East Meets West Social Worker - When an Asian American mom integrates her Eastern cultural background with Western education and experience, only the best philosophies, spirituality, and social work can help to make sense of her life, marriage, and parenting.

Reflections on “You Are Your Own Worst Enemy”–Part 1/2

July 19, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

America has been in contentious times. People seem more divided than ever before on social policy, foreign policy, and domestic policy. The controversies create more human suffering and suffering divides people’s sensibilities. Both Buddhism and Christianity address this plaguing quagmire, although one encourages a mindfulness approach while the other a heart approach. Both lead to the observation that man is his own worst enemy. But that is nothing new to me. I was born during wartime in the early 1970s… Read more

America: The Faith and Freedom Combo

July 4, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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Eleven scores and two years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation. As President Abraham Lincoln reminded us in the famous Gettysburg Address, America “was conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” It is the continual pursuit of this ideal that continues to make America great. Today, despite numerous amazing cultures from diverse people groups, our constitutional republic remains standing as a beacon of light, a shining city upon… Read more

Mental Health, Spiritual Health, and Suicide: A Holistic Look

June 21, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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Have you heard that mental health is related to spiritual health? That depression is afflicted mental health and suicide is intricately associated with depression? Suicidal ideation is when a person thinks about committing suicide. This does not necessarily mean that they want to die. Most just want relief from the emotional and/or psychological pain. Helping professionals usually assess if the suicidal client has a plan on how to carry out their ideation. Therapists also ask about any previous history of… Read more

The Geometry of Spiritual Maturity

June 8, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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**Guest blog by a fellow author, Patti Greene. Please see her website here for more of her work.** Spiritual maturity and spiritual growth manifest in a Christ-follower’s heart from the moment a person accepts God’s gift of salvation through faith in Christ until they meet Jesus face to face. Are you becoming more spiritually mature? Does delight break out within your soul when witnessing to a maturing Christian? Does sadness surface when spotting a stagnant Christ-follower choosing the wrong path?… Read more

The American Flag, National Anthem, Football Player Kneelers, and Me

May 31, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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The American flag and national anthem have been in the news a lot in the last few years. However, this controversy is not new. On the one hand, we have some Black American football players who kneel during NFL games, with their supporters close by (white and People of Color), to protest some things they see as inequality, racism, and oppression happening in the country. On the other hand, we have many Caucasian Americans (along with some POC allies) protesting… Read more

The Christian Guide to Dealing With Toxic Family Members

May 25, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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Christians often struggle in relationships for the right and godly thing to do. Sometimes, we fall into the worldly narrative that we need to cut off “toxic people” from our lives. Yet, is this the biblical approach when the toxic individual is a family member? Is there someone in your life whom you consider to be “toxic”? If you do not love this difficult individual, or don’t have to deal with him or her being in your immediate circle, then… Read more

Moms: God Is the Lifter of Your Head

May 17, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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Thou, Oh Lord, are a shield about me. You’re my glory, and the lifter of my head (Psalm 3:3). Parenting, especially mothering, is full of challenges. Moms of future grown-ups–do you ever go through life wondering if you are good enough? If you are cut out for the long haul that mothering entails? If you would amount to anything worthy of mention? Do you find yourself hiding your sins and shame? Do you secretly compete with the beautiful, got it… Read more

Decoding Social Justice Warrior Language

May 11, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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**This blog was originally titled Social Justice Warrior Language: Translated for White People, but was scratched and replaced to be more reader friendly.** Social Justice Warriors (SJWs) have been speaking up more and more. Or maybe it’s just me becoming more woke (socially and politically aware) through increased interest in the subject and avid reading. This blog will focus on racial justice/reconciliation. I’m Asian American (classified as AAPI, or Asian American Pacific Islander). Therefore, I’m a Person of Color (POC), which… Read more

7 Good Reasons People Are Reducing Online Interactions

May 1, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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There is no doubt that internet and smartphone technology have many benefits for society. A certain population of Americans are not mobile and enjoy getting involved, informed, and connected online. However, people are unplugging from or reducing online interactions for good reasons. If you are a small business owner or organization leader, you might not understand why folks are dis-engaging from online interactions. They are posting and sharing less. Some have deleted intrusive apps or deactivated their Facebook accounts. From… Read more

Starbucks Racial Profiling Incident: 7 Tips To Respond to Racial Controversies

April 18, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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The last few days, I’ve been reading and hearing about two young, black men getting kicked out of a Starbucks in Philadelphia (see here and here). Apparently, a white, female store manager called the police because the two were sitting there and appeared to be not paying customers. The cops allegedly asked them to leave but after 12 minutes of them refusing to leave the store, arrested them overnight. Reportedly, the young men were waiting for a friend and were not… Read more