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Shu Cheng, Executive Director
| www.aau-slc.org
The Asian Association of Utah was founded in 1977 and has served
thousands of individuals and families in the Salt Lake County area. It
seeks to improve the quality of life of Asians, Pacific Islanders,
refugees, and other immigrants through the provision of compassionate,
culturally sensitive, language-specific social services that include
education, advocacy, mental health treatment, and case management. |
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Our agency's Prevention component provides unique Wrap-Around or Categorical Case Management Services for Asian, Pacific Islander, refugees, and other immigrant youth ages K-12 and their parents. This population is often more vulnerable to substance abuse or emotional turmoil and insecurity due to trauma or lack of education in the country of origin, or difficult challenges in adjustment to U.S. culture. Most are referred by local school counselors or principals, courts and peer court, other refugee service providers, or government agencies such as the Department of Child and Family Services. Objectives include Dropout Prevention, Family Crisis Intervention, Academic Assistance, Social Skills Building, Parent Support and Information, and Parenting Classes. The goal is to increase school bonding and commitment, family cohesion and improved parenting skills, awareness of U.S. laws and social responsibility and the maintenance of the individual's self-esteem and cultural identity.
The three tiers of services can involve weekly individual one-on-one counseling, home visits, counselor or school team meetings, attendance and advocacy at court appointments, competency development through psychoeducational and social learning techniques, and recreational therapy through planned group activities. Clients and their referral source benefit from use of our unique in-house multilingual staff and related support services.
The two model parenting programs offered (also open for parents who are self-referred are:
Dare to Be You
Parents of children 4 to 5 years old attend a series of 12 workshops that greatly improve parents' knowledge and understanding of appropriate child management strategies, their sense of competence and satisfaction in being a parent, and the development level of the children. A dinner is provided at each session and an incentive is given to the parent at the end of the sessions.
Parenting Wisely
Parents of children in late elementary grades through high school are taught through this interactive video or CD-ROM-based program to resolve common conflicts that arise in the home, through a series of scenarios and related discussions. The eight one-hour sessions are offered in individual homes or in small groups. |
