I am a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas.

I earned my PhD in Counseling Psychology and a Masters of Education in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University ( APA-accredited).

I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for trauma work.

I also am a certified facilitator for premarital counseling through the Prepare-Enrich program.

Great question and definitely one you should be asking all therapists you’re seeking to work with. What to look for in a therapist

I go into great details about my therapeutic style, philosophy on therapy, and what kind of clients I work best with here: Dr. Vy's approach to therapy

Yes, accepting insurance ensures more people can afford mental health care by reducing financial barriers. It makes therapy more accessible and affordable for a broader range of individuals.

Being part of insurance networks allows me to reach more clients, promoting better mental well-being in our community. I am in network with

• Aetna

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO

• Cigna

• Optum

• Oscar

• United

• Out of Network*

Please visit Rates & Insurance FAQs for a detailed description.

First, I want to affirm the courage it took to consider making the first step to healing, growing, and empowering yourself. Second, like you, I do best when I am fully informed and aware of what to expect to relieve any angst about starting something new.

Beginning therapy can feel terrifying because you are meeting someone completely new and sharing parts of yourself with that individual that you may have not shown to anyone else. Each person has their concerns and desires on what they would like to get out of therapy, therefore, it is dependent on your needs.

1. Intake - In general, we meet to discuss your goals, what are the issues that are bringing you into therapy, as well as what you can expect from me, fees, confidentiality, my supervisor, my approach to therapy, and to see if we would be a good match. You will fill out the intake form which provides information on your contact numbers, history, and other assessments before meeting. At the intake session, expect me to be more directive in asking history-gathering questions to ensure I collect the necessary information to provide the best care for you. We will also discuss expectations such as missed appointments, no-show fees, progress tracking, giving and receiving feedback. At the end of the intake, we can discuss scheduling and whether we are good fits for each other.

2. Length and Frequency - Depending on your needs, we will discuss the length of therapy which could span from very brief (8 sessions), to short term (20 sessions), to longer-term sessions (6 months+). Typically, sessions are weekly 53-minute appointments.

3. Discussion - Topics in session are up to you! You may expect to talk about current events that are impacting you, past experiences that may be relevant to your concerns, the celebration of progress and insights, and just a space to share whatever it is that you need. At the end of each session, I will typically ask you to reflect on what we discussed and brainstorm ideas on what we can continue to practice.

4. End of Therapy - When we have decided that you’ve progressed and met your goals, we can mutually decide whether you’d like to taper down to biweekly sessions, monthly sessions, on an as-needed basis, or end altogether. Finding closure helps wrap up relationships. A “termination session” is basically the therapist’s jargon for closure. This is when we reflect on goals, continued growth, accomplishments, new changes, the therapeutic relationship among other topics.

Therapy is an investment - financially, emotionally, physically, and holistically! Getting the most out of therapy requires active participation, prioritization, and engagement in the therapeutic process. I am only with you for 50 minutes out of your 168-hour week. Thus, the purpose is to generalize what you’ve learned and the insights you’ve gained in session back into your daily routine.

Dependent on your accessibility, I understand you can be extremely busy with your personal and professional obligations; therefore, therapy is not made to make your life more stressful. Beyond what we discuss in therapy, I may invite you to practice or engage in tasks outside of therapy to facilitate your progression. I often call this “homework for the week.” This could be writing things down, actively noting patterns or behaviors, reading an excerpt, trying something new, or watching a video. Regular attendance is also important in helping solidify the gains in therapy. If you have to miss an appointment, please provide prior notice for cancelation. Otherwise, a cancelation/no-show fee will apply.

Read more on how to prepare

It is very normal to feel like your concerns aren’t valid for specific reasons especially if you are the type to minimize yourself to accommodate others’ needs or have always “had it together.” There may also be the potential stigma that stems from our culture that tells you if you’re seeking help, you’re weak.

People seek services for many different reasons. Some may be trying to understand themselves better, struggling with symptoms of mental health, desiring accountability in their personal/professional goals, wanting more meaningful relationships, processing major life events, decreasing stress, or needing someone to believe and listen.

No one is perfect. I want to ensure you that when you step into our therapy space, you are not seen as weak or something you should be ashamed of. Rather, I understand how there are things that happen in our lives that shape how we see ourselves, others, our emotions, our experiences that could hinder our true potential. You will be embraced with kindness. I want to support you in identifying ways to facilitate growth to live a more fulfilled life.

I really enjoy working with a range of presenting concerns. I believe there are multiple intersections between issues as they tend to overlap with each other. I go into more details about what I primarily work with on my Individual Counseling page.

Even if what you’re looking for isn’t listed on the page, that doesn’t mean I don’t work well with those concerns.

I DON’T WORK WITH:

My duty as a therapist is to ensure you get the best care that I can offer. Challenges outside my areas of specialties, skills, knowledge, and experience do not allow me to practice competently and I would not be serving you well.

Primary concerns outside of my scope of competence or specialties are:

• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

• addiction (e.g., substances, sex, porn, gambling, shopping, etc.)

• eating disorders

• personality disorders

• phobias such as severe social anxiety

• clients that need in-patient level of care and hospitalization

• severe and chronic state of depression

• clients experiencing hallucinations, psychosis, or intense dissociations

• anger management

It’s important to note that you may experience these from time to time, such as disordered eating behaviors, having suicidal ideations, fear of judgment in social settings, getting upset at people, or spending more money than usual, that does not exclude you from working with me.

But if they are primary concerns for you, meaning a large part of the work will be addressing these topics, I will refer you to a therapist who can provide those services to ensure you reach your goals.

Send me a message for a free consultation to discuss if I can provide the services you need.

It can be discouraging when you see someone for the first time and it’s not a fit, especially if you devoted time and emotional labor to the process. I strive to provide high-quality care based on my personal nature, experience, education, and training which clients reported benefiting from. I also acknowledge a single therapist will not be the best fit for every client. If you are unsatisfied with what is happening in therapy, I hope you feel safe enough to talk about it with me so I can respond to your concerns. These will be taken seriously and handled with care and respect.

I want to advocate you finding the person you feel most connected with as there are therapists out there that will fit your needs. Therefore, if we are not a match, that’s okay! We can discuss referrals (recommendations) to other therapists and I can help you facilitate that searching process yourself.

I consider myself “integrative” which means I draw from various theories depending on the client’s needs.

I view you as the expert on yourself and your experiences and myself as the expert on facilitating the therapeutic process to ensure you are moving towards growth.

These theories and interventions include Multicultural, Trauma-Informed, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal, Solutions-Focused, Psychodynamic, and Humanistic.

Hello from afar! If you are located anywhere in Texas, as a telehealth therapist, I am permitted to provide psychological services. Thanks to technological advancement, we can meet via secured telehealth service providers for online therapy. Yes, even if we are hours away within the state!

Must-do's before a telehealth session

These are important questions to ask your therapist. As two people merge into a relationship, we both come in with beliefs, values, and experiences. I continue to reflect on mine. I have had the privilege of walking alongside clients from different intersectional backgrounds of socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic identities, gender identities, sexual orientations, age, ability status, spirituality/religion, national origin, and sociopolitical impacts in how they inform treatment.

Such that, 90-95% of my caseload comprises of BIPOC or intersectional identities.

I also acknowledge the potential stigma associated with seeking mental health services in many different cultures. Let’s take the first step in destigmatizing that and explore parts that bring up shame.

I dedicated my entire research experience to developing psychological methods to facilitate in-depth cultural conversations between practitioners and clients, publishing Major Contributions in the top journal of Counseling Psychology, and challenging myself to grow in places where I fall short. Thus, I am and will always be a learner of diversity, culture, and most importantly you. Your experience is uniquely yours regardless of where you land on the spectrum. You are not a checkbox. Your life matters.

Diversity Statement

Confidentiality is what makes therapy different from sharing with your friends, partner, or family members. It is incredibly important to me that you feel that you can trust your therapist as trust is one of the core components in healing. At the beginning of our time together, you will be provided a written copy of the confidentiality disclosure agreement which details exactly what you can expect.

There may be times where you would like to share information with someone such as your medical doctor. You will provide written permission to release any information with full autonomy of what you would like me to share with the individual.

To ensure the safety of you and others, there are situations where I am legally and ethically required to breach confidentiality. These situations include:

· Suspected or known abuse of children, the elderly, or persons of disability

· Threatening serious bodily harm to self or others

· Sexual exploitation between a mental health professional and a client

· Court subpoena

Being in crisis can mean different things for different people. If you’re needing additional support, I recommend reaching out to the numbers in the link below.

Emergency situations can look like:

• having active thoughts or a plan of killing yourself or someone else; you’re unable to keep yourself/others safe

• feeling like you’re losing emotional control severely

• experiencing gross impairment of your thoughts and behaviors suddenly

• exhibiting bizarre behaviors, thoughts, or hallucinations that feel abnormal

I created a List of Crisis/Emergency Information for you to have.