Working with Asian American Immigrant Children using the DCIT Model

An online workshop hosted by the Community Mental Health Master's in Counseling Psychology program

This free workshop is designed for licensed clinicians, pre-licensed professionals, and graduate students in psychotherapy who seek to deepen their effectiveness in working with Asian American immigrants and their descendants. Participants will gain a strong theoretical foundation in racial identity development among BIPOC children of immigrants, with a particular emphasis on the Asian American experience. Key clinical considerations include the impact of the model minority myth, racial melancholia and dissociation, and the tensions between individualistic and collectivistic cultural values.

Learning Objectives

In this workshop, participants will:

1. Identify the stages of racial identity development (based on Beverly Tatum's work) and process for developing a non-racist identity 
2. Explain clinical considerations therapists should be aware of when working with Asian American youth, such as the model minority myth, racial melancholia and racial dissociation 
3. Apply Dynamic Cultural Integration Theory to the clinician's own history in order to practice applying it as an intervention with client

Speaker Bio

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Melanie Lei, M.A., AMFT is a psychotherapist specializing in working with BIPOC and immigrant communities in San Francisco. Her clinical and research interests focus on intergenerational trauma and healing, racial identity development, and LGBTQ+ identity formation. She integrates psychodynamic, multicultural, and Buddhist philosophical approaches into her therapeutic work.

Melanie works in community mental health at the Community Youth Center of San Francisco, providing school-based therapy for BIPOC youth. She also has a private practice working with teens, adults and couples. A 2023–2024 APA Interdisciplinary Minority Fellow, Melanie has presented on Dynamic Cultural Integration Theory and intergenerational trauma in children of immigrants at major conferences, including the American Psychological Association (APA), Western Psychological Association (WPA), and Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA). She contributes to academia by supporting courses at CIIS and leads guest lectures and professional development workshops for clinicians and mental health professionals.

Reserve your Spot

Accessibility

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email cmh@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event.