Recently, the Executive Director of the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington (FCCGW), Chun-Shin Taylor, PhD, welcomed Sari Raskin and Amanda Bomfim of the Community Foundation to FCCGW’s office and counseling space. Their conversation was a wonderful teaching moment for Sari and Amanda, as the two learned more about past and present Korean-American culture and the client services FCCGW offers.
FCCGW began in 1977 as a dream shared by twenty-six women who aimed to support their local Korean immigrant community. Today, the organization has a rich, 50-year history of providing legal and mental health support within Vienna, VA, and the surrounding area. FCCGW started as the Korean Family Legal Clinic, but the organization’s mission shifted over time to focus on mental health needs. In 2013, the organization rebranded itself as the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington.
Chun-Shin shared her knowledge about “Ji Cheon Myung,” which loosely translates to “Knowing the Purpose, Living the Purpose.” This is Chun-Shin’s personal value and FCCGW’s guiding principle: when one knows their life’s purpose, they can pursue it and live their best version.
The mission of the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington is “to provide professional counseling services to Korean and Asian-American families and individuals in Washington, Maryland, Virginia, and around the world to promote the mental health and bonding of family members.” FCCGW’s programming centers around peer-to-peer support for youth, individuals, families, couples, seniors, and groups. Although the 2020 pandemic affected their in-person services, FCCGW adapted and met their clients’ needs virtually until it was safe to resume meeting face-to-face. Now sessions are hybrid: 70% are in-person appointments, while the other 30% are held virtually. Chun-Shin hopes all sessions will gradually return to in-person so clients can fully engage in healing.
Chun-Shin walked Sari and Amanda through what FCCGW achieved in 2023 and what they aspire to achieve over the next five years. FCCGW served 272 people in 2023, including 160 adults and 112 children. They facilitated 569 total sessions throughout the year. Over the next five years, they will work towards social justice, advocacy, resilience, education, and community connection.
Interwoven with those themes is an aspiration to bridge the generational gaps between first, second, and third-generation Korean Americans. Chun-Shin added that she hopes to incorporate more psychiatry services, crisis intervention, youth training, and inclusive services for diverse populations.
FCCGW was one of three organizations that received a 2024 grant from the Mental Health Fund for $25,000. The grant will enhance the capacity of the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington by adding two new licensed counselors and one intern to its team. This expansion will enable the center to better serve its diverse community, including low-income, multilingual Asian immigrants, by providing increased access to mental health and counseling services. Thank you to the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington for everything you do for our local community!
Nurture Mental Health and Well Being
Our 2023 report on The Shape of Youth Mental Health revealed one in ten Northern Virginia high school students had seriously contemplated suicide in the past year. One in four had symptoms of recent clinical depression, and one in three had felt persistent sadness or hopelessness over the past year.
The Community Foundation is committed to the mental health needs of our greater community. Since 2007, the Community Foundation’s Mental Health Fund has awarded more than $1 million to support mental health across the region.
The Mental Health Fund, a component fund of The Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia, is a permanent community endowment at the Community Foundation dedicated to the mental health and well-being of all members of the Northern Virginia community.
Support the Mental Health Needs of Northern Virginia by visiting our website today.
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