Licensed to practice in California. Specializes in Anxiety, Depression, Parenting and 7 more.
(she/her)
I am a Vietnamese- and English-speaking psychotherapist with more than 20 years of clinical experience supporting individuals across diverse backgrounds and life circumstances. I am deeply committed to fostering healing at the individual, family, and community levels, recognizing the interconnected nature of emotional well-being. My goal as a therapist is to provide a compassionate and supportive space for individuals navigating life's challenges, whether they are managing stress, striving for greater work-life balance, or processing personal, intergenerational, or cultural trauma. I work collaboratively with clients to strengthen their resilience, reconnect with their inner strengths, and cultivate meaningful emotional healing and personal growth. At the heart of my practice is the belief that every person deserves to feel heard, respected, validated, and genuinely understood. I strive to create a safe, culturally responsive, and non-judgmental therapeutic environment where clients feel empowered to explore their experiences and move toward lasting change.
The first session is about building a foundation of trust. It is for clients to make inquiries and assess for compatibility. Clients will be asked some questions about what’s bringing them to therapy, their goals, and things they would like me to know more about them. There will be a mix of structured questions and open conversation. It is very common, and absolutely normal, for some clients to feel nervous before their first session. Clients are not expected to share in-depth information about themselves, unless they want to. My role is to listen with curiosity and compassion, so clients can feel emotionally safe and heard throughout the process.
I specialize in helping clients identify and work through complex emotional patterns, particularly those shaped by early childhood experiences, relationships in adulthood, and past trauma. Clients often share that they feel comfortable and supported in our sessions, allowing them to explore difficult topics openly and without fear of judgment. My therapeutic approach is grounded in empathy, authenticity, and collaboration. While I strive to create a safe and compassionate space, I also gently challenge unhelpful behaviors and thinking patterns that may hinder my clients' ability to meet their intended goals.
My practice is a good fit for individuals who are ready to explore their inner world, seek personal growth, and make lasting changes. I often work with individuals who are navigating anxiety, perfectionism, self-doubt, depression, trauma, past abuses, low sense of self-worth, and relationship challenges. Many of my clients are high-functioning individuals who give off the "I'm okay" image on the outside, yet feel disconnected or overwhelmed on the inside. You might be seeking clarity, healing from past experiences, or a more authentic connection to yourself and/or to others.
In my therapy practice, I incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through structured interventions, I support clients in developing more adaptive coping strategies, setting achievable goals, and practicing skills that promote lasting emotional and behavioral change. CBT is tailored to each client's needs and is integrated with other modalities when appropriate.
I employ Trauma-Informed Care/Trauma-focused Therapy to help clients safely process and recover from the psychological effects of traumatic experiences. Treatment emphasizes establishing safety, improving emotional regulation, developing coping skills, processing traumatic memories at an appropriate pace, and reducing trauma-related symptoms while promoting resilience and post-traumatic growth.
I implement Supportive therapy by helping my clients with emotional support, validation, encouragement, and practical guidance to manage their stressors and maintain psychological functioning. I take a collaborative approach when I assist clients strengthen their coping skills, reinforce healthy behaviors, improve resilience, and reduce emotional distress, while fostering a strong therapeutic alliance.
My sessions include Psychodynamic therapy, an insight-oriented approach that helps my clients explore how unconscious thoughts, emotions, early life experiences, and past relationships influence their current behaviors, emotional functioning, and interpersonal patterns. Through increasing self-awareness and understanding recurring patterns, clients can develop healthier ways of relating to themselves and others, improve emotional regulation, and resolve longstanding psychological conflicts.
I incorporate Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) in my sessions to help clients improve their interpersonal relationships and communication patterns to reduce psychological distress. IPT is based on the understanding that mental health symptoms and relationship difficulties influence one another. It focuses on helping clients identify problematic relationship patterns, improve communication skills, navigate life transitions, process grief and loss, and strengthen social support to enhance emotional well-being.
2 ratings with written reviews
July 9, 2025
Thuy will tell you as it is. Her directness and ability to gauge and present the issues and barriers for moving forward are spot on. This is always done with compassion ands understanding. Her patience is incredible! Truly feel heard and never feel that she is just giving scripted answers.
April 3, 2025
Working with Thuy has been transformative. She is supportive, knowledgeable, prepared and has deep multidisciplinary approach that includes cultural and spiritual aspects. Thuy has deep knowledge an understanding of the human psyche and has deep understanding of sexual trauma.