The immigration experience - what you left behind, what you carry, what you're still figuring out - deserves a clinician who truly understands it.
The mental health challenges facing immigrants, refugees, and international students are distinct - shaped by displacement, language barriers, isolation, the weight of family expectations, and the constant labor of navigating a new culture while maintaining ties to the old one. These stressors are real and significant, even when they're hard to put into words.
Acculturation stress - the tension of adapting to a new culture while holding onto your own - is one of the more persistent and underrecognized sources of mental distress. It can manifest as anxiety, depression, identity confusion, relationship strain, or a general sense of not belonging anywhere.
Many immigrants and international patients also navigate stigma around mental health care in their communities of origin - making it harder to seek help, and harder to explain to family why they're doing so. You don't need to explain yourself here.
I am a Vietnamese-American clinician, and I built this practice specifically to serve patients who often fall through the cracks of mainstream mental health care. I understand - both personally and professionally - what it means to live between cultures, to carry family expectations across borders, and to need care that doesn't require you to explain your whole background before you can begin.
I offer care in both English and Tiếng Việt, and I welcome patients from across Virginia regardless of how long they've been here or where they're from. Whether you're an international student, a recent immigrant, or someone who has been here for decades and is finally ready to address what you've been carrying - there's space for you here. All sessions are via telehealth.
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.
You don't have to do it alone.