Kasamahan
Nonprofit community enriching Filipino/a/x mental healthcare
Welcome mga kaibigan
Kasamahan is a charitable nonprofit organization and community led by Filipino/a/x identified mental health professionals dedicated to enriching Filipino/a/x mental healthcare. We trust that when provided with an authentically supportive space to belong, members of our community are empowered to lead and provide higher quality education and care.
What does Kasamahan offer?
We provide free, online Workshops open to everyone to learn with Filipino/a/x mental health professionals and engage in meaningful discussion on their bodies of work.
For Filipino/a/x mental health professionals, we host a Monthly Consultation Group for licensed therapists and clinicians, and a Salo-Salo for both licensed and non-licensed mental health professionals to connect.
We also regularly maintain and provide through our Mental Health Blog, Resource Library, Research Corner, and Monthly Newsletter outside of events.
Who do we consider a mental health professional?
Therapists or clinicians licensed by a governing Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, Psychology or Medical Board from their state or country.
Non-licensed students, professors, researchers, authors, community workers, consultants, coaches, healers, and practitioners recognized by their community in providing education and support that is focused on mental health care.
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Our Story
The story of Kasamahan started in 2020 in Illinois during the first pandemic lockdown when Maria Cristina Castro, LCPC started working with Filipino clients in a non-Filipino group practice. She was soon inspired to reach out to other Filipino mental health professionals in the area for community and support.
Today, Kasamahan is a decolonizing nonprofit based in the United States that provides and maintains a heart-centered space for Filipino/a/x mental health professionals located anywhere in the world to connect and find belonging through their lived experiences as Filipinos working with both Filipino and non-Filipino clients and communities.
Importantly, Kasamahan listens and responds to the natural rhythms and cycles of our community and follows our authentic passion for the care and education we provide. We invite you to stay in touch through our website and at our events to walk with and grow with us.
Our Mission and Purpose
The purpose of Kasamahan is to provide enrichment and growth to Filipino/a/x mental health professionals by understanding the roots, identity, and culture of the Filipino community as it relates to mental health.
We aim to shift awareness back to the lived experience of the "souls" of our feet, thus bringing about a sense of belonging and enrichment to the larger Filipino community. We strive to execute its mission by listening through the "ears of our hearts" and by mindfully integrating the history, values, and hopes of our fellow Filipino/a/x.
We seek to provide multi-dimensional mental health resources and support to the Filipino/a/x community and those who serve them.
Kasamahan's Logo
The Kasamahan logo by Eliza Jade Brown, LCSW-S is a rendition of an image found by Cristina of a Filipino flag in a semicolon shape by an unknown artist.
(Let us know if you know their name to give them credit!)
Our logo is meant to represent Filipino/a/x solidarity in mental health care destigmatization.