Welcome New Cabinet Members!!!

Congratulations to our new officers and a warm welcome to the board!!!

Here's our AAPSA board for 2011-2012:

Chairs: Pamela Alquitran Counts and Nattha Tritasavit
Vice Chairs: Mary Jordan and Julie Ser
Community Outreach: Nahal Kaivan and Ronald Lam
Secretary: Trista Ng
Master's Rep: Cecile Bhang
Webmaster: Silvia Liu

For those of you who missed the application but would like to contribute to AAPSA, we always need more help, so please write us at PepperdineAAPSA@ymail.com to volunteer your time!

APA Presentions on Asian American Psychology Students

Here are some of presentations related to Asian American Psychology Students at the 2011 APA Annual Convention, which will be held August 4-7, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Session Title:   The Survival Kit---How to Jump All the Hoops As Asian International and/or Asian American Students in the APA-Accredited Counseling Psychology Program Session ID:   2008 Session Type:   Conversation Hour Division(s):   17, 52 Building:   Convention Center Room Description:   Room 152A Room Location:   Street Level Day/Time:   Fri/8:00AM - 8:50AM

Name Role Presentation Title Poster Number Huan-Chung S. Liu PhD     Chair    Sharon Lee MA     Participant/1stAuthor    Are Doctoral Training Programs Meeting the Needs of Asian American Pacific Islander Students? Yi-Ting Angel Cheng BA     Participant/1stAuthor    Asian International Counseling Trainees’ Academic and Clinical Training Experiences: From Challenges to Self-Efficacy

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Session Title:   Working With the New Trend Mandarin-Speaking Students at University Counseling Centers Session ID:   3203 Session Type:   Symposium Division(s):   17, 45, 52 Building:   Convention Center Room Description:   Room 150B Room Location:   Street Level Day/Time:   Sat/12:00PM - 12:50PM CE Credit: 1 hour. (There are no additional fees to attend CE sessions; however, there is a one-time processing fee to claim an unlimited number of CE credits. Member--$65, Nonmember--$90. Instructions for claiming CE credit for selected sessions are available on page lxxvi.)

Name Role Presentation Title Poster Number Huan-Chung S. Liu PhD     Chair    Bai-Yin Chen PhD     Participant/1stAuthor    An Emerging Trend of Mandarin-Speaking International Students Huan-Chung S. Liu PhD     Participant/1stAuthor    How Chinese Cultural Values May Influence Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Mandarin-Speaking International Students Chun-Chung Choi PhD     Participant/1stAuthor    Counseling With Mandarin-Speaking College Students: Implications for Clinical Work

FORMOSArt Exhibition - People of Today, the Memories of Tomorrow

For those of you interested in museum events and exhibitions about cultural art and anthropology, here's one about the Taiwanese people and their crafts. Plus, proceeds from the admission fee goes to charity. Please see below for the general information and description from the President of the Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP) organization.

*Dear Community Organizers, Leaders, and Friends*,

On behalf of Taiwanese American Professionals in the Greater Los Angeles
area, I am emailing you today to ask if you would consider to help
advertising amongst your membership, list serve, or even sharing with
friends and family of our upcoming event: FORMOSArt Exhibition - The People
of Today, the Memories of Tomorrow.

This year TAP is proud to present the launch of our first cultural art
program of its kind, FORMOSArt, to focus on art-oriented events, and in
addition, take on causes that are more than just about ourselves.

We've assembled a group of Taiwanese American artists and creative
professionals, each specializing in different genres of art, including
photography, oil painting, Chinese brush calligraphy & painting, motion &
graphics design. A portion of the exhibition is dedicated to illustrating
the different facets of Taiwan, or aka Formosa, and its rich cultural
history and the beauty of its land.

Please come join us for the opening ceremony on Saturday, June 18th from 6pm
- 9pm, at the Museum X of Contemporary Art. We will officially kick off the
evening with our programs & scheduled performances starting at 6pm. There
will be live music performances, and a live calligraphy brush painting
demonstration by one of our featured artist, Enya Tseng - you won't want to
miss it!

Here is more information on the exhibition:
FORMOSArt: The People of Today, the Memories of Tomorrow*Location:*
Museum X of Contemporary Art
1458 W. Holt Ave
Pomona, CA

*Exhibition Period:*
June 18th to June 26, 2011 | 4:00-9:00pm

Museum Hours:
June 18th 4pm-9pm
June 19th 1pm-5pm
June 25th 1pm-5pm
June 26th 1pm-4pm
(*Visits on weekdays will be by appointments basis only*)

*The Cause:*
A selection of artwork in the exhibition will be made available for a silent
auction. The proceeds from the artwork sold will go to The Foundation of
Disabled Youth (www.ffdy.org), an organization that helps and serves the
need of families with disabled youth in the Asian community.

*Admission:*
General: $10
Students: $8 (with valid student ID)

*Tickets are also available at the door

To RSVP or donate to our cause:
www.formosart.eventbrite.com

We welcome you to join us as community friends and supporters in our effort
to be a part of this art movement with FORMOSArt and improve the lives of
those in need.

For questions or sponsorships opportunities, please contact:
Kalen Fu (TAP Social Projects Director, kalen.fu@tacl.org) at 562.857.0596
or FORMOSArt@tacl.org

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FORMOSArt Fliers and Press Release are attached.

Thank you so much and I hope to see you all there!

Happy Monday and Cheers!
Connie Hwang
President, Taiwanese American Professionals - Los Angeles
connie.hwang@tacl.org
www.tap.tacl.org

Asian and Asian American Studies Program at Cal State, Los Angeles

An interesting piece of news crossed my path today. Apparently, the administration at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) was making the consideration in January of this year to do away with their Asian and Asian American Studies program due to low enrollment rates. 

According to a spokesman for the university, “There has been some discussion regarding the current state of the program. This discussion is based on the results of [the department's] self-study for its Program Review. The self-study showed that there had been only six graduates and two minors in this degree over the past five years…The next step in the process will be providing input to [Dean James Henderson, College of Natural and Social Sciences] and gathering input from the appropriate program reviewers and [the department]. From there, Academic Affairs will decide whether or not to suspend the program.”

The CSULA campus is located at the gateway to San Gabriel Valley, which houses one of the nation's largest Chinese community. CSULA itself is made up of 20-30% of Asian American students.The program has been operating since 2005 and has suffered from what Dr. Enrique de la Cruz, a professor at CSU, Northridge, calls fiscal neglect despite various funding sources and donors. An online campaign was launched to fight the suspension and various protest acts (marches, petitions, blogs, letters of support, etc.) were set in motion.

Finally, in June of 2011,  the former director of the program (who was a professor in anthropology!) wrote a thank you letter to summarize the support the program received and the current state of affairs. A new director of the program was appointed to the program in April of 2011 and has subsequently received full reassigned time on par with other department chairs, an implicit recognition of the lack of university support to the previous director.

So there you have it. Social action works. This gives us all good reason to stand up for what we believe, to articulate our beliefs in infectious words and action, and to inspire the same enthusiasm in others.

Taiwan Psychology Network

The Taiwan Psychology Network (TPN) is a network of Taiwanese psychologists, mental health professionals and graduate students in psychology in the United States and Taiwan. Initiated by Dr. Gisela Lin, the President of the Asian American Psychological Association (2001-2003) and a psychologist at the Texas A & M University Student Counseling Services, TPN aims to promote collaboration and networking among psychologists in Taiwan and U.S. and to contribute to the training and education of Taiwanese/Taiwanese American mental health professional. 

For those of you who will be attending APA's annual conference in August, TPN will be having social events and meet-ups during the conference period to help anyone interested build their network!

Our First Volunteer Event of the Summer!! The MECCA event at Bowers Museum in OC

Hello AAPSA members!

Please see below for a volunteer opportunity that AAPSA will be taking part in on June 23rd from 4pm to around 9pm at the Bowers Museum in Orange County. This is our first volunteer event of the summer and would love to have any and all of you who are interested to come join us for this exciting and pertinent event.

Dr. Gallardo needs a headcount by Monday, June 13th, so if you are interested please email me back by this Sunday so that we can let him know how many to expect from AAPSA.

Please see below for details of the event.

Thanks very much

Helen

======================================================

Hi all,

Thank you again for your interest in helping out with the Stigma Arts Reduction event at the Bowers Museum.  I know some of you were waiting for additional information.  Here is the plan for the 23rd.  If you are able, I would like for all volunteers to arrive to the Bowers at 4PM to help set-up the event.  The event will actually begin at 6PM and end at 9 PM.  The main goal of the event is to display artwork that has been done by consumers of mental health services and by professional artist in hopes of reducing the stigma associated with having a mental illness.  Once the event is set-up, we will all be helping with set-up, the main purpose for all of you being there is to ensure that all in attendance fill out the evaluation form that we developed for the event.  We will have copies of the eval for folks to pick up and the goal is to make sure folks do not leave without filling out the eval.  I think we are going to do some raffle to give incentive to fill it out, but we are still finalizing what that will look like.  I do not expect it to be too much work, but more an opportunity to enjoy the event, connect with multiethnic folks in the community who represent the Arabic, Iranian, Vietnamese, Korean and Latino communities.

Let me know if this will work for you.  I would like to have a final list of volunteers by next Monday, June 13th at the latest.

Thanks and let me know if you have any additional questions.


Miguel E. Gallardo, Psy.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology
18111 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 209
Irvine, CA 92612

Tel: 949 223-2524
Fax: 949-223-2575
Email: Miguel.Gallardo@pepperdine.edu
Website: www.drgallardo.com

Diagnosis and CBT Treatment of Somatization & Somatoform Spectrum Illness

Diagnosis and Treatment of Somatization & Somatoform Spectrum Illness

Monday, JUNE 13, 2011

8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

6 CE Credits

Conference Speakers: 

Kyle B. Boone, Ph.D.-ABPP & Lynn McFarr, Ph.D.

Registration: 

After May 13, 2011

Practitioner $129

Students $50

For more information, please contact Nuvia Alvarez at (310)423-6280 or at alvarezn@cshs.org

This one-day seminar is focused on two major facets of somatization and somatoform spectrum disorders: (1) the etiology and diagnosis and (2) cognitive behavioral treatment for the disorders. It is well-established that Asians are associated with higher rates of somatization, and CBT has been found to be an efficacious treatment for the Asian culture. I, for one, am very interested in learning more about this nuanced topic!

Also, Dr. Lynn McFarr just gave a talk on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for clients with borderline personality disorders (BPD) in our behavioral class with Dr. Foy, and I could not believe what an amazingly dynamic speaker she was. In addition to having three children, she is also the director of the Cognitive Behavioral/Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinic at Harbor UCLA Medical Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry for the David Geffen School of Medicine. On the other hand, Dr. Boone is a professor and one of the leading neuropsychologists in the country, as well as the author/editor of "Feigning Cognitive Impairment". I expect this seminar is going to be just as informative, so do try to attend it if you can!!

From the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Society of Southern California Facebook group page, here's the official seminar description:

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Somatization and somatoform spectrum illnesses represent the overlay of two mechanisms often regarded as distinct: physical disposition and psychological functioning. In this group of disorders, however, the boundary between the patient’s physical complaints and his/her psychological functioning is blurred, stretching the conventional distinction between mind-body systems. Research shows that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been shown to be useful in the treatment of somatization, hypochondriasis, and body dysmorphic disorder and may in turn reduce medical costs of patients suffering from these disorders.

The Tipping Point: A Report on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among Koreatown and South Bay Youth

The Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) and the Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP) have recently concluded a survey of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among Koreatown and South Bay Youth. This study is part of an ongoing series conducted by both agencies to understand and prevent substance abuse in the Koreatown and South Bay Korean American community.

Download:
Executive Summary (English)
Executive Summary (Korean)
Complete report (English)


Some of the findings include:

• 40.8% of KYCC survey participants have used alcohol in the past year compared to 14.7% of underage youth in the U.S.
•  The majority of youth in the KYCC survey reported that their parents did not know they used drugs.
• 71% of youth surveyed in Koreatown are unsupervised after school. 
• Approximately 18% of youth responded they would drink with permission at home while about 12% of youth would drink at home without permission.
• One-third of the KYCC youths felt that it would be "very easy"for them to obtain alcohol and cigarettes, while 28% felt that it would be "very easy" for them to obtain marijuana. One-third of youths from the AADAP survey reported that alcohol is located in an open area. Of those who reported alcohol was stored, 92.9% of youth said that alcohol was not locked. Thus, alcohol was still accessible for these youth which helps explain why many felt it easy to access alcohol without parental knowledge. 
• Of those who have used alcohol, about 8% access it with a fake ID while 13.9% access it without a fake ID. Similarly, more youths access cigarettes from their communities without fake IDs. That is, 23.3% can get cigarettes without fake ID and only 10% access it with a fake ID.

With these results, recommendations were made for increased parental monitoring and after-school care, increased parental awareness of their own attitudes towards alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, as well as increased communication to youth regarding the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Koreatown Youth & Community Center 10th Annual Benefit Concert

The Koreatown Youth & Community Center will be having their 10th Annual Benefit Concert on Thursday, August 4th, 2011 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tickets cost in the range of 35 to $100 and can be purchased trough PayPal. This year, the concert line-up includes:

David Benoit
Five-time Grammy nominee, American contemporary jazz pianist and composer

Lea Salonga
Tony Award winner for Miss Saigon and singing voice of Disney’s Jasmine and Mulan

Rufus Choi
First prize and People’s Choice Award winner at the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition

Maestro Seung Ju Kim
Conducting the Korean American Youth Symphony with guests from the Asia America Symphony Orchestra

Japanese American Cultural and Community Center "Raising the Curtain" Annual Dinner & Fundraiser

The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) will be having their "Raising the Curtain" annual dinner and fundraiser on Saturday, June 18, 2011.

Special performances will be provided by the best of the Aratani Japan America Theatre, iincluding Hiroshima, Kinnara Taiko with Arpana Dance Company and other special guest artists.

The JACCC has been doing pioneering work bringing Japanese performing and cultural arts to Los Angeles and the greater Southern California community. Please download their invitation to find out more about tickets and sponsorship opportunities. And for more information please contact Jessie Kikuchi at jkikuchi@jaccc.org or call (213) 628-2725.

Registration & Cocktails 5:30pm
Dinner & Program 6:30pm

Asian American Psychology Association 2011 Annual Convention

The Asian American Psychology Association (AAPA) will be hosting their annual convention on Wednesday August 3, 2011 at George Washington University, D.C.  This year, their theme is “Expanding Our Horizons: Giving Voice to Underrepresented AAPI”.

Register early because registration is capped at 200!! (Early registration ends on June 29, 2011 and regular online registration ends on July 20, 2011). Volunteer opportunities are also available so please check out the information page for the conference. For your reference if you would like to present next year, the 2011 Call for Papers deadline was back in April 15.

APA Division 45 Conference

Division 45 of the APA (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues) had their first-ever conference separate from the APA convention during the summer of last year (June 17-19, 2010).  The conference will be hosted by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and it provided a forum for presenting psychological research on ethnic minority groups within the US and for encouraging greater networking and collaboration across various fields of psychology. 

There were over 130 poster presentations, more than 35 symposiums, panel discussions, and workshops, as well as plenary sessions on racism, racial/ethnic identity, and culture and mental health.  The conference program provides an overview of the event.  While another Division 45 conference does not seem to be in the works for 2011, it may be of value to expand this event into an annual presence in the future. What do you think?

Amerasia Journal

Also published by the UCLA's Asian American Studies Center Press, the Amerasia Journal has been around since 1971. Here is the official description:

Since 1971, the Press has published Amerasia Journal, the leading interdisciplinary journal in Asian American Studies. After more than three decades and over 16,000 pages, Amerasia Journal has played an indispensable role in establishing Asian American Studies as a viable and relevant field of scholarship, teaching, community service, and public discourse. Amerasia Journal, according to founding publisher Don T. Nakanishi, "has benefited from and reflected a wide array of profound social changes that have occurred among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders—be it their unprecedented growth and diversification, or their ever-increasing levels of access, representation, and achievement in American society's institutions and sectors that had long excluded, marginalized, or demonized them."

The next issue of the Amerasia journal is on The State of Illness and Disability in Asian America and here are the submission guidelines and deadline for the Call for Papers:

Due Date for one-page abstracts: June 15, 2011
Due Date for solicited final papers: January 2012

Publication Date: Fall 2012

Asian American Pacific Islander Nexus Journal

The AAPI Nexus is a journal published by UCLA's Asian American Studies Center Press that focuses on research regarding Asian American and Pacific Islander policies, practices, and community. Here is an official description:

Published by UCLA's Asian American Studies Center Press, AAPI Nexus is a national journal focusing on policies, practices and community research to benefit the nation’s burgeoning Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. AAPI Nexus Journal draws from professional schools and applied social science scholars as well as practitioners and public policy advocates with the goal of reinvigorating Asian American Studies' mission of serving communities and generating practical research. The first issue was released in Fall 2003, and focused on community development. Future issues will deal with Intersections in Education, Mental Health, Workforce issues and more.

For those of your interested, there is a Call for Paper for the upcoming issue of Nexus, which will focus on immigration:


Deadline for Letter of Intent: June 15, 2011
Deadline for Manuscript Submissions for LA-NY issue: September 15, 2011

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival - Apr 28 and May 7

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival was established in 1983 by the nation's premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS, as a way to promote Asian and Asian Pacific American cinema. A major annual showcase of the best of Asian Pacific American and Asian international media, the Festival is a platform for premiere screenings of important new works from countries including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, among others. The festival also serves to develop and nurture emerging talents through innovative programming initiatives.

Blogging as an interactive platform

As we aim to increase discourse and build community around issues pertaining to Asian Americans, we will be needing input from all of you to create this space for learning and inspiration. Please leave comments on this blog if you want us to add helpful links, information about events, or request of forums for discussion.