MIC’s Partner, BCNC (Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center) takes a holistic, family-centered approach to serving and strengthening new immigrants. By working with families to understand their experiences and recognize their strengths, BCNC builds on their abilities and desire to succeed in the United States. BCNC creates opportunities for community members to make strong connections with each other, leading to improved well-being.
BCNC is a vicarious trauma-informed organization, which recognizes the importance of building a supportive and resilient organizational culture. BCNC addresses the psychosocial well-being of the community through all of its seven programs, from implementing social-emotional learning into their Child Care Program curricula to providing mental health support services for children, youth, adults, and families. Additionally, BCNC provides mental health first aid training to staff and community members who learn to identify signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and substance use, and ways to approach and connect people to resources.
In particular, BCNC’s Family Services program offers culturally responsive mental health and support services at no cost, including case management, short-term mental health counseling and treatment for Chinese-speaking immigrants experiencing challenges such as depression and anxiety, parent education and support, and services for neurodivergent communities.
Through community wellness initiatives and collaborations, BCNC engages in preventative work related to problem gambling, through community education, research, capacity-building across partner organizations, and provision of culturally and linguistically relevant recreational activities. BCNC also offers treatment services for those directly impacted by problem gambling and their loved ones.
