Mental Health and Collective Health Resources for AAPI Theater Artists
We know that being a theater artist in New York City means navigating uncertainty, pressure, and a constant push to keep creating – even when your mental health needs attention.
This guide was created with care for our community: a collection of grants, directories, therapists, healing spaces, and podcasts that center the mental health needs of AAPI indie theater artists.
Whether you’re looking for financial support for therapy, a competent mental health provider, or a space to reconnect with yourself or others – these resources are here to help you.
You deserve care. You deserve rest. You deserve healing.
We hope this guide helps make that a little more possible.
Grants and Funding Resources for Mental Health and Access-Centered Care
IndieSpace Mental Health Grant – The IndieSpace Mental Health grant awards individual indie theater artists $500 grants to use toward therapy, medication, meditation classes, and any other mental health-related costs. As the number of grant requests outnumbers our budget, we hold an opportunity drawing at the end of each month. It is our hope that by providing this financial resource, we can help remove barriers that prevent artists from seeking and receiving the care, support, and information they need to care for their mental health.
Lotus Therapy Fund - The fund is currently closed as of July 2025, but the organizers encourage interested individuals to subscribe to the newsletter for updates. Provides 8 free therapy sessions with a therapist.
Inclusive Therapists BIPOC Therapy Fund - Funds are open to people who are seeking therapy for the first time and support 12 sessions. The application is closed through June 2025 but is accepting signups for when the grant opens again.
HealthWell Foundation – Provides financial assistance to people living with chronic or life-altering illnesses, including mental health conditions. If you qualify, they may cover co-pays or premiums.
Entertainment Community Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center – Every Artist Insured provides individual enrollment consultations; webinars on Affordable Care Act plans, Medicaid and Medicare; and enrollment assistance.
Phronetic Psychotherapy NY Low Fee Therapy - Application-based, low-fee therapy with a practicum therapist at practice rooted in providing culturally competent care for the AAPI community.
NYC-Based Mental Health Resources and Therapists
ZenCare – A directory of New York City-area therapists who specialize in artists’ mental health.
Cathay Che - Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in facilitating the development of healthy identities during life transitions such as divorce, new motherhood, perimenopause or gender affirming care with a particular affinity for working with creative individuals in the arts or media.
Hana Tran - Licensed Master Social Worker providing psychodynamic therapy to those experiencing depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, grief, life transitions, and those with questions of identity and/or relationships. Before training as a social worker, Hana was an arts producer and is queer, Asian, and a child of immigrants.
Sam Lee - Licensed mental health counselor who specializes in individual psychotherapy with adults around issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, relationship/family, racial/cultural identity, and life transitions.
Henry Zhu - Licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in burn out, depression, complex trauma and passionate about working with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations, especially Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American (ANHPIDA) clients.
Apicha Community Health Center - Provides high quality, whole person, and culturally responsive care delivered in an inclusive and welcoming manner with a long tradition of care for AAPI, LGBTQ+, and persons living with HIV. Provides services to anyone.
Korean American Family Service Center - Based in Flushing, KAFSC provides a 24-hour crisis hotline in Korean and English to offer support to those who have experienced or are experiencing physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse and/or human trafficking. The nonprofit also also offers various support groups for survivors of sexual assault. All services are free of charge and confidential.
Creatives Care – A New York City nonprofit that provides free, personalized guidance and referrals for artists and creatives seeking mental health treatment.
Low Cost Therapy NYC – A comprehensive guide to different kinds of low-cost therapy services in New York City.
211 – 211 New York is a free, confidential service that connects residents to local health and human services across the state. Available 24/7 by phone, text, or online, it assists with needs like housing, food, mental health care, and more. Simply dial 2-1-1 or visit 211newyork.org to find support in your area.
988 (fka NYC Well) – 988 is New York City’s mental health hotline covering everything from immediate suicide prevention and crisis counseling, to referrals to further resources. You can call the hotline, text, or chat with an operator via the website. Operators are available 24/7 in more than 200 languages. You can also call 988 to request a Mobile Crisis Team for yourself or another person.
National Mental Health Resources and Counseling Directories
Asian Mental Health Collective - AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide and features a US Therapist Directory and virtual support groups.
Asians for Mental Health Directory - Searchable directory for Asian/Pacific Islander therapists practicing in the U.S. who identify as East, South, and Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, biracial and mixed race Asian, and transracial Asian adoptees.
South Asian Therapists - Largest South Asian mental health therapist and counselling community in the world, including many New York-based therapists and self-help resources like workbooks and articles.
Inclusive Therapists – A social justice and liberation-oriented mental health directory, community, and resource hub that centers on the intersections of racial, 2SLGBTQIA+, Neurodivergence, and Disability Justice.
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective – A nonprofit that provides low-cost therapy services to those who do not have health insurance, or whose insurance lacks adequate mental health coverage.
Lower Cost Prescription Drugs – There are a number of resources for finding lower-cost prescription drugs. These vary in accessibility and affordability. Some are also funded by drug manufacturers, which makes them complicated. Two resources that are generally accepted as helpful are GoodRx and NeedyMeds.
Healing Spaces and Resources
AC*E - AC*E (Asian Creatives and Entrepreneurs)’s mission is to cultivate a dynamic ecosystem that empowers and uplifts individuals within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, encompassing artists, entrepreneurs, and business owners alike. Features pop-up events and an artists’ and vendor directory.
Asian Creative Foundation - Community that brings Asian creatives together across industries such as design, photography, film, entertainment, content creation, small business, and more, celebrating unique stories and fostering collaboration.
Asian American Writers’ Workshop - New York-based nonprofit publishing and amplifying Asian diasporic literary culture. Through a diverse lineup of programming, AAWW serves as a vital sanctuary space for writers and readers alike.
AZN AMERICANA - Nonprofit collective offering mentorship, creative workshops, community events.
NAMI NYC AAPI Virtual Support Group - Virtual, bimonthly support group for people who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander and are living with mental illness or any mental health challenge.
The Sống Collective - Vietnamese American collective creating development and performance opportunities for emerging artists of color whose work explores questions of identity, race, intersectionality, immigration, and the refugee experience.
Kundiman - Affirming and rigorous space where Asian American writers can explore, through art, the unique challenges that face the new and ever-changing diaspora.
Current AAPI Support Podcasts and Videos
Asians Do Therapy - Conversations with Asians and Asian Americans on both sides of the couch and hosted by Yin J. Li, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
Healing the Tigress - Podcast that focuses on conversations & stories around Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) maternal mental health, hosted by Taiwanese American mothers Peggy (LCSW, PMH-C) & Jasmine (PharmD, PMH-C) who are also postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety survivors.
Shoes Off Inside with MKT - Three trailblazing Asian American women in TV journalism and Hollywood join forces to rattle some cages and dismantle tired old stereotypes about race, age, sex and culture. Award-winning journalist May Lee and actresses Kelly Hu and Tamlyn Tomita (a.k.a. MKT) take on topics that aren't often discussed in the most open, authentic and, sometimes, hilarious way because they are unafraid to be fully themselves.
Archived AAPI Support Podcasts and Videos
While these resources are not actively updated, they may be helpful for you.
Asian Mental Health Collective Video Series - Sharing stories and resources to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community and make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.
Vietnamese Mental Health Guide - The LA Times hosted listening sessions with bilingual Vietnamese-speaking mental health providers, researchers, linguists and community members to share words and concepts they’ve used when approaching these conversations.
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) - Downloadable guides on self-care, finding a therapist, having compassionate conversations, and more from a nonprofit organization.
Mental Health Mukbang - Podcast from the Asian Mental Health Collective that seeks to make mental health easily digestible.
Disclaimer:
This guide includes resources and providers that have been recommended to us by members of our community. While we’ve done our best to share supportive and reputable options, IndieSpace is not affiliated with and does not formally endorse any of the organizations, practitioners, or services listed here. We encourage you to do your own research and choose the options that feel right for you.
If you have feedback on this guide or would like to share a resource, please contact IndieSpace at communications@indiespace.org. We appreciate it!