Making the Invisible Visible: Reducing Disparities Via Personally Relevant Interventions

Join the College of Education for the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture and celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month featuring Professor Emeritus Gordon C. Nagayama Hall of the University of Oregon.

Hall will discuss how the mental health needs of people of color are largely invisible because they underutilize mental health services and are not the focus of research. These mental health utilization disparities have persisted for at least six decades. Neither evidence-based treatments nor culturally-adapted treatments adequately address the individual needs of people of color. 

People of color may not use mental health services because services are not: (a) personally relevant; or (b) accessible. Our neuroscience data suggest that pragmatic, problem-solving approaches are the most personally relevant for Asian Americans, the least likely ethnic group to use mental health services. Hall also will review the app Mind Boba, which was developed to make psychotherapy more personally relevant and accessible to Asian Americans.

This presentation is made possible by the Lippitt Fellowship. All faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend. A boxed lunch will be served.