About Me
Claudia Mai Nguyen PhD, MA, LPC, LCPC, NCC, ACS, E-RYT 500 (she/her) is a licensed therapist, clinical supervisor, counselor educator and social justice advocate in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Claudia is EMDR trained and uses trauma-informed practices, integrating mind-body science, EFCT & Gestalt therapy in her work with individuals, couples and groups.
In addition to her clinical work, Claudia serves as a faculty member of the George Washington University, where she instructs graduate level emerging counselors. Claudia’s research and scholarly interests include: cultural humility and mindfulness in counselor education, intercultural couples counseling, racial trauma, and anti-oppressive clinical supervision. She also has been sought after by nationwide organizations as a subject matter expert on mental health, trauma, and DEI advocacy.
When not in the classroom or office, Claudia can be found volunteering with non-profit organizations aimed to amplify BIPOC voices and destigmatize mental healthcare.
“Our own life has to be our message”
—Thich Nhat Hanh
In working together
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Holistic
Sometimes life requires us to take a step back and notice the big picture. Part of our approach is exploring areas of life that may be subtly impacting other arenas of our day to day. Together we'll examine, not only what you'd like to achieve, but where you've been and where you are to string together sustainable, lasting change.
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Relationally Driven
A lesson I learned early in life, is that alone, we may be able to power through and make moves quickly, but together--with the help and support of others--we can go further. It's an honor to work alongside and collaborate with others. I'm excited you've found your way here and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can create together.
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Action-Oriented
Emphasized action and movement encourages individuals to take initiative and make meaningful changes to create positive outcomes in their lives. We’ll create realistic, effective strategies and steps to achieve your specific goals.
Previous Work
However we may collaborate, it is an immense honor and privilege to be a part of your process. With that in mind, I intentionally share my professional certifications and cv with you to be transparent and begin building trust. If you’d like to chat more about a specific project or role I’ve had in the past, please reach out.
my story
In what feels like a former life, I was a competitive athlete. So much of my upbringing involved building self-discipline and harnessing my passions through collective team perspective. While you won't find me on the pitch much these days, my approach to my roles in life have stayed the same. Where ever you may encounter me, you can expect my full focus and drive to contribute and help others.
As a child of Vietnamese immigrants, I experienced a lot of pressure to "succeed" in life. My parents struggled, making countless sacrifices such that my sisters and I would never have to suffer their hardships. My sisters had set the metaphorical bar, and as the youngest I was determined to make my own mark on the world. In order to thrive, I moved through numerous stages of trials and tribulations and endless doubting of my decisions. I questioned if I were "good enough" while attending some of the most competitive academic institutions in the country. I second-guessed if I'd be able to truly succeed if I weren't top of my class. I fixated on the thought, if I'm not the best, I'm not worth the time. And I couldn't have been more wrong.
Fast forward some years, I found what worked for me. I delved into my physical yoga practice. With support from mentors and a community of wonderful people, I left each class with a deeper sense of gratitude and self-appreciation. Soon, my practice became less about the poses or the exercise, and more about my mental and emotional resilience, my holistic self. I learned that our physical selves cannot be distinguished from our emotional, psychological, or spiritual selves.
Rather unexpectedly, I learned that balance doesn't always mean achieving calm or seeming carefree, balance is expressing each and every facet of ourselves in a fully accepting manner.
In the process of disentangling my self worth from my achievements and detaching from oppressive norms, I was able to embrace parts of myself I kept locked away for fear of judgment and exclusion. My Vietnamese heritage, creative spirit, and quirky personality all emerged, able to freely flow.
I fully acknowledge that each and every person is different, and as such, we’ll all have our own unique journeys. Thank you for reading about mine and I look forward to supporting you on yours.
