How to find an Asian Psychologist in Orange County
You think it’d be easier to find an Asian Psychologist in Orange County, especially since Orange County and neighboring Los Angeles County are home to one of the largest communities of Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Japanese, and Filipinos in the U.S. But nope, it’s still hard. I’m going to help make it easier for you, so keep reading.
First of all, I want to acknowledge that it is a monumental shift to recognize that you need help to feel better about your life. At this point, you probably have a lot of questions like: How does therapy work? How is it paid for? Do I need a Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or a therapist? How do I know if the person is right for me? These are excellent questions! Click HERE to see the answers to these and many other questions. But first, I will help you tackle the question of how to find a therapist
HOW TO FIND A PSYCHOLOGIST IN LA AND ORANGE COUNTY
As a Psychologist who has been in private practice for 13 years, I will share my experience of how people have found me and the pros and cons of each method.
Therapist Directories
o You have many options ranging from generic directories (e.g. Psychology Today, Good Therapy, Find-A-Therapist) to specialized directories like online therapy only, Inclusive Therapists, Asian Mental Health Collective, and Asians for Mental Health Directory.
o Pros: Search features for these directories are quite robust. In addition to searching by zip code, you could search by pricing, insurance companies, gender, and areas of specialties to name a few. So if you are quite clear about what you are looking for in a therapist, chances are good that you might find that person on these directories.
o Cons: The number of search results can be quite overwhelming. And reading through them can be a big-time sucker.
Google search
o Doing a Google search is a good approach if you are looking for a specialist in your geographical area. For example, many patients have told me they found me by Googling “Asian Psychologist in Orange County” or “Vietnamese-speaking therapist in Orange County”.
o Pros: It’s intuitive! You Google everything, so it feels natural to Google the mental health specialist you need. The search results you get would feel less overwhelming than directories. Especially since most people don’t look past the first page of their Google results page.
o Cons: Aside from letting you know who is out there in your area, Google results don’t tell you anything about their qualifications or whether they’d be a good fit for you. The professionals that appear on the first page of Google search results are those who are technology savvy and have invested a lot of time into search engine optimization (SEO). To get a fuller picture of the options you have, you will need to scroll beyond the first page of search results.
Word of mouth
o This is, by far, the best way to find a therapist, in my opinion. Ask anyone you know, who you feel safe with. Aside from friends and family, a good source to tap into is other professionals who you are already receiving some kind of treatment/services from. Think Acupuncturist, yoga instructor, Doula, Lactation Consultant, massage therapist, etc.
o Pros: A lot of the vetting efforts have been done for you. Someone would have had a personal connection with the therapist and have positive feelings about them. Always ask what they like about the therapist they’re referring you to.
o Cons: Listen carefully to what the person says they like about the therapist. Do the qualities they value match the qualities you value? You still need to do a little research to see if their specialties match your needs.
Professional Organization’s website
o There are professional organizations for everything!
Membership in these organizations usually requires the professional to hold certain degrees, have certain training, and adhere to code ethics and conduct.
o Pros: This is a quick way to find professionals who you could assume to have certain standards of practice and care.
o Cons: Just because someone claims to adhere to certain standards doesn’t mean they do it. You would still need to do more research to vet the person out.
HOW DO I CHOOSE A PSYCHOLOGIST?
At this point, you might have a few names and maybe even read a short profile of the person. What now? Keep going and dig deeper. Visit the therapist’s website and spend some time looking around.
For me, after scanning the home page, the first page I click on is always the “About Me” page. I want to immediately get a sense of who the therapist is and what they say about themselves. I always note whether they say something personal to give a glimpse into who they are as a person and their motivation. Or do they keep information about themselves generic like education, training, and specialties?
I am biased toward professionals who share something personal about themselves. I believe that information helps to make connections and distinguishes one professional from the next.
Unlike the 15-minute appointments you get with other doctors, you will be spending 45 minutes with your Psychologist in a therapy session every week. That’s a lot of time together, cumulatively. It is essential that you like your therapist, and that you feel safe and comfortable with them. You would be able to pick up on these feelings from their photos and what they say on their website.
Research on treatment outcomes identified the most important factor in successful therapy is the relationship between you and your therapist. Perusing their website and getting a feel of who they are is the first step. Next, would be to contact the therapist to set up a phone consultation. After that, the first session would be scheduled. All along the way, you would check in with yourself to see how comfortable you are and if you feel like you could trust this person to help you.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST WAY TO FIND A PSYCHOLOGIST
As you can see, there are several ways to find a therapist. As a Psychologist, I get excited when I hear a person tell me they were referred by a colleague, a past patient, or an existing patient. In such cases, the chances are high that the patient already has some positive feelings toward me and would likely know how I work. Because of this, things move quickly from the time they reach out to me to our first scheduled session allowing them to start getting relief.
Usually, people who are in therapy feel helped by it and gladly talk about their experiences and share the name of their therapist. You just have to let people know you are looking.
If you’re interested in learning more about me to see if we are a good fit, please visit my website and schedule a free phone consultation.
About the Author: Dr. Nina Nguy
I’m a Clinical Psychologist in Orange County, CA. My specialties include anxiety therapy for Asian professionals, Asian parenting, trauma therapy, couples counseling, perinatal mental health, and immigration evaluations.