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.

Patriarchy Is Not A Bad Word

September 12, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

Patriarchy is not a bad word. Period. Neither are radical feminism and matriarchy comforting words. Patriarchy, in its pure sense, is a society made up of family units that is led by the oldest male, usually the father of the household. Have humans done patriarchy well? No. And that is why we are here discussing why patriarchy is not a bad word.** According to the Meriam Webster dictionary, patriarchy is a “social organization [or societies] marked by the supremacy of… Read more

Crazy Rich Asians–A NonReview and Why You Should Go See It

August 28, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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You might have heard of the latest Hollywood movie sensation called Crazy Rich Asians. If you’ve seen it, won’t you share what you liked or disliked? If you haven’t seen it, you might want to treat yourself to a sweet, interesting love story between parent child and man woman. I went with my husband and ten of our friends (mostly Chinese & Vietnamese except for one spouse who was African American and two who were Caucasian) on opening weekend. Here… Read more

What’s the Big Deal About Crazy Rich Asians?

August 10, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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If you haven’t heard, history is in the making with the premier of Crazy Rich Asians. This movie boasting an all Asian cast opens in theaters on August 15, 2018. The last time for such a feature was 25 years ago when Joy Luck Club was produced. CRA is based on an international best seller of the same name by author, Kevin Kwan. Actress Constance Wu plays Rachel Chu, an Asian American woman and co-star of the movie. Chu dates… Read more

You Are Your Own Worst Enemy- part 2/2

July 27, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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Systemic issues aside, I am my own worst enemy and you are yours. If you haven’t read about my East meets West, refugee to immigrant to social worker journey that gave me these hard-earned insights in part 1, you can read it here. The following thoughts are lessons gathered not from reading textbooks or online education (although they helped), but from the school of hard knocks. Maybe these reflections from my personal and professional life will spare you from having to shed… Read more

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

July 19, 2018 By Kim Parker, LCSW

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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