Yuna Youn wrote a comic called “I’m Speaking” with the help of the New York Immigration Coalition.

It’s about a high school freshman named Yumi and focuses on anti-Asian hate and the importance of mental health support.

Youn is a licensed clinical social worker and the director of the Mental Health Clinic at the nonprofit Korean Community Services.

“With the Asian community you see people often not seeking care and getting to a point where they have to call 911 we need a middle ground for that and we also want preventative care so we don’t end up in situations like that in the first place,” Youn said.

Korean Community Services, which was founded in 1973, opened its mental health clinic in the heart of Flushing, Queens, almost 10 years ago to increase access to mental health care for a community that often shies away from it because of the stigma.

In fact, Asian Americans seek mental health care less than the rest of the population.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, only 8.6% of Asian Americans used mental health services in a given year compared with 17.9% of the general population.

“People need to feel like they belong and they’re accepted that’s important for all of us but then what’s really standing out in Asian culture is that this fitting in and belonging is so important and that’s sometimes prioritized over our wellbeing and the need to really take care of ourselves,” Youn said.

Language is also a barrier, but the clinic provides culturally sensitive and bilingual, Korean and English therapy.

“It’s hard for people to connect when certain expressions, even if you translate certain things, cannot be conveyed certain expressions even with non-verbals are so important in clinical treatment and were not going to provide that through translation services,” Youn said.

Youn says the work is paying off, having treated thousands of clients over the years regardless of immigration status and ability to pay.

“When people come in, they’ll talk about traumas that they’ve never talked about their entire lives, which is incredible,” said Youn.

Youn says in this community, what impacts one person impacts everyone, so when someone opens up it inspires hope in others.

“In a time where we so need hope,” she said. “I think in a climate where people are feeling a lot of fear and anxiety that’s all the more needed for people to feel safe.”