Healing in Community During AAPI Heritage Month: Reflections from a Biracial Asian American Therapist
Healing in Community During AAPI Heritage Month: Reflections from a Biracial Asian American Therapist
As a biracial Asian American therapist from Indonesian and European backgrounds, AAPI Heritage Month invites me to reflect on the complexity and richness of my identity, and the many ways it shows up in my work. Growing up second-generation, I often felt caught between cultures: navigating expectations I didn’t always have words for, and carrying stories that weren’t always spoken aloud. Becoming a therapist was a way for me to reclaim space, not just for myself, but for others who live in-between identities, are searching for belonging, and are learning to hold pride and pain in their heritage. This month reminds us that healing is possible and deeply rooted in remembering where we come from.
Mental Health, Culture, and Belonging in AAPI Communities
Mental health wasn't something we talked about openly in my Indonesian family. Struggles were often met with quiet endurance, spiritual framing, or the hope that time would heal what couldn’t be named. There was strength in that silence—a survival instinct passed down through generations—but also an invisibility that left many of us feeling alone in our pain. As I became more immersed in mental health work, I realized how common this quietness is across many Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
As someone who is biracial, I’ve also carried the tension of navigating identity in spaces where I was sometimes “too much” of one culture and “not enough” of another. It’s a border—not fully this or that—yet, over time, I’ve come to see it as a bridge. My lived experience allows me to hold space for clients who also live in between: between cultures, languages, generations, and expectations. Therapy becomes a place where those blurred lines are not only allowed but honored.
Honoring Our Stories and Inviting Healing
AAPI Heritage Month is not only a time to celebrate where we come from — it's a time to reclaim the stories that were left untold. Whether you're navigating your own mental health journey, carrying the weight of intergenerational expectations, or simply trying to feel at home in your identity, know that your experience is valid. Healing doesn't mean erasing the past — it means making space for all of it, with compassion.
If you’re part of the AAPI community and struggling in silence, you are not alone. There is strength in seeking support, and there is courage in speaking your truth—even if your voice shakes. Therapy is one path, but so are community, storytelling, and reconnecting with the parts of yourself that have long been waiting to be seen.
May We Continue to Heal, Together
This month—and every month—may we honor our complexities, embrace our wholeness, and continue creating spaces where all of us can heal.
If you're looking for a therapist who understands the nuances of cultural identity, intergenerational dynamics, and healing across intersections, Alice Davies is currently accepting new clients and would love to hear from you. Contact Alice!