Licensed to practice in California and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Depression, Grief, Coping Skills and 3 more.
(he/him)
New to Grow
My name is Alex Wong, PsyD. I am a licensed psychologist in the state of California. As a therapist, I'm focused primarily on helping patients explore meaning in their lives so that they can stop auto-piloting, transform traumas, establish better relationships and lead happier lives. I’m a Southern-California native. Specifically, I’m Chinese-American, part of the Teo Chew community. Culturally, I’m Chinese-Vietnamese. My father is from Vietnam, a member of the Chinese diaspora that came to the USA as a refugee during wartime. My mother is from Shantou, China. I speak English, Teo Chew, Mandarin and Cantonese, my weakest language being Cantonese. My knowledge areas include depression, anxiety, serious mental illness, facility-based inpatient services, lgbtq issues, grief and loss and life transition issues. I’ve worked with patients experiencing these issues, attended trainings on these topics, facilitated related groups, but there is always more to learn. I work on a sliding scale, so we can have a conversation about my fee at the point of contact.
I believe in the uniqueness of people, not just as individuals, but from moment to moment as well. My approach in talk therapy is to try to understand clients deeply, while keeping in mind that I will never know 100%. During our first session, I will strive to get to know you and to offer you a different perspective, something you can walk away with, ponder and possibly benefit from before we meet again.
I consider clients’ upbringing, religion, politics, style, and opinions, but I put particular emphasis on the relationship between myself and clients. My hope is that sessions with me are warm, challenging, thought-provoking and thoughtful, so expect sessions to include tears, laughter and profound moments of appreciation for life, its difficulties and rewards.
My ideal client is someone who is facing a challenge, who feels powerless but is looking to rediscover or reclaim their power. This client understands that therapy isn't always smooth sailing or about being taught skills, but about the identification or clarification of values and the subsequent decisions that need to me made in order to transform and move forward.
Other specialties
I identify as
Existential
Life is about creating meaning. We are more than machines. Its important to make wise decisions.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
We live our lives in the moment. In order to live well, we need to live in accordance with values, but also remember not to take ourselves too seriously.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
It is really easy to think ourselves into a corner. Lets work on expanding our viewpoint so we don't miss the forest for the trees, or focus on puddles when we have the ocean.