Initial Research
Mental health remains a critical concern for the Cambodian-American community. The existing system often lacks cultural sensitivity, failing to acknowledge the effectiveness of traditional healing practices. This project aims to bridge this gap by creating a culturally-sensitive toolkit that empowers individuals to connect with their heritage and explore self-care practices grounded in Cambodian traditions.
I conducted an online survey distributed through social media platforms (Instagram & Facebook) targeting Cambodian-Americans. The survey explored, mental health services, understanding preferred features and resources for the toolkit to align with my audience, identifying activities participants found helpful in maintaining mental well-being and gaining insights into how members of the Cambodian community seek and provide mental health support.
Symposium
After my findings, I attended a symposium called “Decolonizing Mental Health for AAPI Youth & Families” that gave me insight on the current methods to decolonize mental health and how to create safe spaces for Asian-American individuals. It also provided valuable insights for the toolkit's design principles and introduced me to the idea of deconstructing the Eurocentric biases embedded in the Westernized mental health system. I attended three different panels, researcher panel, clinician panel and caregiver panel. Each panel delve into a different aspect of mental health care and discussions with Asian-American health care professionals. Through a deconstruction, it highlights its limitations in addressing the needs of the Cambodian-American community.
In-person Experiment
As an experiment, I led a traditional Cambodian line dance session with my thesis class. This exploration aimed to assess the potential of cultural self-soothing activities to promote positive emotions and foster a sense of connection, ultimately informing the inclusion of such practices within the toolkit.
Eastern vs Western
The following research focused on the shortcomings of the dominant Western mental health system in addressing the needs of the Cambodian-American community. This exploration involved delving into the fundamental differences between Eastern and Western approaches to medicine and well-being, Western medicine has a biomedical model that focuses on the biological causes of mental health challenges and employing medication. Psychotherapy is also a primary intervention. Eastern medicine emphasizes more on a holistic approach, considering physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of well-being. It often incorporate practices like meditation, acupuncture, and herbal remedies. From this research, it highlighted the limitations of Western models when addressing mental health in the context for Cambodian-Americans. For centuries, Kru Khmers or local healers, have acted as the individuals of wellness wisdom within Cambodia, using a range of herbal, plant and root-based recipes to treat illness. It’s an approach that relies on generational knowledge.
Decenter, Deconstruct, Reconstruct
Inspired by Tuck and Yang's (2012) concept of decolonization as a call for concrete action, I reframed my approach for the toolkit not only simply critiquing the existing system, I aim to decenter and deconstruct it. When decentering, this involves shifting the Western model from the center of mental health care. We acknowledge its value but recognize the need for other perspectives, particularly those grounded in Cambodian traditions. By deconstructing, we examine these biases in the Eurocentric model and explore how these biases might undermine the effectiveness of traditional practices valued by the Cambodian-American community. Finally, I reconstructed a framework for mental health that integrates the strengths of Cambodian approaches. This reconstructed framework would create a space for culturally-relevant interventions and empower the Cambodian-American community to connect with their heritage while addressing their mental well-being. It creates space for a more inclusive approach to mental health that incorporates the strengths of Cambodian healing practices. Ultimately, this approach aims to empower the Cambodian-American community to define and address their own mental well-being on their terms. I followed the cycle that allows for culturally humble and identity-centered practice when creating the toolkit.
Cambodian Traditions and Spirituality
To further the development of the toolkit, I researched on Cambodian traditions, spirituality, and the arts. I explored the historical and local resources to find traditional Cambodian practices that promote mental well-being. This included mindfulness techniques, plant-based remedies, and community rituals. I found that Cambodian Buddhism is deeply embedded in the culture. Studying Buddhist principles and practices like meditation, loving-kindness, mindfulness and acceptance provided insights on the role of spirituality. Cambodian arts like silk-weaving and dance offer avenues for emotional expression and community connection. I researched the history and cultural significance behind the art forms to explore how I can wove these silk-weaving pattern elements into the design of the toolkit.