— Clinical specialty

An Asian therapist for Asian-Americans, immigrants & children of immigrants

Tam Nguyen-Louie, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Book a free 15-minute call (443) 355-7572

I am Tam Nguyen-Louie, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and a Vietnamese-American, and I offer therapy for Asian-Americans, immigrants and the adult children and grandchildren of immigrants by video in Maryland, D.C., Virginia and the other PSYPACT states. Everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation, or other background, is welcome. If you're looking for an Asian therapist near you, near can mean your own home.

Are you Asian American and want to speak with someone who has similar lived and personal experiences? Or maybe you're struggling to process past and/or present family dynamics or the culture in which you were raised, and have felt unheard or misunderstood.

Regardless of your race and ethnicity, were you born outside the U.S. and struggle with acculturation and/or navigating your current life? Did you grow up in the U.S. and identify as American but somehow have difficulties with finding your unique identity?

If any of that hits home, this is work I care about deeply. I'm especially passionate about supporting Asian-Americans, immigrants, and the adult children and grandchildren of immigrants — I bring both lived and professional experience to it, so you don't have to explain or translate the parts of your story that others have missed.

Working with an Asian American therapist

Being an immigrant or child of one is not a mental health disorder. Instead of a specific modality or therapy type, the experiences and their impact of one are incorporated into therapy treatment throughout our work together. Some examples include:

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.

Therapy for 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.

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.

If you'd like to read more first, growing up between cultures looks at the acculturation gap, family expectations, and why being bicultural can become a strength.

Therapy for immigrants and acculturative stress

If you were born or raised outside the U.S., whatever your race or ethnicity, adapting to life here can bring its own strain: language, distance from family and the people who would usually support you, discrimination, and the pull between two sets of expectations. That strain has a name, acculturative stress, and it's a well-documented experience rather than a personal failing. In therapy, your experience of immigration and acculturation becomes part of treatment, to the extent you feel necessary.

How to tell if a therapist understands your culture

Ask directly, and listen for specifics. Most therapists offer a brief consultation call before you start, and mine is a free 15 minutes by phone. Questions that show cultural understanding quickly:

“Have you worked with Asian-American clients, or with immigrants and children of immigrants?” Listen for specifics, not just “I welcome everyone.”
“How do you bring a client’s culture and family values into treatment?” Listen for collaboration: your background incorporated to the extent you feel necessary, not a single framework for every client.
“What is your approach to depression, anxiety, trauma or OCD?” Cultural understanding doesn’t replace clinical rigor. You deserve both.
“What happens if it’s not a good fit?” A confident clinician assesses fit honestly and will say so if your needs fall outside their expertise.

Your own read on the call matters more than any credential. In a meta-analysis of 15 studies, clients' ratings of their therapist's cultural competence were strongly related to how well treatment went, while therapists' ratings of themselves were not.¹ If you feel rushed, judged or given a generic pitch, keep looking. If you feel respected, and a little relieved that you don't have to explain the basics, that's worth paying attention to.

Seeing an Asian American therapist online

Sessions are by video for adults located in Maryland, D.C., Virginia and the other PSYPACT states (full list). I accept Blue Cross Blue Shield (including Anthem and CareFirst) and Aetna, and superbills are available for other plans. The first step is a free 15-minute phone consultation at 443-355-7572, or a message through the contact page.

Expertise & training

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.

Common questions

Can I see an Asian American therapist online if I live in Virginia or D.C.?

Yes. Dr. Nguyen-Louie sees adults by video while they are located in Virginia, D.C., Maryland or another state participating in PSYPACT. What counts is where you are during the session. The full list of participating states is on the teletherapy page.

Does Dr. Nguyen-Louie specialize in Asian American and immigrant mental health?

Yes. Dr. Nguyen-Louie is a licensed clinical psychologist who is especially passionate about working with Asian-Americans, immigrants, and adult children and grandchildren of immigrants, regardless of race and ethnicity. She brings both lived and professional experience to this work.

What insurance do you take?

Blue Cross Blue Shield (including Anthem and CareFirst) and Aetna. Superbills are available for other plans.

Reference

1. Soto, A., Smith, T. B., Griner, D., Domenech Rodríguez, M., & Bernal, G. (2018). Cultural adaptations and therapist multicultural competence: Two meta-analytic reviews. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1907–1923. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30091201/