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Overcoming the barriers to mental health treatment services in Korean American populations
Descriptive
TitleInfo
Title
Overcoming the barriers to mental health treatment services in Korean American populations
SubTitle
a phenomenological study
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Park
NamePart
(type = given)
Paul J.
NamePart
(type = date)
1980-
DisplayForm
Paul Park
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
author
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Riggs Skean
NamePart
(type = given)
Karen
DisplayForm
Karen Riggs Skean
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
chair
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Indart
NamePart
(type = given)
Monica
DisplayForm
Monica Indart
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
co-chair
Name
(type = corporate)
NamePart
Rutgers University
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
degree grantor
Name
(type = corporate)
NamePart
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
school
TypeOfResource
Text
Genre
(authority = marcgt)
theses
OriginInfo
DateCreated
(qualifier = exact)
2012
DateOther
(qualifier = exact);
(type = degree)
2012-01
CopyrightDate
(qualifier = exact)
2011
Place
PlaceTerm
(type = code)
xx
Language
LanguageTerm
(authority = ISO639-2b);
(type = code)
eng
Abstract
(type = abstract)
This study examined the experiences of Korean Americans who had gone through the process of considering entering therapy. Eight participants (ages 25 to 35; 6 females, 2 males; and 1st and 2nd generation Korean Americans) took part in two to three interviews and completed a survey that assessed their level of acculturation. The interview, qualitative and open-ended in nature, asked the participants to talk about their lives leading up to their first therapy appointment, the obstacles they faced in entering therapy, and the factors that facilitated their first session with a psychologist. The purpose of the study was multifaceted: 1) to discover the ways that Korean Americans are introduced to therapy, 2) to understand the reasons for their reluctance to enter therapy, and 3) to discuss the process of entering therapy, despite their reluctance to go into therapy. Participants sought out more information about therapy in a state of severe emotional distress and during periods of significant life changes. The most significant challenges were the social ramifications the participants anticipated upon entering therapy and their anxieties associated with meeting and communicating their problems to a stranger. The culturally different conceptualizations of mental health and approaches to coping with psychological issues were additional obstacles as were the participants’ doubts about the relevance and efficacy of therapy. The results indicated that participants were more likely to enter therapy if their problems were seen as impacting their academic performance or career ambitions, or if their problems were severe and unmanageable. Living in therapy-friendly environments with supportive friends who were participating in therapy mitigated the stigma of mental health; moving away from their parents empowered them to choose therapy despite their family’s potentially negative reactions; and viewing therapy as a form of self-care on par with a medical visit or a yoga practice also helped to overcome their negative perceptions of therapy. In managing the negative reactions of their family and friends, participants were able to pursue therapy. These findings may be utilized to improve the effectiveness of mental health outreach to Korean Americans and to inform clinicians in their work with Korean Americans.
Subject
(authority = RUETD)
Topic
Clinical Psychology
RelatedItem
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TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
(type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_3700
PhysicalDescription
Form
(authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
ix, 173 p. : ill.
Note
(type = degree)
Psy.D.
Note
(type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note
(type = statement of responsibility)
by Paul J. Park
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Korean Americans--Mental health
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Psychotherapy
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Korean Americans--Cultural assimilation
Identifier
(type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore10001800001.ETD.000063958
RelatedItem
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TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
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rucore10001800001
Location
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(displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
NjNbRU
Identifier
(type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T3057DZ0
Genre
(authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD doctoral
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Rights
RightsDeclaration
(ID = rulibRdec0006)
The author owns the copyright to this work.
RightsHolder
(type = personal)
Name
FamilyName
Park
GivenName
Paul
Role
Copyright Holder
RightsEvent
Type
Permission or license
DateTime
(encoding = w3cdtf);
(qualifier = exact);
(point = start)
2011-11-08 14:25:51
AssociatedEntity
Name
Paul Park
Role
Copyright holder
Affiliation
Rutgers University. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
AssociatedObject
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
Copyright
Status
Copyright protected
Availability
Status
Open
Reason
Permission or license
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Technical
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610304
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614400
Checksum
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