Audrey Banruo Hu, ASW #91526
Our life is like a long journey. Sometimes we enter tunnels and feel lost, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. I’d like to be the tour guide of your experiences. When you’re feeling sad and depressed, I share your emotions. When you’re feeling stuck and lost, I help you see things in a different way so that you can gain new perspectives. Life is never easy as we all have ups and downs, but together we can find meaning, connection, and purpose along this magnificent journey.
My name is Audrey Hu, and I’m an Associate Clinical Social Worker under the supervision of Hong Jeong, LCSW #87224. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at San Jose State University, and my Master of Social Work degree with an emphasis on health and mental health at San Jose State University. My previous experience involves providing individual and group therapy to children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges as well as providing parent-child therapy across various school districts. I also have additional neuropsychological assessment training where I have conducted neuropsychological testing batteries with children, adolescents, and adults who many have neurocognitive disorders.
Change Can Happen
I specialize in anxiety therapy. I can help you address panic attacks, social anxiety, agoraphobia, selective mutism, and other anxiety or phobia-related issues. I also provide depression therapy. I specialize in childhood trauma, family issues, grief therapy, and multicultural issues. I am also a long-time advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. I provide a safe space for sexual minority individuals to voice themselves and grow. I am passionate about working with different age groups, including children and adolescents.
My theoretical orientation is primarily integrative. I use a humanistic approach to build strong therapeutic relationships. I also like to draw from Adlerian theory in addition to using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools when conceptualizing and providing psychotherapy.
I am a native Mandarin Chinese speaker and would love to work with monolingual Mandarin-speaking clients.
Anxiety Therapy
Do you feel like you’re under pressure all the time? Do you worry endlessly about things you have no control over? Anxiety doesn’t just show up as worries in your mind, you could also have physical symptoms, such as pounding heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, numbness, and etc. Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. But when anxiety gets in the way of living the life you want to live, it becomes a problem. I specialize in treating different types of anxiety disorders, I can help you address panic attacks, social anxiety, agoraphobia, selective mutism, and other anxiety or phobia related issues.
I like to draw from Adlerian theory in addition to using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools when addressing anxiety disorder. Through respectful Socratic dialogue, clients are encouraged to overcome their feelings of insecurity and correct mistaken assumptions about themselves and the world. I also utilize mindfulness techniques to help my clients live in the here-and-now.
Depression Therapy
Do you feel like there’s a dark cloud hanging over your head? Do you feel like you have lost the interest in doing things you used to enjoy? Maybe you’re not sleeping or eating at all, or maybe you’re sleeping or eating more than you ever have. Depression can occur for a variety of reasons, such as family issues, conflict, death or a loss, or other personal problems. Throughout my years of working with children and families, I learned first-hand about how childhood trauma and family issues can have a strong impact on adulthood. I also provide grief therapy and can walk you through stages of grief. I am also passionate about helping racial minority populations who struggle with multicultural issues.
I use a humanistic approach to build strong therapeutic relationships as I believe it is essential with clients who suffer depression. I also draw from evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to assist my clients draw on their own strengths and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy
According to American Psychiatric Association, LGBTQ+ individuals are 2.5 times more likely to experience depression and anxiety compared with heterosexual individuals. If you are identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, it’s common to struggle with questions and fears. You may find yourself wondering things like what will people think if I come out? Who I am really? Our society leads us astray with conditions of worth. As human beings, we all indeed need positive regard, but we are often only getting conditional positive regard. These conditions can be very powerful and we tend to bend ourselves into a shape determined by a society that may or may not truly have our best interests at heart. I provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ clients to discuss topics such as coming out, difficult relationships, family issues, or trauma history. I am here to help you find the real self – not the “I should” but the “I am”.
Individual therapy sessions are 50 minutes/$130 per session and couples sessions are 50 minutes/$150 per session.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for a free 20-minute consultation. I look forward to connecting with you.
Phone: (408) 827-1117
Email: ah.banruo@gmail.com