Where Special Concerns
Deserve Special Care
Therapy and counseling
centers staffed with
psychologists, psychiatrists
and therapists
throughout Central
and Northern New Jersey
and Southern New York State
conveniently accessed from
all major highways.
Click here for our Locations
centers staffed with
psychologists, psychiatrists
and therapists
throughout Central
and Northern New Jersey
and Southern New York State
conveniently accessed from
all major highways.
Click here for our Locations
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Contact STA
For a convenient appointment and location near you:
Call Us : 201-488-6678
EMAIL : Information@SpecializedTherapy.com
Call Us : 201-488-6678
EMAIL : Information@SpecializedTherapy.com
Yu-Wen Chou
- As a Chinese individual, I know quite well the teachings of Confucius, Taoism and Buddhism, but psychology was foreign to me. In my junior year in college, I volunteered at the VA hospital and got to listen to the life stories of those soldiers, and I was saddened and inspired by their struggle and triumph. I truly felt that they sometimes just needed me there to listen and to talk to them. At that time, I was also searching what to study in the States and I would like to have a chance to do the similar things in volunteering and earn a living. I came to the University of Minnesota to study Educational Psychology with a focus on counseling. I was a quiet student in class but I was like a sponge absorbing everything so that I can understand how psychology can have such an impact in western culture.
Not only I did I learn about psychology, but I also learned to sharpen my English to the point that I could dream in English. I was fascinated by people with severe mental illness and during my practicum my uncle, who was in his 40s at the time, was diagnosed with schizophrenia triggered by an acute stressor. I finally decided to pursue a doctorate degree in clinical psychology knowing that I would like to be a psychologist doing mainly psychotherapy. I was accepted into a program and I started to show an interest in the mental health issues of Chinese people: I even did my dissertation on acculturation level and help-seeking behavior among Chinese-Americans. I interned in the Boston Medical Center with the training in multicultural focus that opened my eyes to the diversity of American society.
In the next decade, I worked as a psychologist in one of the New York City Hospitals serving exclusively Chinese immigrants and I have gained expertise in working with undocumented Chinese people. Nowadays, Chinese restaurants are burgeoning in the east coast but there is often a mixture of bitterness & sweetness behind the closed doors. I also switched gears by doing research at Columbia University to gain an in-depth understanding on how family members can play a major role in the recovery of Chinese immigrants with severe mental illness.
I know I am ready to move forward to the next stage of my career development, that is, to become a good therapist with the advantage of integrating both Eastern and Western cultures. I realize that I can offer the best of both to make a positive effect on my clients. I have been working with children, adolescents, adults at various ages, families and couples and my approach is a combination of cognitive-behavioral, client-centered and psychodynamics. Yet, I am very practical and solution-focused that I make my treatment fit to the needs of my clients whom I see have great potential to change. I am also very aware of the issues of acculturation, various cultural beliefs and inter-generational conflicts in immigrant families that can impact the outcome of psychotherapy.
