Roots & Resistance
GROUP THERAPY FOR AAPI/NH YOUNG ADULTS IN COLORADO WHO FEEL ISOLATED AND UNSEEN TO EXPLORE AND EMBRACE THEIR CULTURAL IDENTITY, AND ARE READY TO HEAL AND CONNECT WITH A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
Navigating the complexities of young adulthood can be especially challenging for those of us that identify as Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian (AAPI/NH). It’s almost inevitable - as an AAPI/NH young adult, you face expectations from both your cultural background and society, each with its own demands and pressures. Whether it’s striving to meet family expectations, managing stereotypes, or trying to find your place in spaces that don’t seem built for you, it’s easy to feel like there’s no room to just be yourself.
In fact, you might have been told to stay quiet, keep your head down, or that your struggles aren’t that bad. Maybe you’re found yourself feeling invisible or like you don’t belong, even when surround by a whole room of others. The pain of racial discrimination, cultural stigma, and constantly navigating two worlds can lead you feeling like you have to carry it all alone. The pressure to meet expectations - both cultural and societal - often leads to feeling isolated, misunderstood, and even excluded.
That’s why we created Roots & Resistance. This therapy group is for AAPI/NH young adults 18 -24 years old who are ready to connect with others who truly understand the weight you’ve been carrying. Whether you’re struggling with the emotional toll of racial trauma, feeling lost in navigating your identity, or seeking a space to explore your heritage, this group is ready to meet you with support and community so you don’t have to navigate it by yourself anymore.
$40 per group, scholarships available & Medicaid accepted
This group meets virtually on Mondays at 6:00 pm starting in February 2025
✔ Discover and celebrate the cultural strengths within our AAPI/NH community, embracing our heritage in ways that feel true to you
✔ Break free from cultural stigma and societal expectations, and gain more self-acceptance
✔ Find comfort in expressing your feelings and experiences in a space that understands the complexities of the AAPI/NH experiences
✔ Connect with a supportive community of peers who share similar experiences of feeling unseen and excluded, and together, foster a community based on mutual strength, support, and understanding
This group is for AAPI/NH Young Adults who:
Feel isolated and unseen in predominantly non-AAPI/NH spaces
Struggle with balancing cultural expectations and societal pressures
Experience racial discrimination and aggressions that impact your sense of self
Find it difficult to embrace or navigate your cultural identity
Feel invalidated, misunderstood, or excluded in conversations about mental health and wellbeing
Want to explore and embrace their cultural heritage as a source of strength
Are ready to heal from experiences of exclusion, racial trauma, and invisibility
Looking to build self-acceptance and challenge internalized stigma and stereotypes
Want to practice expressing thoughts and feelings in a space that truly understands and appreciates AAPI/NH experiences
Seeking to connect with a supportive community of peers who share similar struggles and celebrate each other’s growth
Jill Chio | Counseling Intern
Rani Ellison| Counseling Intern
Your AAPI Young Adult Group Therapy Facilitators
This Colorado young adult group therapy meets online via a secure video platform and is co-facilitated by Jill Chio and Rani Ellison, two of our Professional Counseling Interns. Jill is pursuing her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver. Rani, on the other hand, is pursuing her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adams State University. From Singapore to right here in Colorado, both Jill and Rani have worked with teens and young adults of all different backgrounds with the hope of fostering life-long connections and deeply transformative experiences.
Jill, Rani, and this young adult group will create a brave, but safer space to manage the ups and downs of the AAPI/NH experience, while building meaningful community with one another.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy where a group of people come together under the guidance of a trained therapist to practice community healing and caretaking. For us at Interfaith Bridge, we describe group therapy as a safer space for teens and young adults to practice therapeutic skills and social bravery alongside a community of people their age.
Humans, especially young people, need other people. When we have other people who understand what we’re going through and why, we are happier, healthier, and ultimately, more capable. This is because positive, in-depth community relationships, help us:
• Encourage a more hopeful perspective through story sharing, validation, and appreciation
• Recognize that we are not alone in our lived experience and that there are other people who have been through or are experiencing a similar situation
• Learn new ways to express and talk about feelings, thoughts, and sensations
• Feel a sense of belonging to a community
• Build self-esteem through the experience of helping support others, which in turn, develop adaptive coping skills
• Understand how to accept and model accountability for one’s own behavior
• Have psycho-education around emotional challenges and learning factual information
Through group therapy here at Interfaith Bridge Counseling, young adults are given the unique opportunity to explore and discover exactly who they are, who they want to be, and what it’s like to have a community that supports them through it all.
-
This young adult therapy group is for young adults of Asian descent or origin, typically between the ages of 18-24 years old, who are navigating their cultural identity. All group members must come in for an initial group therapy intake to assess group fit.
Typically, the participating young adult must reside in the state of Colorado. If the participating young adult resides in another state, it is required by law that we check the interstate telehealth laws for attending therapy and group therapy across state lines.
-
No, this group is open to all young adults that are of Asian origin or descent, regardless of nationality or immigration status. We welcome everyone who identifies as part of the Asian diaspora, including immigrants and those from various backgrounds within the Asian community. Our aim is to create a supportive space of belonging for all of our Asian community here in Colorado.
-
Roots & Resistance is an interactive, online therapy group in Colorado that meets every week on Monday from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Because this young adult group meets virtually, we use a HIPAA-secure video platform for each meeting.
Roots & Resistance is an on-going young adult therapy group and your start date is determined once you complete a group intake with one of our Group Facilitators.
-
Our Roots & Resistance therapy group costs $40 per session, which can be paid per session or via a monthly charge. There is a one-time cost of $65 for an initial group intake to assess fit that is required for all new participants. If you do not have Medicaid, but are unable to afford the $40 per session, please let us know you are interested in our scholarship spots.
Interfaith Bridge Counseling, PLLC and it’s therapists only accept Health First Colorado Medicaid. Outside of that, we are considered Out of Network Providers and do not accept any other insurance. However, upon request, we can offer you a superbill for you to submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. Though we cannot guarantee that your specific insurance will offer you reimbursement for our services.
Please note that if you are a young adult participant with Medicaid, you are able to attend this group free of cost upon verification of benefits.
-
Yes. Each participant is required to make a six-session commitment, which is a total of six weeks, both physically and financially.
This six session commitment is required as group therapy is a very intimate and vulnerable experience that uplifts and practices community caretaking. Each individual member offers their time and emotional labor willingly in our group therapy sessions, cultivating healthy and long-term relationships with one another. This six session commitment honors the time, effort, and openness that our group therapy communities value and readily give.
-
It is important to note that our office is entirely virtual - we no longer have a physical location at this time. Because our office is virtual, you are able to join on a phone, tablet, or computer using the Google Meets app or dialing in once you have been given access to our Google Meets link. Through our virtual office, we are also able to assist you in turning on closed captioning and using the chat feature as additional, accessible ways to engage our virtual office.
It is also important to note that all group attendees reserve the right to accommodations while part of our community. We are more than able to help create solutions and meet sensory needs as requested.
-
Yes.
We believe that it is our responsibility as a mental health organization and community to promote policies, laws, and programs that affirm, support, and value LGBTQIA+ youth, families, and communities. Therefore, Interfaith Bridge Counseling, PLLC, our staff, and ALL of our services, including our young adult groups, are LGBTQIA+ friendly, affirming, and competent. -
No, this group is not a part of a specific religion or belief system.
We use the word interfaith because to us, it means the exploration and bridging of various beliefs, values, traditions, cultures, and/or faiths. This is something that we believe all people can relate on, regardless of how they do or do not identify. When we work with people as a whole for who they are and who they aspire to be, this becomes a necessary part of the therapeutic process.