Henry Zhu, Ph.D.

My Journey

My journey started with being born and raised in a Chinese-American family. My parents were immigrants to the United States and had to work 2-3 jobs at a time to provide for the family. Academic success, grades, and certificates of accomplishment were prioritized above any sense of validation, affection, or emotional intelligence. They valued the only path toward success they knew in their world. As a result, I grew up feeling like I always fell short of their expectations despite doing very well academically. Even though they felt so disconnected from me, I now recognize that they did their best to raise me. Now, I have the opportunity to break the cycle and provide a different kind of life for my children.

My mental health concerns didn’t come to the forefront until high school. I was ignorant of the effects of being from two very different worlds – my Chinese world and my American world. I felt trapped between the two and didn’t feel at home in either one. There was a lot of pressure to conform but very little guidance or mentorship. I realized in my senior year of high school that I was deeply depressed and anxious. I saw an Asian School Psychologist and an Asian Psychiatrist, who were both very unhelpful. I left both services feeling as though I was broken and that the solution to “fixing” myself had slipped my grasp… despite having the professional help that I incorrectly assumed would understand me. Long story short, I then took my mental health into my own hands by seeking more helpful sources of healing and coping. It took years of introspection, therapy, and permission to give myself compassion and finally make progress during this long and arduous journey.

I ventured into the mental health field to help those who are feeling the same way that I did – burnt out and unhappy despite achieving so much. I’m privileged to provide for those in need in a different way than the care I’ve received in the past. Mental wellness, to me, is a lifelong lesson in being a good student of life – we can fight against the tides, or we can ride the waves to calmer water. We can slowly take responsibility for our physical and mental wellness. Let’s surf the waves together, find safe harbor in ourselves, and invite others to utilize these tools to sail alongside us.