Asian Mental Health Concentration Launch-Thanh Phan

Thanh Phan, MA, our Psychology Intern from William James College,  helps launch the Asian Mental Health Concentration

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David A. Perna, PhD
Licensed Psychologist
Lecturer in Psychology
Department of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School

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Thanh is so committed to her family and her family's traditions

The Launch of the Asian Mental Health Concentration at William James featured Lion Dancers from the Boston Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club.

Dr. Vuky is an incredible mentor to Thanh and so many other students at William James
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-Dr. Perna

​Asian 
​Mental Health
Concentration Launch

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Diversity
​Matters​

Dr. Perna congratulating Thanh Phan on the launch of the Asian Mental Health Concentration at William James College

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Thanh Phan, MA, our Psychology Intern, had asked me if Copernican Clinical Services (CCS) would help sponsor the launch of William James College's Asian Mental Health Concentration (AMHC). I told her that we would all be thrilled to do so. 

CCS Staff Member, Jenifer Nesin, helps Quanzhou (Jack) Zhao, a Chinese calligraphy artist, display his beautifully crafted artwork at the launch celebration

CCS staff members-Caitlyn Chappell, LICSW, Jenifer Nesin, and Thanh's co-intern Alexis Chirban, MA, and I were present for the launch that celebrated the Lunar New Year at William James in conjunction with a large crowd of William James students, faculty, and extremely energetic supporters (Including Thanh's family).

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Faculty, students, and family members were enthusiastically engaged in the launch and the Lunar New Year celebration

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Acculturation: 
Thanh is a thoughtful, hard working, sensitive trainee who has brought so much to our training program this past year. She is not only fluent in Vietnamese but is proficient in Mandarin.  She impressed us from the start. 

Thanh exudes a sense of purpose and meaning in all of her clinical activities as she is rooted in her experience of being a person who has moved through the acculturation process and is able to speak her truth in relating to so many other immigrants who are currently experiencing their own personal transition. Her dedication to her family's cultural heritage, her parents and younger brother, as well as the diverse needs of the various family's that she interacts with at CCS is evident in all of her systems work.

Thanh is a first-generation Vietnamese immigrant who was born in Vietnam. Her understanding of the diverse mental health needs of Boston's Asian immigrants and their unique experiences in Boston  allowed us to quickly identify her as a top candidate for our training program. Her multi-faceted background has provided staff members and trainees with a perspective of American culture and American mental health practices that is extremely rare to come by. As a result, she is sensitive to the needs of the many clients who are simply not well-treated by our various state and federal support programs. 

When Thanh interviewed with us she shared a story about how she accompanied a  previous client and her family to a local emergency room during a psychiatric crisis. She knew that she would be needed to help translate for the overwhelmed family. She simply rolled up her sleeves, jumped in, and did what was needed. True Grit! That's why we offered her a training slot and we have not been disappointed.

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Mentoring: Thanh has been mentored by Dr. Catherine Vuky, PhD,  the Director of the Asian Mental Health Concentration at William James who is also a staff psychologist at The South Cove Community Health Center in Boston. Dr. Vuky and Thanh make a great duo. It is easy to see why Thanh has such a sense of hope for the future of the AMHC. That future burns so brightly in the eyes of Dr. Vuky every day and is only matched by her warm smile and sense of commitment to her work. I am glad to see that they both have so much energy. The road ahead is long-so the company you keep makes all the difference. ​

Catherine Vuky, PhD

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Please click on the following Links for more information:​​

South Cove Community Health Center: Boston, MA

William Jame College's Asian Mental Health Concentration Information Page: (Click here)

William James College's Blog Post regarding the launch of the Asian Mental Health Concentration: (Click here)

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