On the Air
In Print
We are grieving and feeling a tremendous amount of pain and fear. The escalating rhetoric and violence against Asians culminated in a mass shooting in Atlanta last week where eight people were killed, six of them Asian women, four of them Korean. They were murdered as they worked to support themselves and their families.
Jeanie Y. Chang, LMFT, CMHIMP, CCTP recommended parents watch out for when their loved ones lose interest in things they’d normally enjoy. “They’re disengaged, disillusioned, showing blunted affect (no emotion) and disinterest. Those are signs of burnout which can also be similar to depressive symptoms,” she told Mom.com. “Teens are more hormonal so sometimes their behavior isn’t necessarily mental health struggles but more a normal symptom of their psychosocial stage of development,” she cautioned.
“Let’s just say that the Atlanta shooting was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Jeanie Y. Chang, LMFT, CMHIMP, CCTP, licensed clinician and AAPI mental health expert, tells Verywell. “People were already experiencing quite an amount of distress, racial trauma, and post-traumatic stress since the start of COVID.”
Jeanie Chang is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Founder of Your Change Provider, PLLC, an interdisciplinary practice founded on solutions and Cultural Confidence® in promoting good mental health and wellbeing. Jeanie’s clinical expertise extends well outside the therapy room.
Jeanie Y. Chang, LMFT, CMHIMP, CCTP, uses k-dramas on a one-to-one basis in her work as a marriage and family therapist. Growing up, Chang rejected much of her parents’ Korean culture, but she eventually embraced her rich cultural heritage and decided to incorporate dramas into her therapy practice. She often assigns k-drama scenes as therapy homework.
“It’s hard to give one answer for everyone because everyone is on their own journey,” said Chang. “But perhaps in his case, livestreaming and constant interaction with people helped him feel less isolated.”
And yet they’re mysteriously MIA if the tables ever turn! Whether it’s a school, work, or personal issue, you can bet your bottom dollar they flock to you when they’re in need of advice or help, but never return the favor.
