The sacrifice. The silence. The expectations. The love that was shown through food and worry instead of words. Mental health care for Asian Americans works better when your provider does not need it explained.
Asian Americans are among the least likely groups in the country to receive mental health care. The reasons are layered: stigma that calls suffering weakness, the model minority myth that says we are doing fine, families where feelings were never discussed, and a healthcare system with very few providers who understand the cultural context without a lengthy explanation.
I am a Vietnamese American psychiatric nurse practitioner, a daughter of immigrants, and an eldest daughter. I built this practice, and this page, for the people our culture taught to endure quietly: the high achievers running on empty, the children carrying their parents' sacrifices, the parents who want to understand their struggling kids, and the elders who have carried war and displacement for fifty years without ever calling it trauma.
Below is everything on this site written for our community. Sessions are available in English and Tiếng Việt, in person in Fairfax or via telehealth anywhere in Virginia.
For You
The Cultural Care Gap: Understanding Asian Mental Health → Perfectionism in Asian Families: The Weight of Expectations → Generational Trauma in Asian American Families → First Daughter Syndrome: The Hidden Weight of Being the Eldest Girl → Genetic Testing and Asian Patients: What You Need to Know →For Your Family
"We Gave You Everything. How Can You Be Depressed?" → Your Parents Won't Say They're Depressed. Here's How to Help → Why Vietnamese Men Stay Silent About Mental Health → "I Want to Help, But They’re Not Ready" →Bằng Tiếng Việt
Toàn bộ trang web bằng tiếng Việt (The entire website in Vietnamese) → Người Việt và Sức Khỏe Tâm Thần: Phá Vỡ Sự Im Lặng → 'Điên': Từ Ngữ Duy Nhất Đang Ngăn Cản Các Gia Đình Việt Nam → Chiến Tranh Kết Thúc 50 Năm Trước. Sang Chấn Thì Không. →In our work together, nothing about your family needs a disclaimer. You will not have to explain why you cannot just set boundaries with your mother, why achievement and anxiety are tangled together, or why your ba mẹ and ông bà see doctors for the body but never the mind. We start from shared understanding and go from there.
I provide psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and supportive therapy for anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, and more. Family members are welcome in the conversation when you want them there, and sessions can be held entirely in Vietnamese so your parents can participate. No referral needed.
Related Specialties
If you are in crisis right now, please do not wait for an appointment.
Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Free, confidential, available 24/7.
For emergencies, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Alice Tran Psychiatric Care does not operate 24/7 and does not provide crisis services. Emails, voicemails, text or portal messages are typically responded to within 24 to 72 business hours.
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