Resources for the Hawaiian Diaspora in Washington State
- bigalohapictures
- Mar 7
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 9
Missed the Dear Aloha event in Seattle or want to know who was there? We’ve put together a curated list of Pacific Islander mental health practitioners , along with the nonprofits that attended. Check them out here!
Participating Non-Profits
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS)
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization working for social justice and offering a broad array of behavioral health programs, addiction recovery support, human services and civic engagement activities for Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders and other communities in King County and beyond. ACRS serves a wide range of Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities – immigrants, refugees and American born – in the Pacific Northwest.
Hawaiian Diaspora
Our goal is to empower and connect Native Hawaiians in the diaspora by creating inclusive spaces, delivering culturally rooted programs, and offering accessible tools and resources that support mental well-being, heritage reclamation, and collective healing. Through virtual and physical gatherings, educational initiatives, and community collaboration, Hawaiian Diaspora validates each person’s journey, honoring diverse paths shaped by generations, education, economic needs, and the aspiration to reconnect with Hawai’i. Together, we strengthen a resilient Hawaiian diaspora community united by heritage, belonging, and forging pathways home.
Pacific Islander Community Association of WA (PICA-WA)
Our mission is to establish a cultural home, center community power, and advocate to the further the wellness of our Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) communities physically, culturally, socially, and spiritually. Today, Washington is home to the highest population of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (NH/PI) in the U.S., outside of Hawai’i and California. As such, PICA-WA works in various regions of Washington providing no cost support services and programs to engage and support Pacific Islander communities across the state.
UTOPIA- WA
Since 2009, UTOPIA Washington has worked with QTPI leaders to create a safe, welcoming, supportive, and vibrant space for members of our community to address basic needs, build pathways toward new expanded career and life opportunities, foster a sense of common purpose, and advocate for social justice, education, and overall wellness among members of the Pacific Islander LGBTQIA+ community. We also seek to build trust and common ground as a convener and bridge-builder between the Pacific Islander community and the LGBTQIA+ community, who often share many of the same issues and concerns.
UTOPIA Washington is led and founded by women of color, identifying as transgender and/or fa’afafine. Fa’afafine is a cultural gender identity native to Samoa translated as “in the manner of a woman.” We approach community work through an intersectional and cultural lens. Our cultural identity plays an integral role in the way we care and fight for the liberation of queer and trans people of color.
Our Panelists:
Ipo Alkhaldi, from Kauaʻi: Executive Director of the Hawaiian Diaspora, the leading network for the Diasporic community, and co-chair of Alaska Airlines' Pacific Islander Alliance Business Resource Group. She currently resides in Seattle, Washington.
Caitlin Noelani Minnear, LMFT, CST, MDFT, from Maui: I believe that healing occurs when people are given the space to explore their unique emotional experience and better understand how it colors their worldview, sense of self, and relationships with others. Within a safe therapeutic relationship, I work with my clients to make meaning out of both mundane and extraordinary moments, unlocking their ability to live a more fully present, authentic life.
Cris Romento, from Oʻahu: Kanaka filmmaker focused on stories of contemporary Hawaiʻi. Thirty years after her ʻohana was “priced out of paradise,” she returned to Oʻahu to reconnect with her roots and make DEAR ALOHA. On a festival run, it recently won Best Short Documentary at the International Oceanic Documentary Film Festival in Tahiti and was nominated for Best Made in Hawaiʻi Short at the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. It has screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals across North America and Oceania. Cris is a Firelight Media Impact Campaign fellow and recipient of the Courageous Filmmaking Grant from the Seattle International Film Festival.
Post-screening Resources
Asian American/Pacific Islander Therapists
These practicioners focus on supporting generational trauma and providing care through a cultural lens. While this list is a starting point, we encourage you to explore what feels right for your own healing journey.
Our panelist, Caitlin Minnear
Washington State | Available in-person and online
Working from a systemic and culturally competent lens, I have experience helping individuals, couples, and families navigate complex relational issues including intergenerational trauma, acculturation stress, depression, anxiety, grief, chronic illness, and life transitions. My therapeutic work utilizes experiential and somatic interventions to encourage integration of the mind-body experience and is primarily influenced by Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), attachment theory, and other relational based modalities. Therapy sessions may include exercises with breathwork, mindfulness, and movement.
V Sun Moore
Oregon | Available in-person and online
My name is V (they/them), and it's an honor to join your journey. I am a Queer, non-binary, transracial South Korean adoptee who specializes in supporting artists, entrepreneurs, and high-achieving professionals. Many of my clients identify as QTBIPOC Gen Z and Millennials from industries such as film/television, tech, higher education, and the arts.
Beginning therapy is a tremendous act of self-love, so it's essential to have a trusted therapeutic companion by your side.
I use Narrative, Culturally-Responsive, and Psychodynamic approaches to make counseling true to the client’s story and their intersectional needs. Many of my clients want to explore their identity, develop generational growth, recover from a frightening situation, or find joy after a significant loss or transition.
Kalena Kaopuuokalani Lanuza
Oregon, Washington, California, and Hawai'i | Available online only
Aloha mai kākou! My name is Kalena Kaopuuokalani Lanuza and I am a doctorally prepared, Certified Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Certified Lactation Counselor. As an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, I offer Reproductive Mental Healthcare to clients in Hawai'i, California, Oregon & Washington. I specialize in pregnancy, postpartum, peri & post menopausal mental health and offer medication/ herbal & supplement management in conjunction with brief supportive therapy & lactation counseling to those in need. As an Indigenous provider (Kanaka Maoli- Native Hawaiian), I work to bring the wisdom of my kūpuna (ancestors/ elders) with me into relationship with the people that I serve and try to use the Native Hawaiian concepts of aloha (love), ha'aha'a (humility), kōkua (to help) and lōkahi (harmony/ unity) to inform my work. In addition to assisting Kānaka Maoli wāhine (Native Hawaiian Women) experiencing reproductive mental health challenges, I also serve the greater community and work to make sure I have an inclusive practice where all women feel safe and welcome to heal. Let’s work together to help you regain balance. Schedule your FREE 10 minute consultation today.
Sally Chung
Washington | Available online only
I specialize in exploring how your cultural identity and past relational experiences impact your ability to connect meaningfully with others. My integrative approach helps you understand who you are in the context of your life experiences and empower you to create a life that aligns with your values and goals.
I strive to promote healing and growth through connection, relationship, and authenticity. I want you to feel comfortable with who you are in at this time and in this space.
With advanced training in emotionally-focused therapy and future-directed therapy, my therapeutic style appeals to those who are insight-oriented, ready to live fuller lives, and enjoy pop culture references and metaphors.
Harry Dixon
Washington, Oregon, California and New York | Available online only
I’m here for the clients who feel like they don’t connect to other therapists due cultural barriers. I believe therapy works best when the relationship between the client and counselor is secure and trusting. Clients deserve to enter a therapy space where they can be themselves from the outset, and that is what I strive to provide. You don’t have to code switch or educate me on your life or culture, I get it. I don’t ask my clients to explain their life just tell me how you live it. I share many of the identities that my clients have and I share my earned wisdom and years of expertise with my LGBTQ+ and BIPOC clients. The highest compliment that I can receive is “wow, you get it”.
I’m no stranger to the stresses to gay Asian men. Growing up with Korean immigrant parents who were active in a religiously conservative Presbyterian church, learning how to be gay and my true, authentic self was a hard fought and worthwhile journey that informs how I apply therapy and healing. I strive to ensure that everyone who comes to me feels heard, validated, and accepted.
Andrew Zarate
Washington and New York | Available online only
Hi, I'm Andrew (he/him/his). I'm here to work with you to improve the quality of your life using insight-oriented talk therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy). I work with adults on a variety of issues, including but not limited to general life stressors, interpersonal and relational issues, shame, multicultural issues, LGBTQ+ issues, navigating life transitions, and trauma (such as assault, medical trauma, and exposure to war). I also have experience in treating chronic mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
As your clinician, I aim to foster a therapeutic relationship that deepens your understanding of yourself and how you navigate life. I invite you to bring your full self to our work together, including your strengths, challenges, hopes, fears, and intersecting identities.
No matter what brings you to therapy, I hope to support you in a way that is adaptive, responsive, and encourages your growth.
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What is the Hawaiian Diaspora? And why should we care?
Kiliona Palauni's story on returning home from the Hawaiian Diaspora.
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