Given Asian American women's unique experiences of racialized sexism including being fetishized, hypersexualized, and deemed submissive, they may be more vulnerable to sexual assault. The present study explored culturally attuned treatment approaches when counseling Asian American female survivors of sexual assault with a concordant understanding of racialized sexism. Following a review of the existing literature, three mental health professionals were interviewed regarding their experiences working with this population. Four themes emerged from the interviews: cultural barriers and considerations, violence and racialized sexism, therapist role and reflexivity, and affirming treatment approaches. Findings suggest that cultural stigma and rape myth acceptance may cause Asian American survivors to harbor more shame and minimize their trauma. Mental health professionals who share similar cultural backgrounds with their clients may experience certain barriers such as difficulty building trust and countertransference. Suggested treatment interventions include psychoeducation to help clients and their families unlearn rape myths as well as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and strength-based approaches to help reduce shame and feelings of worthlessness. The use of family and collectivist values may also serve as a motivating factor to engage in treatment. What is the public significance of this article?This study advances knowledge regarding Asian American female survivors' experiences of sexual violence through a sociocultural lens. The findings also guide culturally informed treatment approaches by contextualizing survivors' experiences of racialized sexism.
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