South Asian psychologists, mental health professionals and graduate students were a rarity in the field psychology in America during the early 1990's. One of the few places where South Asians could exchange research, discuss clinical cases, gather information and meet other South Asian researchers was at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association meetings. Usually, there were a handful of South Asians presenting on topics related to their Master's thesis, Doctoral dissertations and occasionally, there was a professor or two who specifically researched and worked with the South Asian population. Typically, undergraduates, graduate students, some professors and mental professionals would be in attendance of such presentations and were quite eager to network and talk with the other fellow South Asians in the crowd.
In 2001, the American Psychological Association was holding its annual conference in San Francisco and Puni Kalra, a graduate student at the University of Denver, was attending her first conference in hopes of meeting other South Asian researchers. There she met Neera Puri (University of California, Davis) and Arpana Inman (Seton Hall University) during a South Asian symposium titled "East in West-The bicultural experiences of Indian Americans." With this presentation and other previous South Asian related convention presentations, there was an eagerness to network with other individuals researching and working on the South Asian population. However, with this particular presentation in 2001, a critical mass had reached, there were approximately 50-75 people in attendance suggesting a heightened awareness of South Asian concerns. The excitement generated from the presentations and discussions were energizing. Puni, Neera, and Arpana decided after the symposium as they were walking through the streets of San Francisco, that the time had come to create a forum where those interested in South Asian mental health could share their ideas with one another outside of conferences (i.e., such as on the internet). They decided to name this forum, SAPNA "dream," the South Asian Psychological Networking Association to represent their dream of connecting those interested in South Asian issues, thus the creation of the SAPNA Listserv. Finally, a listserv had come to fruition; years earlier in 1998, Regan Gurung (University of California, Los Angeles), Nita Tewari (University of California, Los Angeles) and Neera Nijhawan (University of Southern California) had brainstormed about such a possibility in the form of an Indian American directory of those researching and working on Indian American populations. At the time, Regan Gurung had created the only webpage providing research and references on acculturation, ethnic identity, etc. on individuals from the Indian subcontinent.
Two years later in 2003, Puni Kalra (University of Denver), Neera Puri (University of California, Davis), Arpana Inman (Lehigh University) and Nita Tewari (University of California, Irvine) believed it was time to take the SAPNA listserv one step further and create the SAPNA website. Nita Tewari and Arpana Inman applied for a grant through the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs of the American Psychological Association and were soon thereafter granted funds to create the site. Kamal Singh, a close friend of Puni, agreed to design and maintain the SAPNA website. Now, we (Puni, Arpana, Neera, Nita, and Kamal) are excited to have launched the first ever website in January of 2005 specifically dedicated to providing resources to individuals interested in South Asian and South Asian American mental health. For all of us, founding this listserv and website has truly been a "dream" come true.
The timing of these events could not have been better. Just days after officially launching the SAPNA listserv, America experienced a historically tragic day on September 11, 2001. SAPNA became a critical site where mental health professionals were able to share concerns related to client distress and backlash. Since that time, SAPNA members have utilized the listserv for several purposes. Most importantly, however, the listserv continues to provide support and validation to those interested in South Asian Mental Health and now we hope the SAPNA website launched in 2005 will serve to provide additional information and support to South Asian mental health researchers and clinicians in a more academic and clinical manner.
Our Mission
The purpose of the SAPNA listserv can be described in 4 goals:
To connect individuals interested in South Asian and South Asian American mental health concerns.
To encourage and promote cooperation among professionals across disciplines (psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, social scientists, etc.)
To provide a source of support and assistance to those who wish to research on and provide services to South Asians and South Asian Americans.
To advance the knowledge, research, and interest in the psychology and well being of South Asians and South Asian America
Our Founders
Please click on a name to learn more about SAPNA Founders: Dr. Arpana Inman
