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Addressing Mental Health Across Cultures : 1A For children of immigrants who are straddling two worlds, mental health can be a unique struggle.

According to a 2020 study, children of immigrants had nearly double the rate of psychological distress than their immigrant parents. And this population is only growing, with one in four children in the U.S. currently being a child of immigrants.

Therapy is bound by many Western ideas and rooted in whiteness. How to deal with the expectations, guilt, and dialogues of the bicultural experience can be a difficult road. That's where Sahaj Kaur Kohli comes in. She's the creator of Brown Girl Therapy, an online mental health space for children of immigrants and those in BIPOC communities.

We discuss her experiences and what guidance and tools she gives to those navigating their bicultural identity.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

1A

Addressing Mental Health Across Cultures

Addressing Mental Health Across Cultures

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The therapist and writer Sahaj Kohli (India/USA), New York, New York, November 28, 2023. Photograph © Beowulf Sheehan Beowulf Sheehan/Beowulf Sheehan hide caption

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Beowulf Sheehan/Beowulf Sheehan

The therapist and writer Sahaj Kohli (India/USA), New York, New York, November 28, 2023. Photograph © Beowulf Sheehan

Beowulf Sheehan/Beowulf Sheehan

For children of immigrants who are straddling two worlds, mental health can be a unique struggle. According to a 2020 study, children of immigrants had nearly double the rate of psychological distress than their immigrant parents. And this population is only growing, with one in four children in the U.S. currently being a child of immigrants, according to a survey by KFF and the LA Times.

Therapy is bound by many Western ideas and rooted in whiteness. How to deal with the expectations, guilt, and dialogues of the bi-cultural experience can be a difficult road.

That's where Sahaj Kaur Kohli comes in. She's the creator of Brown Girl Therapy, an online mental health space for children of immigrants and those in BIPOC communities. She's also the author of the new book, "But What Will People Say? Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures."

She writes about her own experiences while giving guidance and tools to others navigating their bicultural identity.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.