The Collected Fellowship: A Mental Health Psychoeducation, Vocational Training, and Ethnic Identity Development Program for Asian American and Pacific Islander College Students

Although Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) college students face culturally based mental health and vocational challenges, few culturally tailored resources and interventions exist. Accordingly, the Chinese-American Family Alliance for Mental Health, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, developed and designed the Collected Program for AAPI college students. Representing an academic–community partnership, the present study evaluates the effectiveness of Collected for creating a community for learning about AAPI ethnic identity, professional and vocational development, and psychoeducation about mental health. The program consisted of nine biweekly workshops delivered online. In total, 20 AAPI college students participated in the program. After the last workshop, participants completed a quantitative survey and qualitative interview. Quantitative results showed that the majority of participants (88%) were either “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” with Collected. Qualitative interviews revealed that most students improved their understanding of mental health and obtained valuable networking and vocational skills. Participants also reported that the fellowship’s virtual format impeded participants’ ability to foster closer relationships and communicate ideas effectively, and suggested that in-person workshops could be beneficial. Overall, Collected showed promising results in improving Asian American youth’s professional skills and mental health education and facilitating discussions and processing of their racial identities. The present study is a successful academic–community partnership in which community leaders and academic researchers worked in tandem to develop, deliver, and evaluate the Collected Program.