Asian Family Institute - integrated care

RAMS is extremely proud to announce the launch of the Asian Family Institute, integrated care (AFI-ic), which offers innovative and comprehensive mental health consultation and treatment through a holistic, integrated approach for the Asian & Pacific Islander American (APIA) population in the San Francisco Bay Area. It utilizes both conventional and complementary therapies in the treatment of mental health concerns and services are available in English and Chinese. Together, a therapist and acupuncturist & traditional Chinese medicine practitioner can work to provide personalized treatments to suit each person's lifestyle and promote self-awareness and resources for self-care. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the dominant medical practices used in many Asian countries, and treatments may include functional and nutritional assessments, acupuncture, and breathing and meditation exercises.

Asian & Pacific Islander Americans individuals frequently face complex mental health issues that require holistic medical and psychological care. Moving beyond demographic and cultural factors that may be a barrier to mental health care utilization for APIA individuals, the Asian Family Institute, integrated care is a remarkable step toward addressing systematic issues, by providing culturally responsive and linguistically sensitive services.

Deeply embedded in Chinese and many APIA cultures, individuals who are facing mental health issues are often encouraged to try their best to endure 忍 (ren); they may be discouraged to seek psychological services in order to try to save face, preserve their reputation, and not humiliate their family. With cultural pressures to suppress negative mood states, and the stigma against sharing experiences of psychological symptoms, individuals may feel reluctant to express concerns regarding mental health issues. Research on illness beliefs of depressed Chinese American patients reveals that they are more inclined to complain about somatic symptoms instead. Because of these issues, it is quite common for APIA individuals to feel more comfortable seeking out a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner rather than a mental health clinician, although they would also benefit from being in therapy.

For those struggling with conditions affecting the body and mind, such as chronic pain and low mood or energy, the AFI-ic provides clients the option of choosing either a comprehensive mental health evaluation, a traditional Chinese medicine assessment, or both - for a uniquely integrated approach. The health care providers at the AFI-ic clinic are distinctively qualified and experienced in treating Asian & Pacific Islander American individuals, approaching care collaboratively and with an open mind.

For more information, please contact AFI's Intake Coordinator at (415) 668-5025.

New Program Director at RAMS Asian Family Institute

It is with great pleasure that we announce the new appointment of Mary Poon, PsyD, as the RAMS Director of Asian Family Institute.  

Dr. Mary Poon is a licensed clinical psychologist and is bilingual in Cantonese and English.  She comes to this role with supervisory & management, teaching, and extensive clinical experience in providing culturally competent services in the community behavioral health and human services sector.  Dr. Poon has held various positions at RAMS, throughout the years, having initially worked as a Mental Health Counselor at the Outpatient Clinic before relocating to Macau where she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Macau, Department of Psychology and held faculty appointments at various other universities.  In addition, she continued to provide psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults in various agencies.  Upon Dr. Poon’s return to the San Francisco Bay Area, she reconnected with RAMS and most recently served in the role of Instructor/Coordinator of the RAMS Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate, a collaboration between RAMS and San Francisco State University, Department of Counseling.  She also served as a Behavioral Health Consultant at the RAMS PAES Counseling & Pre-Vocational Services program.  Dr. Poon has a deep commitment and unique expertise for serving the Asian & Pacific Islander community and diverse populations, having worked in the various community settings – outpatient, residential, school-based, juvenile justice – for 20 years.

Dr. Poon received her Doctorate of Psychology from The Wright Institute.  She is a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and also maintains her registration as a Clinical Psychologist with the Hong Kong Psychological Association in addition to her California licensure as a Psychologist.  Dr. Poon is a skilled clinician, possesses a sound understanding of the multiple systems and continuum of care, and exhibits exceptional organizational and management skills.

Please join us in welcoming and congratulating Dr. Mary Poon to her new appointment at RAMS Asian Family Institute.  You may contact Dr. Mary Poon at RAMS at (415) 668-5998 x26 or marypoon@ramsinc.org.

(L-R) Mary Poon, PsyD, Director of Asian Family Institute, with Christina Shea, LMFT, RAMS Deputy Chief & Director of Clinical Services

Free Cantonese-language support groups for those affected by problem gambling

The Chinese Community Problem Gambling Project, a program at the Asian Family Institute of RAMS, is hosting a series of free Cantonese-language support groups for affected individuals (family members, friends, etc.) of problem gamblers.

Six weekly sessions shall be held, starting on May 4. The groups will be held on Saturdays at 10:00-11:30am in the Outer Richmond District of San Francisco.

See the flyer images below for more details (right-click on the image and select any of the "Open Link" options to view). The flyer is available in both English and Chinese language.

National Problem Gambling Awareness Week

RAMS is actively participating in National Problem Gambling Awareness Week, which is being held from March 4-10 this year.

As part of our ongoing outreach and awareness-raising efforts, Dr. Eddie Chiu, Director of RAMS Asian Family Institute, together with Kent Woo, Executive Director of NICOS Chinese Health Coalition, participated in a press conference held by NICOS at Donaldina Cameron House regarding Problem Gambling in the Chinese Community.

 

The press conference revealed new data which indicates a 10% increase in the number of Chinese seeking assistance in gambling-related problems, which signifies that the Chinese community has increased awareness of such problems, although overall usage is still relatively low compared to other population groups.  Issues such as youth gambling as well as success rates in gambling addiction were also discussed.

For more information and to view video coverage of the press conference, visit the KTSF Channel 26 website HERE.

RAMS collaborates with NICOS in offering problem gambling services, which provides assessment, counseling, support groups, outreach, and educational services for problem gamblers and their family members in the Asian American communities. The project also operates the Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-888-968-7888 and provides counseling, information and referral in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin languages/dialects.

Meet RAMS - Asian Family Institute Fee-for-service Program

The RAMS Asian Family Institute (AFI) has updated information regarding our Fee-for-service program offerings.

The services we offer include Testing & Evaluation, Psychotherapy, and Psychiatric services for both adults and children. Click HERE for our program brochure and more details on each of these culturally competent services.

Other services also available at AFI include the Problem Gambling Project (a collaboration with NICOS) and the CalWorks project (a collaboration with Westside Community Services.

The AFI multi-disciplinary staff team includes the fields of psychiatry, psychology, marriage & family therapy, clinical social work, and psychiatric nursing with diverse cultural backgrounds and experience in helping clients deal with a wide range of issues. The staff include bilingual and bicultural professionals who can provide services in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, Tagalog, and Russian.

To schedule an appointment or to receive more information, please call our intake coordinator at (415) 668-5998 ext 21. Your information will be kept CONFIDENTIAL, as required by law.

Meet RAMS - Eddie Chiu, PhD

Dr. Eddie Chiu, Director of RAMS Asian Family Institute, was invited and presented at the 15th International Conference on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, held in San Diego by the The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT), an international resource and training center at Alliant International University.

The presentation, given on September 11, 2010, was titled "Addiction, Trauma, and a Developmental Process of Treatment and Recovery". Dr. Chiu presented on the topic of Gambling Addiction and Domestic Violence in Asian American Communities.

Click HERE to read coverage from Sing Tao USA newspaper in Chinese

Photo credit: Ravages on Flickr

Presenting aplenty at AAPA and APA

The Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) 2010 Annual Convention, "Expanding Our Horizons: The Next Decade in AAPI Psychology", took place on August 11 at University of San Diego, California. RAMS was well-represented at this illustrious annual event, with presentations from:

Dr. Katherine Eng, Psychologist at the Adult/Older Adult Outpatient Clinic:
"The Future in the Field: Effective Techniques and Programs in the Clinical Training of API serving clinicians", a panel presentation together with Helen Hsu & Jennifer Lee. The symposium presented best practice techniques and programs in the training of clinicians to work effectively with Asian American Pacific Islander populations.

Ulash Dunlap, Behavioral Health Counselor at the Wellness Centers program:
"Post-partum Depression Among Asian and Asian American Women: Cultural Considerations and Treatment", a panel presentation together with Juli Fraga and Denise Kwok. This session explored ways that mental health providers can provide better screening, early intervention, and clinical support for Postpartum Depression (PPD) among Asian and Asian American women.
and
"Creative and Culturally Responsive Outreach with South Asian American Populations" – DoSAA-sponsored, a panel presentation together with Nima Patel, Anjuli Amin and Razia Kosi. Therapists facilitated a discussion focused on building bridges to South Asian (SA) communities through the use of outreach services.

Poster sessions were also featured at the convention, including a presentation from RAMS and Alliant International University-CSPP, represented by Drs. Eddie Chiu, Director of Asian Family Institute, and Tai Chang from CSPP: "Training Asian American psychologists for the real world: Integrating program evaluation and clinical training in a community mental health setting" Chiu, E. Y., Ph.D., Chang, T., Ph.D., Okubo, Y., Ph.D., Adams, L. A., MA., Bassiri, K. G., MS., Kwan, K., Ph.D., Shea, C., MS.

The American Psychological Association (APA) 2010 Annual Convention took place immediately following the AAPA, August 12-15. RAMS staff Ulash Dunlap, together with co-presenters Anjuli Amin and Daisy Singla, gave a talk titled "South Asian Women through Multiple Lens: Health, School, and Religion/Culture". In an attempt to understand and shed light on the various acculturative processes that South Asian women encounter in their daily life, this symposium addressed three important areas for counselors to consider: school, health, and religion.

Let's give a round of applause to our distinguished presenters!

Photo credit: seretuaccidente on Flickr

Meet RAMS - Eddie Chiu, PhD

The National Council on Problem Gambling recognized the 2010 "Year's Best in the Problem Gambling Field" Award Winners at the 24th National Conference on Problem Gambling in Portland, OR on June 11th.

Eddie Chiu, PhD, Director of Asian Family Institute at RAMS, received the annual Treatment Award, which is given to recognize achievement in the direct provision of services to problem gamblers and their families. Dr. Chiu was recognized as a pioneer in developing and providing culturally-specific services for the Asian Pacific Islander community.

Click HERE to find out more information about the Problem Gambling services at RAMS AFI Clinic.

Click HERE to see an article in the Sacramento Bee, and HERE to see an article in Asian Week, about Problem Gambling in the API Communities.