Yasmin Irfani is a Pakistani-Muslim-American woman who is passionate about speaking up about mental health awareness in her community. Growing up, she was told she was too emotional and sensitive which led her to believe she was broken. After all, South Asian girls like her did not speak up or express their emotions. Whether directly or indirectly she was taught to keep the problems that come along with her community’s high expectations to herself, like getting married and having kids by a certain age, being financially successful, going to a great college, and having an amazing job, among other things.
Not until Yasmin went to college and studied psychology did she begin her own healing process. She went on to receive her Masters in College Counseling and is now a suicide prevention instructor as well as a mental health first aid instructor. She is also the Youth Programs Director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the San Fernando Valley.
Through her experiences working with high school and college students, Yasmin realized the importance of modeling vulnerability and truly listening to others so they can come up with their own insight and empower themselves. She’s also grateful to be the face of hope so more people can openly speak up about emotional and mental health challenges, especially within the South Asian and Muslim community.
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