It takes a village to serve a Hmong youth (Livestream)
Kimiko Vang is Deputy Director at Merced County Human Services Agency. She oversees Employment and Training programs, Family Stabilization, Staff Development, All Dads Matter and All Moms Matter programs, and the Hmong Women’s Initiative. Kimiko has over 16 years of experience in social services and clinical practice as both a direct practitioner and an administrator. Kimiko holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
May-Ci Xiong is a Program Manager for Merced County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services with the Children’s System of Care. She has experience working with community-based agencies and county agencies, and serving disadvantaged youth such as foster children. May-Ci is an LCSW and is currently providing both clinical supervision and professional consultation to colleagues in effort to better serve Hmong consumers.
Starting Emotional Wellness Conversations in Punjabi Communities
Dr. Preet Kaur Sabharwal received her PsyD at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in Alameda. Preet is the founder of the South Asian Mental Health Consortium which puts on an annual conference on the subject. As a mental health clinician and now program coordinator at The Hume Center, Preet oversees clinical services in their South Asian Program for youth, adults and families. Preet works from a cultural lens and provides services in both Punjabi and Hindi. She has facilitated a variety of workshops and presentations at conferences across the United States, and is considered to be one of the frontrunners on promoting advocacy and mental health awareness on behalf of the South Asian population.
Nina Kaur recently completed her Post-Doctoral Fellow at Portal Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center, where she provided psychological services in the South Asian and Outpatient Program. She received her PsyD with an emphasis on Social Justice from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco. Nina has provided therapeutic services to underserved and diverse populations in school-based programs and community mental health settings. Her practicum sites have enabled her to provide services in her native language, Punjabi. Nina’s interests include South Asian mental health, trauma, community resilience, social justice, and reducing mental health stigma. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Wright Institute School-Based Collaboration Program in Berkeley, California, where her dissertation examined domestic violence and alcohol abuse in the Punjabi Sikh community.
November 21 - 22, 2019 • Clovis Veteran's Memorial District, Clovis CA
Fresno County
About DBH
The Department of Behavioral Health provides mental health and substance abuse services to adults within the County of Fresno. The programs within our department focus on delivering the highest quality of service. There are over 300 professionals and staff dedicated to providing services in both metropolitan and rural areas. The diversity of our staff has helped us create a department that is sensitive to cultural differences and attempts to bridge the language barriers with our clients.
Our Mission
DBH, in partnership with our diverse community, is dedicated to providing quality, culturally responsive, behavioral health services to promote wellness, recovery, and resiliency for individuals and families in our community.
About Fresno County
Fresno County may be known for its significant agricultural
contributions to the world but this land of abundant sunshine and
gorgeous scenery is also an emerging metropolitan hub. Home to the
largest city between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area (Fresno)
and one of the fastest growing cities in the state (Clovis), the county has
certainly developed a reputation as a location on the rise. Boasting a
population of nearly 1 million residents, more than 100 different
languages spoken and countless cultures represented, diversity is
certainly a strength and focal point of the region.
According to Census Bureau (2018), there are 994,400 people who reside
in Fresno County, California, of which 11% are Asian (the majority of the
Asian population in Fresno are Hmong) and 0.3% consisted of Native
Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. The highest average
full-time salary belongs to these two groups as well,
which reach up to almost $120,000 per year for the Asians
and $130,000 for the Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders,
with the most common job is miscellaneous managers (Data USA, 2017).
Did you know?
Fresno County, which includes the exact center of the State of California, is comprised of 15 cities
Fresno County is known as the Agricultural Capital of the World producing 350 crops worth approximately $6.8 billion
Fresno County’s largest crop is grapes, with award winning wines now competing with the best in the world
Fresno is the fifth largest city in California with a population over one half million
One of the only places in America with such close proximity to three national parks within a 90 minute drive making it the perfect hub city for National Park Visitors
Visitors can see, taste and experience firsthand fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy, and meat that feeds the world
120 distinct cultures
300 days of sunshine
About Sub Theme
This year's conference theme is Action For Wellness: The Power of Legislation. The focus of statewide conference this year is to bring together mental health professionals, educators, youth, community members, and policy makers to craft ways to increase access to wellness in API communities using legislation to support those efforts. As many students and families are positively impacted by efforts of LEAs, their programs, and partners, and educators will play vital role in this discussion with our API community on how to achieve wellness for such a diverse group, who has different needs, barriers and opportunities.
Pre-Planning Content
In preparation for the APIMHEC 2019, the conference's consultancy firm, Moving Forward Psychological Institute, LLC, compiled a review of Fresno County's mental health needs, and recommended solutions.