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
Cultural Humility & Community Collaboration: Ensuring access and Reducing Stigma for Asian American & Pacific Islanders
Andrea Cabrera Jakucs MSW, ACSW, has extensive work experience providing mental health services to adults. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Pace University and Master in Social Work from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She is an active member of the Filipino Mental Health Well-Being Summit Planning Committee, California Social Welfare Archives, and is a certified Adult Mental Health First Aid Instructor. She is currently working as a Care Coordinator for Special Service for Groups– Alliance in Los Angeles where she provides individual psychotherapy to a range of clients to include Filipino survivors of human trafficking, adults with developing symptoms of mental illness, and adults diagnosed with severe mental disorders. She was born in the Philippines and lived in Batangas City before moving to California when she was 13 years old.
Tiffany Tran (she/hers) is a clinician on the API FSP, RRR, and PEI teams at SSG-Alliance. Tiffany finished dual masters programs in Asian American studies and social welfare at UCLA in 2019. She received her BA in Asian American studies and gender studies also from UCLA in 2016. She grew up in the San Gabriel Valley (more specifically Monterey Park bordering East LA) in a working-class, Chinese-Vietnamese refugee household. Tiffany's research interests include mental health and intergenerational trauma among communities of color, Chinese diasporas in Southeast Asia, critical refugee studies, and Southeast Asian deportations. Tiffany is currently a member of Asian Pacific Islander Reentry & Inclusion Through Support & Empowerment (API RISE), an organization that support formerly incarcerated/impacted Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Tanya Samaria Sapa is First-Generation Sāmoan college graduate. She received her Bachelors in Social Science: Emphasis in Psychology as a USC student-athlete. She was the founder and served as USC Pacific Islander Students Association Co-Chair. She was the Mana room Lead in EPIC’s PILOT (Pacific Islander Leaders of Tomorrow) summer program for 2 sessions. She currently works at SSG Alliance as a Case Manager and Community Outreach. She facilitates MH workshops with ANHPI community groups and is a certified MHFA Instructor.