority that we have been conditioned to play ends here.”
Intergenerational Healing Journey With My Korean Mother
“I was even more astounded by what she started revealing to me—a long, long list of family secrets, one laid out after the other…In our courageous conversations, my mother and I rediscovered love, forgiveness, and liberation through the process of unpacking troubling yet formative personal stories. I started to connect dots, making sense of my restlessness and rootlessness.”
I've met many Asian women who think our silence protects us from shame, guilt, and judgment. We think keeping quiet keeps us safe. However, the truth was the opposite for my family; those things became invisible walls keeping us apart from each other and from others in the world. We kept our stoic faces and defense mechanisms, and we felt lost inside. I forgot how to genuinely connect with myself and others until I began writing a book together with my mother. Together, we transformed our trauma into a source of love and healing.
Third Culture Kids: Individuals in Global Transition: The Impact of Global Transitions on Identity and Relationship Development.
Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are individuals who grow up in multiple cultures and countries.
TCKs tend to be experienced, open-minded, and flexible, but they may also struggle with their identity and sense of belonging.
Acknowledging the unique attributes and needs of this population is necessary to serve them appropriately.
Research shows that TCKs often present identity confusion, and those who have difficulty embracing their past often have a difficult time embracing their cross-cultural experiences and resolving their identity issues. Studies also show that TCKs’ early and prolonged separation from their parents—many TCKs lived in boarding schools during their childhood—can lead to unresolved grief and anger…
What I Learned When I Came Out to My Asian Mother
“ We all have a story to share, and I believe knowing someone’s story creates connection. That’s why coming out connects us, not threatens us.”
There was a time when coming out was the worst thing I could imagine doing to my Asian family. I was terrified to bring shame, guilt, and dishonor to them, to burden them with my truth. Even the thought of telling my family who I was made me feel very selfish. I told myself that I was silent about my sexual orientation to protect the family from judgment and discrimination. So instead of sharing my confusion and the struggles of exploring my sexual orientation, I distanced myself from the people, places, and things I loved…
A Phenomenological Approach to Understanding Sexual Minority College Students in South Korea
We used a phenomenological approach to explore 12 sexual minority Korean college students’ coming out experiences. Emergent themes from in-depth interviews included (a) expression of universal needs, (b) awareness of sociocultural violence, (c) coping strategies, and (d) cocreating an inclusive culture. These four themes characterize interactions of sociocultural factors, such as gender norms, sexual prejudice, and education with sexual identity development. Findings provide an understanding of the importance of developing effective and empowering strategies for counseling.
A Phenomenological Approach to Understanding Early Adult Friendships of Third Culture Kids
TCK participants identified making friends as the most challenging issue in their adjustment to the United States. Four themes emerged from the participants’ narratives, with four illustrative metaphors drawn from the participants’ own words to describe the psychosocial phenomenon related to forming their friendships, including (a) a sense of restlessness: a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, (b) a desire for stimulation: being halfway there, (c) coping strategies to compensate or manage the lack of friendships: filling the void, and (d) multiple identities and multiculturalism: being chameleon-like.
Characteristics of Friends of Female College Third Culture Kids
College third culture kids’ (TCKs’) perceptions about the characteristics of closest friends were examined using a Q-methodology. Fifteen female college TCKs participated in the study. Three distinctive factor groups emerged representing three different patterns of characteristics of closest friends among the participants: the Socially Connected group (friend as playmate), the Emotionally Connected group (friend as nurturer and complement) and the Functionally Connected group (friend as resource). The findings of the current study have yielded important clinical and educational implications for higher education.
Preparing Mental Health First Responders: College Counselors Supporting Residence Life Professionals
Mental health issues are on the rise on college campuses (Gallagher & American College Counseling Association, [ACCA], 2014). Residence life professionals are often first responders to these issues. College counselors are in a unique position to support these professionals by (a) preparing the residence environment, (b) planning and providing programming on mental health issues, (c) using basic crisis skills, and (d) making referrals.
Leaping Into the Unknown: Experience of Counseling Students Participating in Group Work With International Students
This research study used qualitative phenomenological methodology to explore counseling graduate students’ experiences leading support groups for international students. Participants included 6 master’s-level counseling students. The following 4 themes emerged to describe the counseling students’ experience as group lead-ers: (a) individualistic view of cultural knowing, (b) collective cultural knowledge building, (c) cultural awareness, and (d) sense of cultural agency. Implications for group work and counselor training are discussed.
Enhancing Critical Consciousness Through a Cross-Cultural Immersion Experience in South Africa
Using phenomenological approaches, the author explored the meanings and essences of a cross-cultural immersion experience in South Africa among counseling master’s-level students. Five core themes—the meaning of being American, sociopolitical awareness, engagement with South Africans and their communities, appreciation of life, and commitment to change—characterized the development of critical consciousness (Freire, 1973, 2000).
The Invisibility of International LGBTQ+ Students on U.S. Campuses
International LGBTQ+ students face issues with internalized homophobia, fear of persecution upon repatriation, coming out decisions and finding a supportive social and cultural community, in addition to the commonly identified challenges among international students. This would be particularly true for international students from countries where non-heterosexual identities are less accepted or even persecuted. The death penalty can be imposed for same-sex intimacy in 11 of them, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. Hate crimes (e.g., killing, torturing, incarceration) targeting LGBT individuals are still prevalent in many international communities.
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