Vuthy Ou (he/him)

Historical trauma, its transmission, and its manifestation across multiple generations were both an area of academic concentration and a personal interest, given my background as a child of people who experienced war and genocide. Many of the people I have work with have found that relief, more fulfilling relationships, and aliveness have coincided with an increasing ability to place their present-day problems against a backdrop of wider social and historic forces.

Depression, being one of the most common reasons people seek therapy, can look so many different ways. For example, depression can look like the confusing inability to accomplish important career or school tasks. For others, it can manifest as a sunken self-esteem and the desire to "hide" from the world, even from close friends and family. I take care to listen carefully and not assume any particular set of symptoms or causes in order to work with people effectively and respectfully.

Depression, being one of the most common reasons people seek therapy, can look so many different ways. For example, depression can look like the confusing inability to accomplish important career or school tasks. For others, it can manifest as a sunken self-esteem and the desire to "hide" from the world, even from close friends and family. I take care to listen carefully and not assume any particular set of symptoms or causes in order to work with people effectively and respectfully.

Instead of thinking of "mental health problems" as being located "inside" someone, I find it much more useful to think of experiences like depression, anxiety, and trauma as manifestations of the way people relate to the world, to other people, and to the various sides or parts of themselves. Perceiving and understanding these dynamics as they play out in real time between patient and clinician can be a powerfully experiential means of inducing change that goes beyond intellectual insight.

I work with folks to help reveal the unconscious or dimly conscious motivations and dynamics that make it hard to get out of unsatisfying or frustrating patterns. While self-awareness is critical, the understanding has to be felt deeply enough to spur the kind of action that makes a lasting difference.

I work with different kinds of depression. Some might describe it as characterized by shame, guilt, and harsh self-criticism. Others might use words like regret, isolation, and being misunderstood. Some folks - an emptiness, lack of joy, as if something critical was lost or missing. I work with people to help clarify the experience and causes of these experiences so that new, creative, and enlivening ways of being become more accessible.

I help couples who would like to deepen their sense of connection and the feeling of being on each other's side. This often means coaching effective and honest communication while also enhancing the ability of each person to think, feel, understand and be themselves in more authentic ways.

My goal is to help a couple establish a sustained and reliable sense of "being on each other's team." In addition to addressing the details of an issue between a couple, we will focus on learning how to communicate about any issue in a way that leaves both people feeling understood. My approach incorporates attachment theory, communication coaching, and building insight and compassion for each partner's history and tendencies.