Nhu-Mai Nguyen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker that joined the Rice Counseling Center in 2022. In her work, Nhu-Mai believes that everyone has a valuable place in the world, and distress is caused when we question our own worthiness or where we belong. Because of this, she enjoys serving people who would like to work through issues of perfectionism, shame/vulnerability, and over-control. Nhu-Mai also specializes in helping Asian Americans and other multicultural populations learn to cope with cross-cultural conflicts.

Before coming to Rice, Nhu-Mai worked as a clinician at The PRISM Center (currently Ethos Behavioral Health) where she trained to deliver comprehensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in intensive outpatient settings. Because of this, she has experience serving people suffering from extremely severe depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, suicidal ideation and borderline personality disorder. Other modalities she draws from include Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Expressive Arts and 12-Step principles.

Nhu-Mai has more than 10 years of mindfulness experience. As an ordained student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, she has traveled nationwide for mindfulness teaching tours and has lived at his monasteries, training alongside the Buddhist monks and nuns. Though mindfulness is becoming very popular, what Nhu-Mai teaches is true to its origin and roots.

After earning her bachelor’s in nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010, Nhu-Mai worked as an advocate for the National Domestic Violence hotline, traveled on mindfulness teaching tours with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastics, and worked in business development for various non-profits and agencies. She later returned to school and graduated from the University of Houston in 2020 with a master’s in social work. In her free time, Nhu-Mai enjoys hiking, reading epic fantasy/adventure series, and playing with her three-legged cat.