Dr. Nguyen Nguyen (He/Him) is an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at Texas A&M University. He has a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Texas Tech University and completed his doctoral internship at the University of California, Berkeley, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
Dr. Nguyen's research centers on the intersection of multicultural and health psychology, with a specific focus on promoting the health and resilience of BIPOC and linguistic minority communities in the face of racism and injustice. His special interest lies in psychosocial factors that contribute to chronic pain outcomes among underserved communities. He has presented his research at many national conferences (e.g., American Psychological Association; American Academy of Pain Medicine; American Psychosomatic Society) and has received multiple accolades for his work, including the Division 17 Counseling Health Psychology Research Award and the TTU Counseling Psychology Best Researcher Award.
Dr. Nguyen is currently the principal investigator of the Health, Empowerment, and Advocacy Lab (HEAL) at Texas A&M University. His lab furthers his research mission by exploring the various factors that shape pain, power, and well-being within underserved communities.
For more of Nguyen's research, click here
In his clinical practice, Dr. Nguyen emphasizes serving college students and underserved communities, utilizing a psychodynamic framework in both brief (one-at-a-time model) and long-term modalities. Prior to his doctoral internship at UC Berkeley CAPS, he served as a clinician at the Student Counseling Center at Texas Tech University and at multiple medical centers in Lubbock, providing care and assessments for students and the broader West Texas community.
Dr. Nguyen's therapeutic approach combines warmth, empowerment, humor, and directiveness. He believes that the therapy room should be a safe and brave space for clients to address their challenges with compassion, curiosity, and courage while embracing their complex identities and lived experiences.
Apart from his research and clinical work, teaching and mentoring are Dr. Nguyen's lifelong passions. In his teaching and mentoring roles, humility and empowerment are at the heart of his work, as he fosters student-centered spaces where voices and feedback shape mentoring relationships and course design. He models and invites vulnerability and courage to foster mutual growth.
For more about Nguyen's teaching experience, click here.
Born and raised in Vietnam, the Vietnamese culture is at the center of his values and identity. Coming from a country with a rich history of defying colonization, Dr. Nguyen believes in active defiance of oppressive systems, both within and outside academic settings – through civil discourse, advocacy, and, at times, civil disobedience.
Being a Vietnamese immigrant, cooking Vietnamese food makes him feel at home. He loves cooking and sharing his food with friends and family, as sharing food is a profound expression of love in Vietnamese culture. Additionally, Dr. Nguyen is an avid horror movie enthusiast, and he loves seeing any horror movie the minute it is released. In his leisure time, he also finds solace in wine and classical music, with Rachmaninoff and Mahler as his all-time favorite composers.
Dr. Nguyen also practices Buddhism and is intrigued by the intersection of psychology and Buddhism. He engages in Buddhist meditation and co-facilitates weekly meetings with fellow Vietnamese-American Buddhists. This spiritual engagement serves as a wellspring of inspiration and enables him to cultivate his compassion, which in turn enriches his roles as a researcher, mentor, and clinician.