Date of Award
Fall 9-15-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Counseling & Psychology
First Advisor
Catalina Tang Yan, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Sue Motulsky, Ed.D.
Third Advisor
Nalini Prakash, Ph.D.
Fourth Advisor
Kathleen Flinton, MAR, MSW, LICSW
Abstract
Members of the South Asian (SA) diaspora have become the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, with more than 75% of SAs being foreign-born. However, empirical studies on the mental health needs of transnational SA women survivors of violence remain limited, despite significant rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. This population is described as experiencing cultural and systemic factors that constrain help-seeking and service access. Existing literature identifies the lack of cultural sensitivity as a major barrier to care, which calls for more relevant research. Given these realities, the present study addressed existing gaps by examining the experiences of U.S.-based therapists from the SA diaspora in providing therapy to transnational women survivors of violence⎯a perspective that is rarely centered. It also explored these providers’ experiences navigating coloniality and themes of gender-based violence (GBV) within therapeutic work. This critical dissertation was situated within decolonial, feminist, relational-cultural, and trauma theoretical frameworks. Nine SA therapists with experience working with transnational SA women survivors participated in two meetings involving (1) semi-structured interviews and (2) reflexive participant collaboration and co-creation of critical poetry. The study drew on Critical Narrative Inquiry (CNI), grounding findings in a context-sensitive framework that considers the participants’ narratives as shaped by sociocultural, political, and historical power dynamics. It also integrated the Listening Guide (LG), a feminist, voice-centered approach to explore how these narratives interact with intrapsychic processes. Findings show participants’ therapeutic efforts involved deep attunement to layered lived contexts while negotiating structural and systemic realities. Simultaneously, responses to coloniality and GBV varied, producing layered, polyphonic narratives. From these findings, I offer implications for clinical practice, policy, and community-based interventions.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Kandasami, Praveena, "A Critical Exploration: South Asian Therapists’ Experiences with Transnational South Asian Women Survivors of Violence" (2025). Counseling and Psychology Dissertations. 4.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/counseling_psychology_dissertation/4
Number of Pages
375
