ABSTRACT
Shahid is a 42-year-old engineer living in the Northwest. He immigrated to the United States 20 years ago from India. Shahid and his wife, Mina, have been married for 17 years and have three children. They have no other relatives in the United States. Theirs was an arranged marriage. Mina is a stay-at-home mother. Shahid was promoted to a managerial position three years ago, and this position comes with many perks. It also requires for him to travel out of state and out of the country several times a year. Mina is the primary caregiver for the children. The children are 15, 13, and 9 years old. This family has been having some problems lately. Mina has not been feeling well overall in the past several years, and she has been feeling even sicker in the past year or so. She complains
Contents Asian American Families: Who Are They? .................................................... 138 Reasons Often Associated With Why Residents Migrate to Other Countries .... 139 Traditional Asian Cultural Values, Immigration-Related Experiences, and Counseling Implications .................................................... 140 Summary ...................................................................................................... 147 References .................................................................................................... 148
of several body aches and pains and states that overall she is not feeling “good.” Her physician has not yet been able to diagnose her symptoms accurately. The oldest daughter, Maya, who is 15, has taken on more of the caregiving responsibilities of the younger siblings. The youngest son, Amir, who is 9, has been having problems in the school recently. The teacher reported that Amir has been lying about his homework and grades. He is also stealing things from other children in the class. Amir’s teacher contacted Shahid and Mina and recommended that they get him some help. Mina turned to her family physician for help. The family physician suggested that they contact a counselor and gave the name of a counselor to Mina. Although Shahid was very reluctant at first, he now believes that it might be helpful for the family to talk to someone. He hopes that it will help Mina feel better and that the counselor can also help them with Amir’s behavioral problems. The family is apprehensive of talking to a counselor. The family members are worried that the counselor will not understand their cultural norms and child-rearing practices. They are also worried that the counselor will not understand the context of arranged marriages.
