Therapy for Asian-Americans, immigrants & children of immigrants

Children of immigrants. The experiences of being an immigrant/expat, or being a child of one, is unique. The profound and life-altering experiences are hard, if not impossible, to truly put into words for someone who has not been through it. One may study the academic experiences of acculturation, but that's a far cry from the experience of one.

Between two worlds. As a Vietnamese-American, it is incredibly fulfilling and meaningful for me to have the opportunity to work with people who were born outside the U.S., raised outside the U.S., or were born to a bi-cultural households. I do not assume that my experiences, as a Vietnamese-born, American-raised adult, is similar to yours. However, I am able to possess shared understanding of certain cultural expectations, the dual-language/dual-cultured upbringing, and the “between two worlds” feeling and experiences nearly ubiquitous among adult children of immigrants.

Clinical expertise. In addition to shared experiences, I bring over 15 years of expertise in clinical psychology and adapt it appropriately to this underserved population. My clinical specialties - depression, anxiety/OCD, and trauma/PTSD - serve as the foundational knowledge, anchored in a cultural-competent and compassionate conceptualization of your unique experiences.

Focused topics. Ultimately, my goal is to help you better understand the roots of your mental health struggles. For all of us, childhood plays a role, regardless of which culture you identify with. For immigrants and children of immigrants, it is important to consider the complexities within these experiences when understanding root causes and maintenance factors. Our work will focus on:

• Parenting styles
• Parent expectations
• Guilt and shame if present
• Finding and knowing yourself while integrating both cultures
• Identifying and implementing your values
• Gaining confidence in your identity
• …And other topics as appropriate.

I bring both lived and professional experience to this work. I completed my doctorate in the UCSD/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, followed by a clinical internship specializing in psychotherapy and cognitive/psychological assessments and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

I have worked in large hospital systems, small community clinics, inpatient units, outpatient clinics, Veterans Affairs hospitals, and specialty programs, with individuals across the age spectrum and from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.