This month, we chat Sara Stanizai - a licensed therapist, clinical supervisor, and the owner of Prospect Therapy, a queer- and trans-affirming therapy practice based in Long Beach, CA, with a special focus on serving first-generation American and immigrant communities.

In celebration of Pride Month and to celebrate our Asian queer, trans, non-binary and genderqueer friends and allies - we spoke with various advocates in the Asian Mental Health Collective community to spread light on the important work they do.

While hunkering down during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chicago-based professional translated her experiences into a mini-guide entitled How We Talk To Ourselves. She collaborated with New York City-based artist Connie Van on the book.

This month, we chat with the ladies behind The Desi Condition, a podcast centered on mental wellness and Desi culture, as well as Mental Health Talks India, an online repository of stories about mental health. Both outfits seek to create spaces where people can vent and share without fear or shame. Check them out – their DMs are open!

Mak’s journey with depression has been ongoing for several years now. After a stint at Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health in 2017, he decided to document that episode of struggling with depression in a blog. “It is my hope that the blog will help others who either know someone in depression, or is suffering from depression themselves,” he writes on the blog.

Just 13 when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Diana Chao was desperate for someone to confide in – someone willing to understand and appreciate her mental health issues, someone who would “see (her) as a human being,” disorders included

Shame is paralyzing, it causes people to want to hide their mistakes, etc. But the whole idea behind Erasing Shame is to realize that you don’t have to run away, but you also don’t have to be paralyzed.

The Asian Mental Health Collective hears from actors An Phan (based in Los Angeles, USA) and Chase Tang (based in Ontario, Canada) about their experiences and their thoughts on mental health advocacy.

By providing platforms for people to talk, cry and listen to one another, Mustard Seed Generation wants to bring hope, healing, and reconciliation across the Korean American community.