In many Asian cultures, therapy is often seen as unnecessary or shameful to the family system. For a lot of us, talking to a stranger about family problems, personal stress, or emotional pain feels like a betrayal of the values we were raised with, such as: keep your head down, work hard, and definitely don’t air your business to outsiders.
Silence isn’t healing, and you do not bring shame to your family by getting mental health therapy. For many Asian Americans, the pressure to be high achieving, emotionally reserved, and constantly “okay” has led to stress, depression, and burnout that’s all too easy to ignore until it isn’t.
If you’ve been wondering whether therapy could actually help you—or if you’ve been looking for a therapist who truly gets the layered experience of being Asian in America, you’re not alone. Working with an Asian therapist can be a transformative way to explore your mental health with someone who understands the nuances, the expectations, and the unspoken “rules” you may have grown up with.
Let’s unpack why this matters.
What is “Asian Therapy”?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to what “Asian therapy” means because there’s no single Asian experience. Asia spans dozens of countries and cultures. Even within one country, there can be major differences depending on region, religion, language, class, and diaspora experiences.
Still, when people search for therapy specifically with an Asian therapist, they’re often looking for someone who understands certain shared themes:
- Intergenerational pressure: The push to succeed, make the family proud, and uphold sacrifices made by earlier generations.
- Silence around mental health: The idea that stress and sadness should be “toughed out” or kept private.
- Family loyalty vs. personal autonomy: Struggles with boundaries, especially when your values start to differ from your family’s.
- Identity conflict: Feeling like you’re “not Asian enough” in some spaces and “too Asian” in others.
- Code-switching and assimilation: Navigating who you have to be depending on the space you’re in.
Asian therapy—especially with an Asian therapist, isn’t about talking only about culture. It’s about being able to talk about anything without having to over-explain yourself. It’s about not having to translate your values, tone, or family dynamics into something more “palatable.” It’s about being seen.
What Percent of Therapists Are Asian?
Not enough.
According to the American Psychological Association, as of recent estimates, only about 4% of psychologists in the U.S. identify as Asian—despite the fact that Asian Americans make up nearly 7% of the U.S. population and are among the fastest-growing racial groups in the country.
This mismatch means many Asian clients searching for an Asian therapist hit roadblocks. The demand is high, but the supply is limited—especially for therapists who speak Asian languages, understand bicultural or first-gen experiences, or specialize in culturally affirming therapy.
That’s why at Melanated Women’s Health, we’re committed to making therapy more accessible and culturally resonant. Our team includes Jisu Pyo, a Korean-American therapist in Pennsylvania, who works from a trauma-informed, multicultural lens. Whether you’re fluent in Korean or just want someone who gets the unspoken parts of your story, Jisu creates space for you to show up as you are—without shame, pressure, or judgment. Learn more or book with her here.
Why Therapy Can Be Hard for Asian Clients
For many Asian families, mental health is still taboo. You may have grown up hearing things like:
- “You just need to pray more.”
- “What do you have to be sad about?”
- “We gave you everything.”
- “Don’t be dramatic.”
This kind of messaging can make therapy feel indulgent or even selfish. You might worry that going to therapy means you’re weak, ungrateful, or “too American.” But therapy isn’t about blame. It’s not about shaming your culture or parents. It’s about giving yourself space to understand your feelings so you don’t keep carrying stress, shame, or sadness alone.
Common Topics in Therapy for Asian Clients
Everyone’s experience is different, but here are some themes that often come up when working with an Asian therapist:
High Expectations and Guilt
If you were raised to be “the good child” or “the successful one,” you might find it hard to admit when you’re struggling. Therapy can help unpack that guilt and give you room to breathe.
People-Pleasing and Boundaries
For many Asian clients, saying “no” feels disrespectful. You might feel obligated to prioritize family even at the cost of your own well-being. Therapy offers a place to explore what boundaries can look like without abandoning your values.
Grief and Cultural Loss
For first-gen clients, there’s often quiet grief around losing language, customs, or connection to your heritage. Therapy can be a space to mourn that loss, while creating new rituals of belonging.
Bicultural Identity
If you feel caught between worlds—too Asian for some, not Asian enough for others—you’re not alone. Therapy can help you build a sense of self that isn’t about “either/or,” but “both/and.”
What Healing Can Look Like with an Asian Therapist
Working with an Asian therapist doesn’t mean you’ll be automatically understood in every way. But it does often mean:
- You don’t have to over-explain your culture.
- You can reference cultural topics and specifics, and still be understood.
- You can talk about shame, family duty, or collectivist values without being met with confusion.
- You can process anger or sadness in a space that holds both your feelings and your cultural lens.
Therapy isn’t about fixing you. It’s about making space for all of you including the parts that were told to shrink, stay silent, or smile through it.
Ready to Start Therapy with an Asian Therapist?
At Melanated Women’s Health, we believe therapy should honor your identity, not erase it. And you don’t need to wait until you’re in crisis to ask for support.
Your story matters. Your voice matters. And healing is possible on your own terms, in your own language, and with someone who truly sees you.
Whether you’re carrying quiet sadness, performance anxiety, cultural confusion, or just the pressure of having to hold it all together, therapy can help you stop carrying it alone.
If you’ve been searching for a Korean therapist, a bicultural therapist, or just someone who gets it—Jisu Pyo might be the right fit for you. She works with teens, college students, and adults navigating everything from anxiety and depression to family tension, grief, and self-worth struggles.
She also offers sessions in English or Korean and has immediate sliding scale availability for clients in Pennsylvania.
Get Started Today
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