Specializations

I find that trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, anger management, and cultural issues, can have a significant impact on our relationships. I think it is important to address them for our own mental health and for the benefit of our relationships.

Anger Management

Anger is a core human emotion. It has great value and usefulness when we develop the skill to understand and cope with it adaptively. For various reasons, many of us have been unable to develop these skills and we struggle with chronic or explosive eruptions of anger that can inflict regrettable damage on our relationships and careers, and often those we love. Within the therapeutic relationship, it is possible to explore the roots of chronic anger and collaborate in the development of new capacities to cope.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a core human psychological state that, when excessive can disable us. Symptoms include chronic worry, insecurity, fear, insomnia, restlessness, hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, learning problems, and difficulty remaining in relationship. Sufferers may also experience somatic symptoms including elevated heart rate, perspiration, loss of appetite, and skin disorders. Barring discrete trauma, anxiety is often rooted in early relationships and can be healed within the therapeutic relationship. 

Depression

Many people struggle throughout their lives with pervasive feelings of exhaustion, sadness, isolation, hopelessness, meaningless, alienation or despair. Together, some or all of these feelings often comprise what is commonly known as depression. Although many sufferers may not know or believe that it is the case, it is possible to heal from depression. In the therapeutic relationship, there is a unique opportunity to eliminate and heal what are often the very early roots of this chronic and disabling condition.


Trauma

Sadly, many of us have lived through extreme events (whether in the public sphere or within the privacy of the home) that make a profound and disruptive impact on our ability to function—often for many years. Powerful experiences like these constitute psychological trauma, and often give rise to PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD include chronic agitation, anxiety, sleep disturbances or nightmares, eruptions of rage or terror, relationship problems, confusion between the past and present, and a range of somatic symptoms. Having both a special interest and extensive experience with these issues, I provide sympathetic, supportive, and effective approach.

Grief and Loss 

When a relationship ends or someone close to us passes, we may suffer very painful consequences for a very long time. These may include feelings of emptiness, excessive or irrational worry, numbness, hopelessness, unbearable loneliness, meaninglessness, and physical ailments including fatigue and confusion. These symptoms of intolerable loss can transform within the supportive context of a therapeutic relationship, where the feelings and memories beneath them can be understood and integrated into your life.

Cultural Identity 

I work with women and men from diverse backgrounds who often feel torn between cultures. Some are immersed in modern Western culture but also feel a strong tie to their traditional roots. Others are foreign-born and struggle with assimilation issues. My work focuses on guiding my clients as they navigate this in-between space to find a sense of belonging and to embrace their identity. I am of Vietnamese descent and am a native speaker of English and Vietnamese.


Email me or call for a consultation: (415) 938-7670