Introduction

My name is Thomas Nguyen. I am a third year doctoral student at the University of St. Thomas (MN). It has been overdue since a blog like this started to inform the readers about mental health issues among Asian American. For some, Asian American is considered the model minority; therefore, they are immune from mental health issues. The truth is, we are still human. As an aspiring psychologist, I like to share my experience and knowledge about Asian American mental health. I am inspired to integrate my Western trained method to my Eastern philosophical upbringing. My goal is to erase mental health stigmas, bring awareness, and mental health parity to the Asian American communities. 

In the following paragraph, I like to share some information about me. This is part of a written essay for my internship application. I hope I do not offend anyone for my poor grammatical skill. After all, English is still my second language. I hope the readers can forgive me read beyond my technical faults and be able to read what I have to say.  

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I am a child of the post-Vietnam war. My father was a prisoner of war. He served in the Air Force for the Republic of South Vietnam. My mother was a high school math teacher. As a result, my siblings and I are barred from having equal education. Having endured the strict political, religious belief, economic, and educational equality, we were fortunate to immigrate to the United States in search for freedom.

After twenty years living in the United States, I can proudly say my siblings and I are among the first generation in my family to graduate from college. Also, I am proud to be among the few Vietnamese Americans pursuing a doctoral degree in counseling psychology. I am deeply indebted to the many hands that contributed to my professional growth and development.

To my parents, who had devoted their life to their children and worked tirelessly to nurture and support our siblings through college. From them, I retained my cultural practices, values, and native language. Without them, I cannot be the person that I am today. 

As a first generation immigrant, I am grateful for being exposed to acculturation and acculturative stress among refugee and immigrants. I find comfort in both cultures and am happy to be a Vietnamese American. From this experience, I am more aware of my personal biases toward any particular group and understand the challenges people of color experienced when adjusting to a new culture.

I am grateful for the University of St. Thomas for giving me the opportunity to pursue a higher education in a career path least chosen among Asian Americans. I am thankful for being trained in a highly regarded institution in the state of Minnesota. From this academic experience, I am better at integrating my Western trained knowledge to serving the diverse community. Recognizing that the current mental health system is not adequate for people of color, specifically Asian Americans, I am motivated to delivery mental health parity and erasing stigmas in these communities.

In an effort to bring Asian American mental health awareness to the profession, I am honored to co-present at the annual Minnesota Case Management conference. I also presented a poster presentation at the annual Minnesota Psychological Conference. Within the Vietnamese communities, I presented locally and nationally in an attempt to erase mental health stigmas. I am also grateful to be part of the founding member and first executive board of the Vietnamese American Psychological Association. Through them, I learned not only to be a follower but leader for my belief.

Professionally, I am grateful for my work at the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation (Southeast Asian Services), Ramsey County Mental Health (Partial Hospitalization Program), and the University of Minnesota (University Counseling & Consulting Services) for the opportunity to hone in my clinical skills in various settings and populations. From these exposures, I learned to become client-centered and a better listener. Also, I learned to become aware of my personal background and how it comes to play during therapy.