Social Work with Asian Americans

This paper is based upon an extensive review of the literature on Asian Americans, the practice experience of the senior author, and the research work of the junior author with one of the Asian American groups. An attempt is made to describe the socio-economic conditions of the major Asian American groups and the antecedents of those conditions, as well as the major problems experienced by most Asian Americans. The common features of the cultural values held by most Asian Americans are discussed and the reasons for their difficulty in using the available human services are analyzed. Social work approaches likely to work with Asian American clients are suggested.