KOREATOWN : Counseling Center Serves Asian Clients

The Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Center recently celebrated its 15th anniversary as the first multiethnic and multilingual community mental health services program for the Asian-Pacific and Indochinese communities in Los Angeles County.

The center offers help to children and adults, including outpatient services, day treatment and rehabilitation programs, said Herb Hatanaka, executive director of Special Service for Groups, which operates the nonprofit counseling center.

Since 1977, the center has served more than 6,000 patients and has an active caseload of 1,000 clients, including Cambodians, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Thais, Laotians and Vietnamese, Hatanaka said.

Hatanaka stressed the need for mental health outreach in Asian-American communities. “Cultural stigmas attached to mental illness and stereotypes of Asians as model minorities often lead to delayed responses to seeking care in the communities we serve,” he said.

Since the spring riots, the center has received funding to provide mental health services to riot victims, many of whom display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, Hatanaka said.

Information: (213) 252-1200.