I immigrated to the United States when I was a boy, as a result of the Viet Namese-American War. I know from personal experience some of the challenges of being an immigrant, being dislocated, and needing to forge a new identity from different cultures. Therefore, I have interest in helping people who are coping with similar challenges of dislocation, loss, trauma, identity, and cultural adaptation.
I am among the dwindling number of psychiatrists who is still interested in practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Although I chose my particular residency program in psychiatry because of its emphasis on the theories and practice of psychotherapy, I recognize that it serves only as an introduction to this vast area of expertise. Psychotherapy is one of the most difficult endeavors. It requires not only intellectual expertise, but also emotional and personal knowledge. Thus, I am continuing my education in psychoanalytic psychotherapy through the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology. As all therapists who are conscientious about this very emotionally demanding work should, I am engaged in personal psychoanalysis, to allow more thorough self-understanding and to help me function better as a psychotherapist.
Credentials
-
MD from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, 1991.
-
Internship and Residency in Psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles - San Fernando Valley Psychiatry Residency Program, 1995.
-
Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 1997. Recertified in 2007.
All physicians are required by the State of California to seek a certain number of hours of continuing medical education to maintain their licensure. The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, in addition to their more extensive continuing medical education requirements, also requires that a psychiatrist pass their written examination every ten years to maintain their board certification. You may gather more information about licensure and certification from the Medical Board of California and from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.