Rui Han

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and EMDR-trained therapist who works with adults navigating trauma, PTSD, anxiety, OCD, depression, life transitions, relationship difficulties, and challenges related to identity and self-worth. My approach is trauma-informed, collaborative, and practical, with a focus on helping clients better understand their emotions, recognize patterns that keep them feeling stuck, and develop healthier ways of responding to difficult thoughts and experiences.

As a U.S. Army veteran and former Army behavioral health professional, I have a particular interest in working with veterans, service members, first responders, and individuals who have experienced high-stress environments. I also enjoy working with men around issues that can sometimes be difficult to discuss openly, including emotional expression, relationships, anger, shame, identity, performance pressure, and life purpose.

As a Mandarin-speaking Asian American therapist, I am especially interested in supporting Asian and Asian American clients navigating cultural expectations, family dynamics, intergenerational differences, identity, perfectionism, emotional expression, and the pressure to meet high personal or family standards.

My clinical background includes work in hospital-based behavioral health, intensive outpatient treatment, severe and persistent mental illness, substance use treatment, crisis assessment, and military behavioral health. I integrate EMDR, CBT, DBT-informed skills, mindfulness, and other evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches based on each client's individual needs.

I believe therapy should be a space where you can be honest, curious, and human. My goal is not simply to reduce symptoms, but to help you better understand yourself, build greater emotional flexibility, process difficult experiences, and create meaningful changes that extend beyond the therapy room.

My approach to therapy is warm, direct, collaborative, and grounded in genuine human connection. I value open and honest communication, and my style naturally includes humor and playfulness when appropriate. Therapy can involve serious and painful experiences, but I don't believe every moment of the process has to feel heavy.

I approach clients with curiosity rather than judgment. Together, we explore not only what you are experiencing, but also the patterns underneath it—your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, relationships, past experiences, and behaviors. I believe in validating your experiences while also respectfully challenging patterns that may be keeping you stuck.

My background as a certified personal trainer also influences the energy I bring into therapy. Coaching has taught me the value of encouragement, structure, accountability, and turning goals into realistic action. In therapy, I bring that same supportive energy while respecting that emotional growth happens at each person's individual pace. I want clients to leave sessions not only with greater insight, but also with practical ways to apply what we discuss to everyday life.

I specialize in trauma-informed care and am an EMDR-trained therapist. Depending on your needs, I may also incorporate CBT, DBT-informed skills, mindfulness and MBCT-informed approaches, emotional awareness, and practical coping strategies. My clinical interests include trauma and PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression, men's mental health, perfectionism, identity and self-worth, emotional regulation, and relationship and family concerns.

Ultimately, I don't believe therapy should feel like something being done to you. I want it to feel like something we are doing together—understanding where you have been, becoming curious about what keeps you stuck, recognizing your strengths, and helping you take meaningful steps toward where you want to go.

In our first session, my goal is to create a warm, welcoming, and nonjudgmental space where you can feel comfortable being yourself. We will take time to understand what brings you to therapy, what has been difficult recently, and what you hope will be different as a result of our work together.

I approach the first session with curiosity rather than judgment. You do not need to have everything figured out or know exactly where to begin. We can explore your experiences at a pace that feels manageable, while identifying patterns, strengths, and areas where you may be feeling stuck.

I also want you to feel empowered and actively involved in your treatment. Together, we will begin identifying meaningful goals and discussing what approaches may be most helpful for you. My role is not to tell you how you should feel or what decisions you should make, but to help you better understand yourself, build skills, process difficult experiences, and move toward the life and relationships that matter to you.

By the end of the first session, I hope you leave with a clearer sense of what we may work on together and, most importantly, a sense that therapy can be a space where you are heard, respected, and supported.