nice to meet you!
My name’s Albert Xiong (he/him/his), and I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist. Identities I hold include Chinese American, gay, and cisgender. I’ve been working with queer and Asian folks from the very beginning of my career as a therapist which started over 6 years ago. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent several years in Orange County completing my education. I’m very proud and happy to call the Bay Area my home!
I became a therapist because I found my own personal experiences in therapy very impactful and powerful for my life. What made a difference for me was being able to talk to therapists who could communicate their understanding of the experiences of gay, Asian men. My hope is to provide you with the same warm and inviting energy that I benefited from!
When I’m not being a therapist, you can find me immersing myself in video games, preparing a cup of matcha, walking my dog with my husband, keeping up with RuPaul’s Drag Race, and working out. I find a lot of meaning (and fun!) in video games, and my favorite genres are metroidvanias and side-scrollers! A few of my favorites titles include Celeste, Bayonetta, Ghost Trick, Rhythm Heaven, Castlevania, Kirby, Hollow Knight, Animal Well, and Ace Attorney.
my style and approach to therapy
Creating an environment of safety, trust, and nonjudgment is my ultimate goal as a therapist. When we move through the world and experience criticism and shame from others, we often internalize those harsh voices and speak to ourselves in similar ways; we tell ourselves that if we can just change or rid ourselves of harsh thoughts and feelings, we’ll be okay. Or if we can beat ourselves up badly enough, we can beat ourselves up into being better.
I integrate ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Person-Centered Therapy, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy approaches to help clients change the way they relate to themselves, their thoughts, and their feelings. Instead of fighting your thoughts and feelings, I help you reduce judgment toward them. What if instead of seeing your anxiety as bad, we saw it as a helpful force that’s sometimes just a little too helpful? Clients often find it freeing when they learn to drop the struggle against their experiences and learn how to coexist with them, instead!
I’m naturally a lighthearted and comical person, and I find a lot of joy in bringing my genuine self into my work as a therapist. You can expect a lot of smiles, warmth, jokes, and quips from me because that’s how I naturally connect with others. Clients often say they find me a lot more casual and conversational than they expect a therapist to act.
Milton Erickson said, "patients have grim enough lives, let's not give them grim therapy, too." And while I resonate deeply with this quote, you can expect me to always supply the respect and compassion you deserve when you decide to share about something grim.