Neurodivergence and Chinese Culture with Sharen Lui

This week Monique chats with Sharen Lui. Sharen is a neurodivergent Educational and Developmental Psychologist, and the Director of Sprout Psychology Melbourne. Sharen specialises in neurodivergence within Asian communities, supporting families with assessments, therapy, and culturally responsive mental health support.   Sharen and Monique cover: What neurodivergence means to Sharen and the driving force behind establishing Sprout Psychology in Melbourne. Sharen’s path to discovering her own neurodivergence and the role of her cultural identity in this process. The impact of words and language on the perception of neurodivergence in Chinese culture. The importance of meeting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) families and individuals ‘where they are at’ when working therapeutically. How do Chinese cultural norms interact with the experience of neurodivergence? Sharen talks Monique through filial piety, gendered expectations for women, and behavioural norms around what it means to be a ‘mature’ adult within Chinese culture. The layers of masking for neurodivergent Chinese folk. Barriers to accessing culturally competent neurodiversity-affirming health care in Australia for neurodivergent Chinese folk, and Sharen’s work in this space. Things to keep in mind when working with CALD groups.   Find Sharen at her Melbourne-based practice – Sprout Psychology.  Monique and Sharen also gave a shout-out to LOAPAC (The League of Autistic Psychologists and Affirming Colleagues), which you can check out to find an affirming psychologist.     Got questions for us?? Come along to our LIVE Q&A event! Held online on 27th June (with replay available to all ticket holders). Grab a ticket here and submit your question!   Enjoyed the episode and want to support us further? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, access to a monthly live zoom hang out, 50% off our episode articles, plus bonus monthly content (depending on subscription tier). Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.   Want polished copies of our episodes in beautiful and readable pdf article format? Grab them here.    Contact us at [email protected], or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.