What We Carry, What We Share: An honest conversation about Asian identity, culture and mental health
Description
What We Carry, What We Share
An Honest Conversation About Asian Identity, Culture and Mental Health
A free community event for Mental Health Month hosted by Project HoriZen x Duality Psychology.
Culture can shape the way we understand ourselves, our relationships and our mental health in ways that are not always obvious.
Sometimes it shows up in the expectations we carry from our families. Sometimes in the parts of ourselves we have learned to embrace, hide, minimise or distance ourselves from. And sometimes we do not have the words to understand these experiences until much later.
What We Carry, What We Share is a free community webinar creating space for an honest and thoughtful conversation about Asian identity, culture and mental health. Join Daniela (Dani) Ho Tan (Project HoriZen, Mindwealth Psychology) & Dr Sherwynna Lee (Duality Psychology, Duality & Co) for a candid and interaction conversation as they talk about topics such as:
navigating Asian and Western cultural expectations
belonging, identity and feeling “Asian enough”
the subtle ways racism, stereotypes and social messages can shape how we see ourselves
distancing ourselves from parts of our culture, sometimes without realising why
family expectations, relationships and intergenerational differences
the ways culture can influence how we understand and express emotions
mental health stigma and the challenges of talking openly about how we are doing
This won’t be a conversation about there being one way to be Asian, or one shared “Asian experience”. Our communities are incredibly diverse, and our relationships with culture and identity can be complicated, changing and deeply personal.
Instead, we hope to create space for curiosity, reflection and conversation about what we carry, what we have learned to leave unspoken, and what might become possible when we begin to share it.
Who is this for?
This webinar is open to anyone interested in conversations about Asian identity, culture and mental health.
You might identify strongly with your cultural background, feel disconnected from it, find yourself somewhere between cultures, or still be figuring out what culture and identity mean to you.
You do not need to have any background in psychology or mental health to attend.
What to expect
This will be a relaxed, community-focused conversation rather than a formal lecture.
You are welcome to simply listen and reflect. There will also be opportunities to share thoughts or questions through the chat and Q&A if you would like to participate.
Attendance is free, but registration is required. If you would like to contribute then a donation to our charity would be appreciated. (Option at checkout or via https://au-give.bluedragon.org/fundraisers/project-horizen)
Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation works in Vietnam to protect children and families from human trafficking and exploitation. Their work includes rescuing people in crisis, helping children access education and safer futures, strengthening communities, and advocating for systemic change.
Lineup
Dr Sherwynna Lee
Dr Sherwynna Lee is the Clinical Psychologist and Supervisor behind Duality Psychology, and founder of Duality and Co., a collective for independent mental health therapists in Brisbane/Meanjin. She identifies as Malaysian Chinese and a first generation immigrant in Australia. She has worked across both public and private mental health services in Brisbane and now works primarily with adults 18+ in private practice focusing on challenges around anxiety, perfectionism and has a special interest working with people within the Asian diaspora. She also provides clinical supervision to other mental health therapists privately, and to first year university students across two universities in Brisbane. Therapeutically she works from an integrative style incorporating mainly schema therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy. She also enjoys incorporating broader systemic factors such as colonisation into the therapeutic work.
Daniela (Dani) Ho Tan
Dani Ho Tan is a Vietnamese-Australian Clinical Psychologist and the Founder of Project HoriZen, which hosts community conversations, webinars, and events focused on mental health, culture, and identity. Through free community events such as "Shatter the Stigma "and Living Between Worlds: Queerness and Asian Community Contexts", Dani is passionate about creating spaces where people can come together to learn, reflect, and have more open conversations about topics that are often difficult to talk about. Dani cares deeply about making these spaces feel inclusive, culturally responsive, and grounded in both compassion and curiosity.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity