Our Wisdom is a space of community, healing, and connection for Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans around mental health, race, and Identity. This group is led by Mengqi Li, LGSW. 

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ABOUT

 

This is an intentional gathering of APIDA identified individuals to learn, heal, and support each other through navigating the intersections of mental health, race, and identity. This group invites members to co-create a space of vulnerability and authenticity around issues that impact so many in the Asian community. 

 

This group addresses mental health topics such as anxiety, depression, perfectionism, boundaries, intergenerational conflict, interpersonal relationships, trauma (including collective/intergenerational trauma) among individuals of Asian identity. 

 

As our individual well-being is inextricably tied to the systems in which we live, this group will also engage with topics such as anti-Asian racism, immigration, model minority myth, perpetual foreigner, the racial triangulation of Asian Americans, and more topics as guided by particular interest of the group. 

 

The group will explore both the gifts and burdens of our ancestors, what we have learned that serves as well and what we can learn to let go of. Most importantly, this group will be a refuge of safety, solidarity and community. 

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THE FACILITATOR

 

I am an Asian American, immigrant, and therapist working primarily with the Asian community. After the brutal murders of Asian women in Atlanta, I began to create healing spaces for Asian identified folks, worked in racial justice initiatives with a special focus on Asian communities, and co-produced a national performance featuring stories from the Asian community around mental health.

 

This group merges my passion for mental health and activism, and this is the group I would have needed when I was grappling with my own journey of mental health and identity. My deepest intention for this group is to reconnect us all with a sense of belonging. 

 

Despite the individual suffering that may lead us to believe we are separate or invisible, this group reminds us that we are not alone. We are connected, and we're all in this together. 

 

LOGISTICS

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• This group will meet for 12 weeks on a weekly basis, each Thursday from 8-9:30AM EST. 

• This is a virtual group and will be hosted on zoom. 

• Group size will be capped to 4-6 members.

• Since it is a support and not a therapy group, members residing outside of the DC-VA-MD area are also eligible to join.

• All members are expected to commit to the full 12 weeks for the development of a deeper group experience.

• Should necessity arise, members are encouraged to give two weeks notice before leaving the group and discuss the decision with the group facilitator.

• All interested members will go through a brief 1-on-1 prescreen with the facilitator to assess for fit. 

• Group will start once enough members have joined. Start date TBD. Please email Mengqi Li, LGSW, mli.therapist@gmail.com to indicate your interest. 

 

GROUP FORMAT

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Each session will consist of a check-in, discussion/processing around a mental health/race/identity related topic, and a check out. This group is not a space to give unsolicited advice,  or to "therapize" each other. Rather, we invite each member to connect with their own experiences and vulnerability around the issues being shared. Additional group rules will be co-created with group members in the first session. 

 

COST

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This group uses the Equitable Pricing Model of charging $60-$100 per session and aims to balance individual and collective well-being to optimize access for all folks. The market rate of the group is $80/session, which is the fee that would adequately support the group’s operational costs, license requirements, and the facilitator’s own wellness. Use the following guide to locate yourself within the model:

 

Consider selecting a rate between $60 - $80 if:

• You would need to alter your budget to be able to pay for the group, without much of a financial safety net.

 

Consider selecting a rate of $80 if:

 

• You are able to meet your basic needs along with a few expendable wants with this rate budgeted in.

 

Consider selecting a rate of $80-$100 if:

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• You are able to pay a higher rate without experiencing hardship, in order to ensure that those who have fewer resources are able to pay a reduced rate to participate in the group.

Group will start once enough members have joined. Start date TBD. For more information or registration, contact mli.therapist@gmail.com