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Purpose/Aims: In spite of major management and education initiatives, our current health care system may be inefficient from the perspective of individual families. Clinicians often maintain their usual customs of practice and the context of the clinical encounter is defined in terms of an illness management protocol. The objective of this study is to describe health care providers' strategies to manage children with asthma in a multi-cultural and collectivistic culture. Rationale: Collectivism and individualism reflect fundamentally different perceptions about knowledge, cognition, and social development. Multi-ethnic societies, such as that in Hawaii, contain an intermingling of cultures such that there is no predominant group. Social cognitive theory can be used to explain the practitioner's actions. The sociostructural environment, intrapersonal factors and one's behavior all interact to influence the capability for the behavior. Methods: The qualitative research study used narrative analysis. In-depth interviews, lasting about 45 minutes each, were held with 13 practitioners (8 western trained and 5 traditional Hawaiian healers). The mean number of years experience was 24.4 years (traditional practitioners) and 22.3 years (western trained practitioners). A semistructured interview focused on perceptions of asthma and the asthma management strategies used. Practitioners were recruited as a part of a larger study on barriers of Native Hawaiian Children to asthma management. The participants were asked to describe what they typically do for a Native Hawaiian school aged child who has mild to moderate asthma and seeks treatment. Narrative analysis was used to identify ways the practitioners used to manage pediatric asthma. Constant comparison techniques were used to compare and contrast the individual themes and to identify commonly used strategies. Results: Two themes emerged: Fix the Asthma (make things physically normal); and Making Connections. Potential disparities may exist in the child and family's needs for clinical support in the illness course.