AAPI, APIDA, & AANHPI Resources
These are community and mental health resources for those who identify as Asian/Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Desi American/South Asian, and Native Haiwaiian.
Asian Mental Health Collective: Community mental health resources for Asians
Therapist Directory: Directory for Asian therapists in the US & Canada (can filter by location, language, ethnicity, etc.)
Lotus Therapy Fund: Those seeking therapy services can apply for 8 free sessions with an Asian therapist each quarter of the year (make sure to pay attention to the deadlines!)
Austin Asian Community Health Initiative (AACHI): Advocacy, education, & support for the Asian community in the Austin, TX area & elsewhere
Community Health Navigation Program: Assistance with navigating healthcare, including services such as patient advocacy, education, interpretation & translation, referrals to local resources, and help with applications
Asian Behavioral Health Network: Directory of APIDA mental health professionals, including therapists (can filter by location, language, ethnicity, etc.)
Asians For Mental Health: Directory for Asian/Pacific Islander therapists (can filter by state)
Austin Asian-American Resource Center (AARC): Community center where cultural arts, health and heritage programs, events, meetings, and lectures are held for people of all ages
Asian Family Support Services of Austin (AFSSA): Provides services for Asian survivors of domestic violence & sexual assault, including safety planning, counseling, housing & employment resources, legal advocacy, support for parents, and community education
Stop AAPI Hate Community Resources: Safety tips, mental health resources, and legal support
Asian LifeNet Hotline: Call 1-877-990-8585 for multilingual (including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, & Japanese) support
Hopefully you find these to be helpful! Feel free to reach out and let me know if you find additional AAPI resources.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
For me, Mid-Autumn Festival brings back happy memories of eating mooncakes with lotus paste and egg yolk, making red paper lanterns, spending time with friends and family in the backyard, and watching the full moon rise in the sky.
Mid-Autumn Festival, or 中秋节, occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar, around the autumn equinox; it is celebrated among many Asian cultures, including China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. The moon is fullest at this time, allowing for crops to be harvested. It is a time of abundance, family, friends, community, gratitude, and joy.
The folk tale most commonly associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival involves Chang’e (嫦娥) and Hou Yi (后羿), a wife and husband, respectively. There are many different versions of the story, so I will recount the one I know:
Hou Yi, a renowned archer, shot down 9 of the 10 suns in the sky. As a reward for saving the people from a scorched fate, he was given the elixir of immortality by the Queen Mother of the West. However, he did not drink the vial, as he loved his wife, Chang’e, and wanted to stay with her. After relating this information to Chang’e, she immediately coveted the treasure for her own and stole it. She began to fly to the moon, and has remained there to this day with only the Jade Rabbit for company - as he continues to prepare the elixir of life. In other versions of this tale, Chang’e drinks the elixir in order to prevent a jealous apprentice from obtaining them, thus proving her love and loyalty. Offerings of mooncakes and fruits are made on this day to Chang’e.
Festivals and celebrations like this give us time and space to reflect on what is most important to us.
What are the things that you are grateful for?
What are the things that you most cherish?
What are you wanting to accomplish in life?
For myself, I am grateful for having had the opportunity to reshape my life so that it is much more fulfilling than it was a couple of years ago. I am grateful for my chosen family and the blessings I have received from my family-of-origin. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned through my journey - hard-earned as they were; without them, I would not be where I am today.
The moon is both shadow and light, and as such, symbolizes unity.
May you be filled with peace and harmony.
