By Jia H. Jung, California Local News Fellow
The RestorAsian holistic mental health care scholarship has opened applications through the month of November and will award 25 randomly selected recipients with a month of evidence-based integrated therapy, coaching, and curated digital resources.
Scholarship recipients will be selected at random each week once their basic eligibility has been confirmed. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the 25 spots have been filled.
Applicants must be of Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander ancestry and at least 18 years of age, a resident of California or New York, and a first-time interactor with the scholarship provider.
This opportunity is being offered by Anise Health, a platform seeking to empower AANHPI people with access to culturally responsive online mental health resources and care. The initial grant that helped establish the dedicated fund for this scholarship came from Gold House and Vanessa Dew, co-founder of the Health-Ade kombucha company.
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According to the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) on the similarities and differences in mental illness and service use of Latinos and Asian Americans, the Asian community is twice as likely as the general population to experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress than others but three times less likely to seek care.
The network’s mental health professionals specialize in issues frequently found within AANHPI communities, such as bicultural tension, perfectionism, experiences of discrimination, and intergenerational trauma.
The practitioners also draw from ancient principles such as the yin and yang concept of opposing, coexisting forces found in Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucianist philosophies. Other systems include the South Asian practice of harnessing prana (energy) in chakra (specific focal points in the body) within the greater invisible life force of the universe.
Angel Wang, head of growth at Anise Health, told AsAmNews that the name RestorAsian honors the importance of rebalancing and resilience demonstrated in many aspects of Asian culture, whether through art, immigration, or re-establishment of sovereignty after colonization, war, or upheaval.
The program’s logo has the form of a medal, symbolizing that Anise Health is awarding its gold standard of culturally responsive care to those who may not have the means to try it otherwise. The design is also emblematic of shining a positive light onto mental health to combat stigma within AANHPI communities toward mental health challenges or the seeking of help.
Applications begin with an online intake form. Within two business days of submitting the form, all applicants will receive a list of recommended mental health care providers determined by the company’s intelligent matching system. After a week, applicants will learn whether they have been selected for the month of free sessions. Those who are not selected will still receive special incentives to help them access care.
After a month, scholarship winners will be able to continue seeing their dedicated team of a therapist and a coach for a $63 out-of-pocket fee per session compared to the average rate throughout the mental health care industry of $100 to $200 per hour.
Anise Health’s network of mental health professionals specializes in issues frequently found within AANHPI communities, such as bicultural tension, perfectionism, experiences of discrimination, and intergenerational trauma.
Angel Wang, head of growth at Anise Health, told AsAmNews that the name RestorAsian honors the importance of rebalancing and resilience demonstrated in many aspects of Asian culture, whether through art, immigration, or re-establishment of sovereignty after colonization, war, or upheaval.
This is the first scholarship program of Anise Health, which has a mission of making mental health care available to all and is actively connecting with sponsors to support further funding and expansion of need-based programs beyond California and New York.
Those with further questions can contact Angel Wang at [email protected].
