The Wilder Foundation’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Services was established in 1984 to help a growing population of refugees work through mental health issues. It serves Hmong, Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese immigrants and refugees living in the Twin Cities east metro area.

Saint Paul, Minnesota, has one of the largest populations of Southeast Asians in the country. Because of trauma experienced in their home countries or refugee camps, some refugees suffer from post-traumatic stress, depression or other emotional problems. Many more face challenges assimilating to the U.S. culture.

SEA was developed to address such needs, providing a variety of mental health treatment and support services for adults, youth and families. The program has received national recognition for the way it combines western mental health practices with the traditional healing methods of the Southeast Asian cultures it serves. Its core services, provided to both adults and youth, include mental health assessment; individual, group and family counseling; case management; and school-based youth services.

Other special projects operated by SEA include:

• Adolescent Violence
• Assertive Community Treatment
• Building Capacity to Meet the Emerging Mental Health Needs in Ramsey County Project
• Cambodian Family Connect Project
• Family Community Support Services
• Functional Family Therapy
• Hmong Working Together/FAST Program