What Dr. Horng is Passionate about.
We are here to make a change.
I’ve always had a lot of opinions and it would get me in trouble as a kid. I’d point things out, thinking I was helping. Sometimes, it would get me into hot waters with teachers who found me too ‘challenging of authority’ or kids described me as ‘bossy’.
I also grew up with a dad who emphasized and over-emphasized the importance of contributing to society. While I was unemployed right after graduating college, he questioned my contributions to society, and I told him I had adopted two cats and changed their whole lives. Our contributions can start small, and we would do well to remember our ability to make a difference.
As I’ve matured, my focus and techniques have changed. Graduate school and life experience have honed an opinionated, impulsive kid into an intentional and deliberate leader and communicator. Taking inventory of the world around us, a lot could be changed for our benefit. Because trying to do everything all at once can feel overwhelming, it is important to zoom in on what’s within our control, and our wheelhouse. Here’s where my latest focus is:
Asian, Black, Latin Mental Health
In graduate school, Dr. Horng realized just how deeply rooted racism is in this country (and our ‘mother’ country, England). As she was pouring over research article after research article to write her dissertation, she noticed the majority of studies referenced a White sample population as control. Every ‘groundbreaking theory’ or intervention was developed ages ago by a White psychoanalyst, philosopher, research, etc etc. Even today, when she attends her advocacy meetings, she often finds herself to be one of very few non-White faces staring at a sea of White therapists.
The impulsive, opinionated kid almost came out - “Why is White the reference for everything?”. Out of disappointment (and maybe a little bit of pettiness), Dr. Horng chose to exclude White individuals from her dissertation study, which focused solely on Asian, Black, and Latin communities and the impact of parenting on young adult mental health outcomes. She wanted to prove that too often, the ‘Gold standard’ for things (i.e. parenting) is based on research done on White people and not you, and this disclaimer is missing and unspoken.
She believes that we NEED a narrative that listens to and seeks to understand cultural nuances rather than erase them with a “White as standard” narrative.
Too often, this leads to misunderstanding and misdiagnosis, mistreatment in some extreme cases.
We Need
Healthcare Reform.
Dr. Horng’s latest volunteer venture is leveraging her leadership skills to advocate for a better future for the landscape of mental health. Ideally, healthcare would be an essential human right, and in an ideal world, the care would be both affordable and top-tier. Presently, it is far from ideal.
She is working with Build Better Health as the New York State Lead for the Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force. She has recruited a team of fellow New York mental healthcare providers to lead the charge. We meet monthly on the last Friday of each month and are currently focused on passing important legislation in New York State to protect the mental healthcare field from private insurance companies and venture capitalists.
If you are interested in attending our monthly meet (12 pm EST on the last Friday of every month), please reach out to introduce yourself and to receive the meeting link.
