“There are two different cultural systems around mental health that contradict. How do we get at the direct, interpersonal-level problem that children and parents are facing?”

AUGUST

Cultures are not monoliths.

Selina Li is a Boston University senior, majoring in Media Science with a minor in Sociology. Her work on mental health in AAPI young people and their parents brought to life the different cultures within families and how the tensions between these cultures contribute to the mental health of the young adults. Her project explored the differences between first- and second-generation family members in perceptions of, treatment of and dialogue about mental health.

Selina highlighted for us the nuances of intergenerational, cross-cultural communications. The individuals we work with may be coded by society as “a” culture, but each are each woven into systems of cultures.

^{The project: During her internship with us, Selina contributed to our core client work and also designed her own independent project for the summer. She reframed her focus as her learning unfolded: what was initially a look at how AAPI young people access mental health services became instead an exploration of intergenerational issues related to mental health.}