Working with Cambodian Refugees, Immigrants, and their Families: Utilizing a Culturally Informed Approach to Mental Health

This workshop will focus on the traumatic events and experiences of Cambodian refugees, immigrants, and their families. Cambodians were the most traumatized group of people. They continued to experience the effects of trauma after their resettlement in the early 1980’s and 1990’s. Because they were known to underutilize mental health services, a culturally informed approach to mental health was needed to better serve these traumatized Cambodians. Thus, a culturally specific, trauma-focused, and wellness-focused program was developed in 1999. This holistic program was designed to serve Cambodian residents in the County of Santa Clara in California. It has been refined at Gardner Health Services for 25 years now.

A cause-and-effect approach will be used to illustrate what happened to Cambodians during their premigration, migration, and post-migration. Details will be provided about the causes and effects of trauma. In addition participants will learn about research data, lived experiences, and professional knowledge and skills acquired at Gardner.

What will participants learn?

• What happened to Cambodians before, during, and after their migration to America or elsewhere?
• The most recent history of Cambodia, including the wars, genocide (the Killing Fields), and the mass exodus.
• The different concepts or models (e.g., refugee adjustment, the acculturation process, wellness model, H5 model, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, ABC+S model, etc.).
• To build trust and rapport with traumatized Cambodians.
• To work with Cambodians who have language and cultural barriers.
• To deal with somatic symptoms (khyal cap), stigma against mental illness, and substance use disorders.
• The Gardner’s culturally informed mental health program and services.

Who is this workshop for?

• Behavioral health providers, including professionals and trainees.
• Community leaders working with the Cambodian community.
• Academic researchers and scholars are interested in learning about the traumatic events and experiences (among Cambodian adults and older adults).
• Young-generation Cambodians (and/or non-Cambodians) who want to better understand what happened to their parents or grandparents.

Download the presentation slides here

Looking to receive continuing education contact hours?

Papa Ola Lōkahi (NASWHI-CEP-13) has been designated an approved provider of social work continuing education contact hours by the National Association of Social Workers Hawai’i Chapter. The Papa Ola Lokahi maintains responsibility for the program. This program is approved by the State of Hawaii Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (Approval# ADAD-25-041) for up to 1 contact hour(s). NOTE: Participants are responsible for submitting proof of attendance to their respective certification or licensing board. ʻOhana CoE & Papa Ola Lōkahi do not submit this information on behalf of training participants.

Participants will receive a link to verify attendance at the end of the workshop.

Guest Presenters

Bophal Phen, LCSW, LAADC
Mental health therapist, Gardner Health Services

Bophal Phen is a Cambodian survivor of wars, genocide, and refugee experiences. He has been working at Gardner Health Services (Gardner) since 1999. He started out as a paraprofessional (mental health specialist and mental health rehabilitation specialist) and then as a mental health therapist. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1998 and his Master of Social Work in 2010. He became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2013 in California, and then a Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (a LAADC issued by the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals) in 2016. He is also an Internationally Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICAADC).

Bophal is committed to serving traumatized Cambodian refugees, immigrants, and their families. He has over 25 years of experience working with this population. He is interested in developing culturally sensitive treatment modalities that are compatible with the clients’ frames of reference. His professional interest is incorporating the use of Buddhist psychology, acculturation process, and locus of control in treatment. His personal interest is learning foreign languages such as Thail, Lao, and Spanish. In addition, he has a long history of volunteering in the Cambodian community. His most recent volunteer experience was at the Cambodian Saturday School where he had taught Khmer culture and literacy to Cambodian children, youths, and adults for approximately 10 years.

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