CARE & CONNECT - Understanding & Recognizing Cultural Trauma, a workshop

The Museum of Chinese in America is proud to partner with Connect/Hamilton Madison House to present a series of public programs focused on mental wellness: Care & Connect. This series aims to provide accessible resources while creating a space for open conversation, helping to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health support.

Join us for our second Care & CONNECT event, Understanding & Recognizing Cultural Trauma, a workshop led by Hamilton Madison House's Dr. Jihan Ryu and Dr. Kristin Kim-Martin. 

Dr. Kim-Martin is a psychologist whose research centers on cultural trauma and the immigration experience. Her dissertation explored how immigration shapes the help-seeking behaviors of second-generation Korean Americans. 

Dr. Jihan Ryu is CONNECT's primary psychiatrist, providing trauma-informed, culturally competent care in our Lower East Side community. 

Open to community members and mental health professionals alike, this workshop offers an accessible entry point into what we mean by "cultural trauma" and an opportunity to reflect on how our own experiences may be shaped by it — as well as tools for connecting with others across similar and different cultures in ways that honor our histories, traumas, and varied cultural norms. 

We will explore how trauma translates across generations, drawing on historical events and the communities they impacted — including the Korean War, American slavery, the Ukrainian Holodomor, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. And making full use of our venue, the workshop will engage directly with MOCA's permanent exhibition. 
ABOUT Workshop Facilitators
DR. Kristin Kim-Martin, PsychologistDr. Kristin Kim-Martin is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in community mental health with a focus on Asian Americans. Her previous research on the effects of intergenerational trauma and immigration on Asian, particularly Korean American, individuals and family systems has served as the framework for numerous workshops and trainings on community-based strategies for increasing mental health literacy and accessibility to services for marginalized groups. She has been a featured speaker and workshop facilitator for notable Asian American organizations such as Asian American Federation, Korean American Story, and Mustard Seed Generation. Currently, she works as a supervising psychologist at Hamilton-Madison House and in private practice. 

DR. Jihan Ryu, PyschiatristDr. Jihan Ryu is a Korean-American, board-certified psychiatrist based in New York City, currently serving at Hamilton-Madison House Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to improve community behavioral health in downtown NYC. As a psychiatrist in the CONNECT program, a pilot funded by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Ryu focuses on providing accessible mental health services to underserved populations, particularly in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) diaspora. In addition to his clinical work, he conducts innovative research in human-centered design and digital mental health, exploring new avenues of intervention to impact population health at scale. A passionate advocate for mental health equity and the queer community, Dr. Ryu’s work bridges clinical practice, translational research, and community outreach. Learn more about his professional work at https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamjihan/ 
ABOUT Connect /Hamilton Madison House
Continuous Engagement between Community and Clinic Treatment (CONNECT) is an innovative, holistic mental health care model developed by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in collaboration with the NYC Mayor’s Office. Designed to bridge long-standing gaps in the mental health system, CONNECT moves beyond the traditional clinic-based approach by centering community partnership, addressing social determinants of health, and ensuring continuity of care for individuals navigating periods of transition.  

At Hamilton-Madison House, CONNECT is delivered through our community-rooted Behavioral Health Services, aligning with our mission to welcome, support, nurture, and empower individuals across the lifespan. Recognizing that therapy alone is often not enough—particularly when individuals face challenges such as housing instability, food insecurity, or reentry after hospitalization or incarceration—CONNECT brings clinical services directly into the community and prioritizes individuals most at risk of disengagement from care. We offer a holistic combination of care through case management, support groups, nursing, psychiatry, and psychotherapy to help our community residents improve their overall quality of life.  

As a leading provider of behavioral health services on the Lower East Side, Hamilton-Madison House offers culturally and linguistically responsive care, with Particular expertise in supporting the Asian-American community, though we encourage and welcome all community members. Through CONNECT, we strengthen collaboration between clinic and community, promote stability during critical transitions, and foster sustained engagement in care—one meaningful connection at a time.