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Topline:
A program of the Little Tokyo Service Center will begin offering free suicide prevention training in the New Year. They’ll use what’s known as the Question, Persuade, Refer method.
The backstory: Program Coordinator Matthew Yonemura says there’s a need within the AAPI community for more mental health services. This year his group was also able to provide nearly 70 people with free therapy sessions thanks to donations.
An underserved clientele: “A lot of these people are first-time therapy-goers. Or people who have gone to therapy and they couldn’t afford to continue. Or people who had gone to therapy and they did not have a great experience,” said Yonemura.
Why it matters: Research shows that Asian Americans have fairly high needs for mental health services, but tend to underutilize them. The goal is to offer the suicide prevention training sessions virtually, in-person at the Terasaki Budokan and at schools and churches around L.A starting early 2023. Yonemura says he hopes to make the training available to anyone interested.
Go Deeper: Program Offering Free Therapy To Asian American Youth Expands: ‘We Feel Like We’re Saving Lives’
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or visit the 988 website for online chat.
For more help:
Find 5 Action Steps for helping someone who may be suicidal, from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Six questions to ask to help assess the severity of someone's suicide risk, from the Columbia Lighthouse Project.
To prevent a future crisis, here's how to help someone make a safety plan
Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s 24/7 Help Line (Spanish available): 800-854-7771
East Los Angeles Women’s Center 24/7 crisis hotline (Spanish available): 800-585-6231
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for 24/7 crisis counseling
