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Parenting South Asian Teens in the U.S.: Peer & Parental Pressure


Panel discussion/Q&A

"Cross Cultural Challenges Facing South Asian Parents and Teens in the USA"

Sunday, December 3, 2017, 12:00pm-2:00pm

Panelists

Dr. Anand V. Patel, PsyD (Psychologist}

Dr. Parinda Parikh, MD (Psychiatrist)

Dr. Devan Ganeshananthan

(Principal, Edgemont Junior/Senior High School)

Kala Ranganathan (Moderator)

The following are brief intros to our panelists and summaries of what will be covered by each during the discussion followed by their presentations:

Dr. Anand V. Patel Licensed Clinical Psychologist, practicing in Scarsdale, will cover topics such as bicultural identity development in South Asian youth, the “model minority” stereotype, the presence and impact of acculturative stress in teenage life, and finally the parent acculturation factor. He will review statistics associated with the risk and rates of mental health problems in South Asian youth populations within the United States. He plans to end with some tips and tools for parents, focusing on observational signs of depression and anxiety and some helpful things parents can do to support their child during this often challenging stage of development.

Dr. Parinda Parikh is a Board Certified Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist in full time private practice. She is an independent consultant for Putnam and Northern Westchester School through Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Trained in clinical and administrative skills, Dr. Parikh is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College and a Attending Psychiatrist at the New York Presbyterian Hospital since 2002. Her expertise in eating disorder has resulted in book chapters and research publications. She is also trained in diagnosis and management of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Parikh is currently the Medical Director of 2nd ARC Psychiatric Associates in White Plains, NY offering concierge medicine and integrative and holistic individualized psychiatric treatment. She will focus on Cultural differences and attitudes impacting psychopharmacological treatment of psychiatric disorders. She will also touch upon the formal process of accessing disability related service from school districts or colleges She will be available to answer any questions from the audience.

Mr. Devan Ganeshananthan is the principal at Edgemont Junior/Senior High School, located in Scarsdale, New York. Among the myriad of different responsibilities he has as a school principal, Devan has a particular passion for working with families to help support their children through early, middle, and late adolescence. At this particular talk, he will focus on the interplay between academic pressure and students' use of drugs and alcohol and the challenges inherent in this arena for South Asian-American students.

Kala Ranganathan has had extensive experience in moderating meetings and work sessions in Fortune 100 companies in the field of software quality assurance.

Want to find out more?

The following resources have been chosen to help guide you in the parenting process with your teens.

is a helpful article identifying stressors of South Asian Children and suggestions to help cope.

"Teen stress: What parents can do for high schoolers under pressure" an article by the Chicago Tribune, focusing on solutions for the escalating pressures faced by teens today

A guide to "Helping Your Teen Make Responsible Choices" by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

It is important to recognize the brain development of teenagers in understanding their behavior. Find out more in the book The Teenage Brain

"Good Girls Marry Doctors: South Asian American Daughters on Obedience and Rebellion" is a collection of stories highlighting the unique struggles of our daughters, edited by Piyali Bhattacharya

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