Holding space, telling stories: Megan Soun and Yellow Chair Collective on AAPI mental health

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which celebrates the rich history, culture, and contributions of AAPI people. It is also a time to bring awareness to the strengths, challenges, and unique mental health experiences of AAPI communities. Yellow Chair Collective is one organization ensuring AAPI individuals receive mental health care that meets their needs.

Yellow Chair Collective is a mental health practice that focuses on the AAPI community. Most therapists at Yellow Chair are Asian or Asian American, but some therapists represent a range of racial and ethnic identities, making Yellow Chair a multicultural practice.

The name “Yellow Chair” is symbolic. The color yellow represents “hope, enlightenment, and creativity,” while the chair represents “a safe place to rest.” The team of specialized therapists at Yellow Chair hopes to provide services in alignment with these symbols.

In addition to one-on-one therapy, Yellow Chair also creates opportunities for community healing through support groups and workshops tailored to specific needs within the AAPI community. Some support group themes include “Being Neurodivergent in a Neurotypical World: Asian American Processing Group” and “Navigating Parental Aging: Support Group for Asian Adult Children.” All of their services seek to honor the whole person to provide the most supportive and effective treatment possible.

Megan Soun is a therapist and community program manager at Yellow Chair Collective. Through her work, she manages the Asian mental health book club, support groups, and partnerships with other organizations. She also designs and facilitates workshops and support groups on AAPI topics.

Megan was inspired to do this work based on her experiences with racism as a young person. She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, where she says there were not many other AAPI folks in her community. “Growing up, I experienced a lot of racialized comments and microaggressions from a really young age…I think the result of all of that was I internalized all of that and really came to the conclusion that my Asian-ness was the problem.”

But Megan experienced a turning point in college when Trayvon Martin was killed and she joined conversations and classes about racial justice. This began her healing journey and laid the foundation for her work at Yellow Chair Collective.

In her work, Megan often helps AAPI professionals who are silently dealing with burnout. She says that while economic and workplace factors certainly play a role, deeper cultural dynamics are often at the core.

The model minority myth paints Asian Americans as people who are always successful and resilient. This creates immense pressure to live up to that standard without showing vulnerability.

“Perfectionism is deeply tied to this myth,” Megan explains. “I found in most of my clients, there’s not much acknowledgement of limitations.” To help people better understand how to reverse the impact of the model minority myth, Yellow Chair Collective offers a support group called “Unlearning Perfectionism.”

One of the most pressing barriers to mental health care in the AAPI community is stigma. Many people worry about bringing shame to their family. The cultural norm of “saving face,” coupled with the expectation to be high-achieving, makes it difficult for many to ask for help. Megan notes that the AAPI community is the racial group least likely to seek mental health support.

“I’ve had times when I’ve met with a young person…and I’m asking what it’s like for them coming in for the first time and they’ll share things like, ‘oh I thought therapy was only for people with severe illness’ or ‘my issues aren’t that bad’ or ‘I feel bad that I’m even going to therapy and taking someone else’s spot’…there’s a sense of, well my pain doesn’t really matter because there’s someone out there who’s suffered worse…What I like to tell people is that it’s not a competition. We can hold both together. Their pain can matter, but also, so can yours.”

Yellow Chair Collective is committed to celebrating the strengths within the AAPI community that foster resilience and collective healing. These include tight-knit family structures, meaningful cultural traditions, and powerful storytelling.

“In a lot of Asian cultures, there’s a really strong familial bond that can extend beyond a person’s immediate family to also include extended family and family friends,” Megan says. “And while families can be difficult or complex for some AAPI folks, having these really deep, unbreakable ties to family can provide a strong sense of security and care for challenging times.”

Megan also shares: “I think there is strength through our unique traditions and cultural elements…whether it’s the foods they have or their language or certain celebrations…all of that I think can be a source of pride and belonging…I also think stories can provide really powerful examples of endurance and strength in the midst of adversity. Stories about immigrating to America and what that was like, or stories about facing discrimination here. They help us recognize and remember all that came before us and all that we have endured. I think these stories can really help cultivate resilience for the future.”

When asked how individuals can move from awareness to action, Megan’s advice is: “honor your unique particularities and passions. There’s not just one option or one right way to do this work. Find something that fits who you are and who you want to be.”

“I share this advice because when I was in grad school, I often heard messaging that made it seem like the work of racial equity and justice had to look a very particular way. I heard comments like ‘micro-level work doesn’t matter’…and I remember feeling a lot of shame and guilt because I’m definitely more wired for micro-level work…But I realized over time that this work can look varied and creative and diverse and we need all of it.”

Megan speaks to the invisibility so often felt by AAPI individuals—in media, politics, and even in conversations about racism. From the narrow stereotypes of the “quiet, successful East Asian” to the erasure of diverse AAPI experiences, this invisibility is painful and pervasive. This is especially true when racism in the U.S. is often seen as Black and white issue.

So if Megan could leave one message with the AAPI community about mental health, it would be this: “Despite what the world around us may say, you and your pain matter. You and your pain are worthy of being acknowledged and seen.”

Asian Mental Health Collective

National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)

Yellow Chair Collective