Opening the Red Door
Pastoral Counseling for Second-Generation Korean Americans in Third Space
- Counseling, Grief & Mental Health
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
Many second-generation Korean Americans (SGKAs) are living lives of marginality on the edge of Korean American and American cultures. This double life often leads to heightened mental health concerns. The rise of Asian hate crimes in this country in recent months have added to the distress in this population. Due to cultural stigma, however, SGKAs may not seek out counseling or other mental health services. If they do, their unique cultural formation is often not fully addressed, impeding growth and healing. Red Door Ministry (RDM), a pastoral counseling center that started at a local Korean-American church, serves as a model for addressing this issue. Built from a postcolonial understanding of third space, RDM is constructed with various culturally sensitive elements that allow SGKAs to move from places of shame on the margins to empowered new centers. This transformation is examined by four in-depth interviews of RDM clients. These clients show that healing and empowerment were possible because their complex cultural hybridity was addressed in the process of counseling. This process is analyzed using concepts from Western psychological theories, Korean American theology, and postcolonial theory.
Endorsements (2)
“Opening the Red Door is a brilliantly crafted exposition on the development, dynamics, and delivery of a service providing spiritually integrated psychotherapy especially for second-generation Korean Americans. . . . This very welcome book teaches us how to set up and operate counseling services that meet the needs of persons within the pluralistic reality of the world today.”
“Walk through the Red Door and experience how Choe carefully crafts a space for her clients’ psychological growth and spiritual nurture. In this thoughtfully researched book, she feels the pulse of second-generation Korean Americans—from heart-racing anxiety around family tensions and immigration status to contemplative calm grounded in restorative practices and a fundament of faith. Opening the Red Door is a must-read for any caregiver in a swiftly changing world.”
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