Counselor Amy Pothong Talks About Mental Health in Thailand [S7.E39]

Mental health in Thailand has never really had its time in the
spotlight, but things are slowly changing as more and more Thais
realize that taking care of your mental health is just as
important as taking care of your physical health.


On this episode we are joined by Amy Pothong, a licensed
counselor and founder of Golden Leaf Therapy and Counseling in
Phuket. 


Amy walks us through the landscape of mental health in Thailand,
including some of the reasons that the subject is often taboo,
with elders usually preferring to shush things up rather than
make a scene and upset the apple cart. Generational dynamics,
family responsibilities and strict cultural expectations can all
play a part, and the resulting mix can be quite a complicated web
to navigate. 


Amy also talks about the difference between Thai and foreign
cultures, likening the contrast to a peach vs a coconut. In a
peach culture people are friendly and soft on the outside, but
once you get closer, you find a hard, private core that's hard to
penetrate. However, coconut cultures have a hard shell on the
outside, but once you get past that you'll find that they are
soft and easy to get close to.


She also helpfully provides some references for trusted resources
to use if you think you might like to talk to someone about
mental health: the hotline 1323, and Samaritans of Thailand,
which has service in both English and Thai.


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