Queer Asian mental health

Join NAAAP Boston’s Pride Committee for our first mental health workshop, led by queer AAPI therapists! We will discuss how to manage family responses to LGBTQ+ identities. Many AAPI LGBTQ+ people grow up navigating complicated feelings about family and their gender and sexuality; this community conversation is a chance to make sense of those experiences together, including how sociocultural, structural, and generational interactions can shape families’ responses.

We’ll start with a brief overview of research on aspects shaping AAPI LGBTQ+ family dynamics, then open the floor to questions and shared reflections on how people are navigating familial relationships. Participants will be invited to engage in provided gentle discussion prompts. The goal of this workshop is to reflect on these experiences together as a community and connect with others who may be on similar journeys.

Important notes:
1. This event is centered around the AAPI LGBTQ+ community and is also open to allies. Please respect and honor the safe space that NAAAP Boston creates in our events.
2. The presentation component of the workshop will be hybrid (in-person + virtual). The presentation will be recorded for those who are unable to join the workshop. The group discussion will be in-person, and will not be recorded.
3. Facilitators will do their best to create a respectful, welcoming space, but this is not therapy. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please seek…
4. Building security check-in instructions will only be available to in-person registrants and will be sent via email before the workshop.

Register on our website.

Speaker Bios
Lucy Xie is a third year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Boston College. Lucy's research interests focus on queer/LGBTQ+ Asian American mental health, identity, and family relationships. In her clinical and community work, Lucy is passionate about creating space for LGBTQ+ and racially marginalized communities to feel and be accepted, heard, and supported. In her free time, she likes to snowboard, paint, and experiment with new recipes.

Finneas Wong is a Counseling Psychology PhD student at Arizona State University. His main research interest is in examining the intersection between racial-ethnic and gender identities, associated risk and protective factors, and related mental health and psychosocial outcomes. He is particularly interested in understanding how Asian trans and nonbinary youth and young adults navigate, negotiate, and communicate their identities with their parents. He looks forward to giving back to the Asian and LGBTQ+ communities through research and clinical work.

Czar Suryawan Buenviaje is a Master of Counseling student at Arizona State University. Their main research interest is exploring the intersections of racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual identities and how identity formation, resilience, and experiences of discrimination within LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color impact mental health outcomes. They are passionate about fostering community and advocating for the needs of Asian and Asian American LGBTQ+ individuals.