COVID-19 & Filipinos in Canada: Mental Health Care Praxis

The COVID-19 pandemic has further illuminated the need for a culturally grounded intervention for Filipinos in Canada, a settler colonial nation-state. In particular, this culturally grounded intervention requires transnational, intergenerational, and intersectional analyses involving the Filipino community. I posit that the experiences of Filipinos in Canada and the impact of COVID-19 need to inform mental health care theory, practice, praxis, and policy beyond clinical contexts. This chapter looks at the ways in which to address the impact of the mental health experiences rooted within colonialism and systemic oppression, examining the possibilities of producing mental health care for the Filipino community while also dismantling colonialism, including settler colonialism, systemic racism, oppression, and white supremacy within our institutions and social relations.