ABOUT ANH

My name is Anh Tran, and I am a first generation Vietnamese-American woman of color based in California, United States of America. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #133615 through the Board of Behavioral Sciences, and an ATR, Registered Art Therapist with the ATCB (Art Therapy Credentialing Board) #22-346.

 

Professional Background

I have had the honor and privilege to serve and support a wide array of people across the developmental lifespan since 2002 working in schools, clinics, homes, and senior living homes, from little children as young as two years old, to adults struggling with severe mental health disorders, and to the elderly close to 100 years old within the memory care units. At the same time, I do have the most experience with young children and adolescents, from neurodiverse children and teens who are impacted by trauma and/or struggling with depression and anxiety. 

 

I also had the opportunity to be part of panel discussions at middle schools and high schools discussing concerns around mental health of youth for parents and students, and ways to support in the Bay Area, California. I have been a presenter on my thesis research topic of the relationship between internalized oppression with identity/ creative expression at national and international level conferences. (National Conference of Race and Ethnicity, and Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations).

 

I am currently a Clinical Program Manager at an outpatient clinic in the non-profit sector in Sacramento, CA, supporting and guiding Clinicians and Behavior Specialists in their therapeutic work serving our communities. I also partner with the Palo Alto Art Center, applying my Art Therapy skills and experience in creating and designing Social Emotional toolkits for underserved communities within San Mateo County.

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How Did I Get Here?

Being first generation born in America, as a Vietnamese American, daughter of Vietnamese refugees, I had to navigate the intergenerational trauma, cross-cultural adjustments (collectivist and individualist cultures), along with other intersections of oppression as a brown woman in America, while focusing on reclaiming my power and voice. Before long, I learned that I was not alone in being part of a systemically harmful colonial system that has a deep rooted violent history-- I am still not alone in experiencing the effects of the systemic capitalistic, patriarchal and racist society across academic, healthcare and a myriad of other institutions. 

 

Remaining curious about how such systems of oppression add further layers to the already complex human condition and collective society, continues to drive my work. I decided to make a commitment to uplift people’s voices, and to understand our rich cultural identities.

 

Hence, my journey of working in mental health with a variety of populations; instead of pathologizing but to humanize our experiences— using the power of artistic creative expression, the embracing of our unique cultural identities, re-remembering ancestral healing and resilience in order to reclaim of our stories towards empowerment, as well as individual and collective liberation. This means recognizing that the mental health field is still incomplete, and is in a constant state of evolution.

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My Passion, Specialties, and How I Show Up

I am passionate about dismantling the stigma around therapy, mental health, and empowering ourselves and communities to reconnect to our true self and our communities to work towards healthier relationships with ourselves and each other through Art Therapy, mindfulness, and humanistic approaches.

 

With my specialty in Art Therapy, art and creative means are used throughout treatment within my therapeutic style. Creative artistic expression is a vehicle of bringing the unconscious to the conscious level, another way to contain and/ or express feelings and emotional states when words aren’t able to convey it. One does not need to be “good” at art, nor an “artist” to receive benefits of Art Therapy. Tapping into one’s imagination, curiosity, and playfulness are also important ingredients to successful treatment (read more on this in blog section).

 

Alongside the use of Art Therapy, I incorporate the use of mindfulness, which is simply the act of slowing down our thoughts, our bodies, and cultivating increased self-awareness without self-judgment. Art and mindfulness tends to go hand-in-hand, allowing for mind-body integration while entering different states of awareness. The combination of art and mindfulness can be a powerful tool in improving our overall well-being, considering how we all live in a fast-paced society, there are many health benefits to slowing down and experiencing deeper connection to our bodies.

 

On top of Art Therapy and mindfulness approaches, my foundational approaches include parts of liberation psychology, which acknowledges how systems of oppression trickle down impacting individual and community lives (read more on this in blog section), while emphasizing the power of ancestral wisdom and knowledge within each of us, if that feels applicable to you. Another foundation is the humanistic approaches and postmodern approaches, such as narrative therapy, which includes supporting folks to re-author and reclaim their stories and narratives of their lives. I am a strength-based psychotherapist, viewing each client with the utmost empathy and respect, with a non judgmental approach while highlighting individual strengths through their journey of healing.