Albert Nguyen

LCSW

People have a tendency to forget how much grit and resilience they actually have - there's a common theme where clients underestimate themselves and overestimate the circumstances that they're facing. This insight has led me to focus more on creating a safe space to process and unfold their experience by empowering and removing barriers, rather than "fixing" or finding "solutions," so that they can access and nurture what they already possess to overcome their current circumstances.

My lived experiences of childhood trauma, grief and loss threw me into a whirlwind of emotions that created a lot of confusion, pain and distrust in the world. Although I didn't see it then as a child, the lack of guidance and emotional support pushed me into some of the deepest, most insightful and enlightening moments of my life. I had exposure to martial arts early in life - this became the medium in which I used to leverage my emotional ailments. After years of intense physical training, mastery in martial arts naturally paved a way for deeper, internal work on myself, as I began teaching and influencing others. It was during this time that I started asking myself serious questions about life and my purpose, leading me to gravitate towards the desire to help others. I sort of accidentally stumbled into psychology during this time as a college student, as it was a random selection out of a pool of classes. It was the perfect convergence at this point in my life. I had accepted that life was universally difficult - and that everyone had struggles or battles to face. This "universal truth" guided me to the question: how can I be useful and of service to others in a way that empowers them to rise above their struggles? And so, it began. The idea of becoming a therapist found me. "I am a psychotherapist because I have come to learn that a tremendous amount of people feel alone, left out, unheard, irrelevant, tired, worthless, unconnected, unwelcome, sad, anxious and fearful…” and they need someone to validate, acknowledge, and remind them that they have value beyond their current situation.

I am naturally curious about people and the prescribed meaning they place on life - so while it's important for me to gather information on what prompted a person to seek therapy (e.g. pain points, symptoms, expectations, provisional goals), I dedicate a moment to explore and learn about the person before their problems. It is in this moment, that I often find some spark in the person.