ACLS hopes to make Health and Wellness resources that cater to Asian/Asian American needs and cultures easier to find and access.
Therapist Directory
Use our new therapist directory to find information about local therapists and Washington telehealth therapists with Asian backgrounds. We do our best to speak with each therapist personally before including them in our directory to assure we are recommending service providers that can meet our community’s diverse needs and identities.
THERAPY 101
WHY THERAPY?
Reduce stress
Reduce anxiety
Function in a healthier capacity
Improve relationships
Improve physical health
Improve quality of life
Changing maladaptive patterns and creating healthier patterns, especially thought patterns
Improve social skills
Ease life transitions
Learn to set boundaries (or understand your lack of boundaries)
…and more!
Humans are naturally social animals and the simple process of exploring our inner landscape with someone else is a natural aspect of being a person.
SIGNS/ SYMPTOMS to be aware of
Reduced pleasure or interest in pleasurable activities, helplessness, constant fatigue, or low energy (signs of depression)
Change in reaction to behaviors or activities that before garnered a different reaction (in other words, something has become a point of anxiety or trigger)
There are many ways we can feel less than our best selves and it is important to assess ways you feel held back in life. This reflection can lead to understanding how certain mental health issues look in YOU, as depression, anxiety, trauma all have common themes but the actual symptoms can manifest differently depending on your unique life.
THINGS TO KNOW about Therapy
Before going into therapy, it is helpful to understand your goals.
Maybe your goals are to generally feel better, in which case, take time to explore what that means to you. Does feeling better mean feeling less down or wanting to experience positive emotions? Maybe it means wanting to engage with friends or family again instead of avoiding it? Maybe feeling better means feeling confident.
Knowing your goals can help you better understand what kind of therapist will help you most. Therapists work from various modalities and because everyone is different, a modality
(such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or talk therapy, etc.)
that works for one person, might not work as effectively for another.
Margaret Albaugh
If you are looking for short term guidance/counseling, Margaret is available by appointment. Margaret is in the process of applying for her LMHCA and has completed her Master’s in Counseling with an emphasis on School Counseling at Eastern Washington University. She uses a decolonized, affirming lens and hopes to help others find meaning in their lives as they sort through the patterns that are holding them back.
She currently does her best to guide her two children through life.
Disclaimer: I do not diagnose or prescribe a treatment plan. As part of ACLS’s goals to providing culturally appropriate resources, I offer short-term guidance which is not meant to replace formal therapy or psychotherapy. We acknowledge the confines of living in an insurance-ruled health-care system and thus try to meet the needs of our community by offering low-barrier informal services for those who are struggling to find or afford formal services or who just need short term assistance.
To schedule an appointment: malbaugh@aclspokane.org or 509-990-4938
Youth Resources
“Boba” Buddies is our new youth program which will serve Spokane’s K-12 grade kids. We will host a monthly event to give Asian/Asian American kids the opportunity to get together and enjoy various activities, games, and cultural learning. Events will be held at The Hive with Spokane Public Libraries (2904 E Sprague Ave) beginning fall of 2023.
The Boba Buddies program is run under our Health and Wellness program in an effort to build protective factors for young Asian and Asian American kids as part of our mental health programs. These protective factors include community and cultural identity building. We hope that young Asian/Asian American kids will develop these protective factors so that they are less likely to have mental health issues as they get older. The program will include directed activities and games and a communal space for Asian/Asian American kids and their parents to hang out.
More information to come. Check the calendar for updates.
Click here to sign up for updates: BOBA Buddies Sign Up
ACLS College Connect programs will be on-campus programs at our local universities and colleges. These programs aim to bring community, mental health resources, and support as students transition or settle into college life. We currently have College Connect Coordinators creating events for Asian/Asian American students at Gonzaga University and Spokane Falls Community College. These events will be a great way to discuss mental health, improve understanding around mental health issues, and foster community with fellow Asian/Asian American students.
Find them on Instagram at @acls_college_connect.
If you are a student at Whitworth University, Eastern Washington University, or Spokane Community College and are interested in being a College Connect Coordinator, please email malbaugh@aclspokane.org.
Community Events and Opportunities
BOOK CLUB
Come check out ACLS Book Club! We will be featuring a new book every one – two months. We will be letting the group lead and so we may adjust the meeting per the group’s needs. The first book is Permission to Come Home.
For more information or to sign up, email malbaugh@aclspokane.org or go to BOOK CLUB Sign Up. Book Club is RSVP only.
Mental Health Journey Stories
As we work to destigmatize mental health illness and issues, we recognize the importance of stories and real experiences of our community members in creating conversation. We are sharing (anonymously) the stories in our communities on our Instagram through sequences illustrated by Elodie Chen, illustrator previously based in Spokane now in Los Angeles. Your story may cover the ways your struggle showed up or how you knew you were struggling with something. Maybe your story explains how you ended up finding the help that you needed. Or maybe you story is about how you knew someone else needed your help.
To share your story, click here to be taken to our Mental Health Story Form. All names will be changed to protect the identity of the storyteller’s and those in their stories. Stories will be shared on our Instagram so follow along on our Instagram!
Other Wellness Resources
English