More on Dr. Jasmin Wong

The story.

I’m a native Houstonian and absolutely love the diversity our city offers. I’m also a mother of two crazy kiddos that I birthed during graduate school, so the saying “the struggle is real” hits close to home. After giving birth to my first born, I really had trouble figuring out who I was now that this little one was in my life. Was I a student, a mother, a woman, a 24-hour feeding device, zombie?? What I didn’t feel like any more was “on top of my game”. Everything changed and so quickly at that. Things became confusing and damn hard, and some days I had thoughts like “F this”! At the end of the day, I had to realize that a thought is just a thought, and I found a way to be ok with that (trust…easier said than done in retrospect). I also remember feeling stuck and wondering if I was going to make it. I’m happy to report I did! One lesson I learned quickly is that life will pass you by, so everyday I choose to be in the present moment and try to not get caught up in the “could of”s, “should of”s, “would of’s” of the world. It’s tempting, but it’s a lesson that’s stuck with me when life has challenged me most.

When it comes to my decision to join the field of psychology, I feel like I’d been an unofficial appointed psychologist all my life before I was even trained. I’ve always been that go-to person to talk to and feel genuinely heard. I’ve also been known for keeping it real, but in a compassionate and just-right-amount-of-tough-love type way. I believe compassionate honesty is powerful and I appreciate the feedback I’ve gotten about the emotional safety I can provide. I often get the reaction, “Wow, I can’t believe I just told you that”, and each time I’m so thankful that person allowed me to be there with them during their struggle.

Professionally speaking, I had many experiences that helped guide my decision to pursue this career. As a teacher, I would have students share their stories (bullying, sexual assault, self-identity, anger management, etc.) and remember feeling helpless and wishing I could do more. Later as an epidemiologist, I remember spending so much time doing research, and thinking I was on the wrong side and wanted to be more of the “boots on the ground” type person. I finally had my “A-HA” moment and decided to shift careers and that’s how I started my long journey to the present, and I wouldn’t change a thing!

Just as I tell my clients, I practice what I preach. I know life is not black and white, and I love it even more because of all the gray! Life is messy and it is full of decisions that WE can choose based on our values. Therapy is much like cooking. Our training provides a recipe book that we can follow, but depending on who we are cooking for, bits and pieces need to be tailored in order to appeal to the individual and create a one-of-a-kind dish. The key ingredient to success in therapy is knowing when and how to tailor the recipe to the client, a dash of trust, and whole lot of client’s willingness to just try it!

My training.

I completed my PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Houston (Main Campus) and my pre-doctoral residency at UTHealth Science Center Houston, which has taught me A LOT about myself and my passion. During graduate school, I trained at competitive sites in the Texas Medical Center. I have learned from amazing mentors at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center (MEDVAC), Texas Children’s Center for Children and Women (TCH), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), and UT Health Science Center. I practice utilizing evidenced based therapies. I consider my style integrative, meaning I tend to pull from different therapy types when working with a client. My core area in which I practice from is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), although I do pull from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) as well. Remember that recipe reference above? Well, this is what I’m talking about! I realize that all individuals and their experiences are unique and being knowledgeable in different types of therapies and applying them thoughtfully and skillfully is an example of how this is a craft. 

The majority of my training is rooted in trauma. In fact, is my bread and butter. Trauma is everywhere and I can help with the mild experiences of it that come with living, all the way up to the big expressions of trauma we face in life. I have formal training in Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy, which are known as the gold standards for treating trauma and PTSD. Although I have treated many different presentations, something about trauma always spoke to me. When I became a mother, I had to rediscover how to function in my new world, get through graduate school, as well as get to know myself all over again. That is when I began to pursue additional training in maternal health and reproductive trauma (postpartum depression, mood disorders, miscarriages, grief, infertility, parental transition, and identity issues), which has become my specialty.

My commitment.

I’ve been told numerous times about my mama bear vibe, meaning I genuinely care and go hard for my clients. Throughout our journey together, things may get challenging, but that’s when we know we are doing the real work. One thing you can ALWAYS count on is that I will be there to support you, provide guidance and insight, and be open and willing to go wherever is needed to get you where you want to be.