Vanguard Mental Health & Wellness Clinic, LLC

12/22/2025

"Meet Us Monday - Faces Behind the Care!"
This week, we're introducing our therapist, Pa Kou Yang, MSW, LICSW.

✨What do you love most about working at Vanguard?
"I love being a part of a phenomenal team and doing valuable work in mental health!"

✨What’s something you wish people understood more about therapy?
"That you're already the expert at your own life and I'm just here to bring the tools and guidance to support you. Also, you don't need to be at a bad breaking point or struggling immensely in order to seek therapy; it's for anyone who is looking to learn and build on skillset to improve their lives."

✨What's your go-to comfort food?
"Khaopiak! I could eat this soup every single day! Make it extra spicy with lots of chili oil!"

✨ What's a quote you live by or love?
"This isn't a specific quote, but I was told once that growth often feels uncomfortable so if I'm ever feeling that way, it's because I'm getting out of my comfort zone. This is important for me to remember because I like comfort and complacency, but I know I shouldn't when it doesn't serve me anymore."

12/01/2025

"Meet Us Monday - Faces Behind the Care!"
This week, we're introducing our therapist, Chue Her, LMFT.

✨What do you love most about working at Vanguard?
"Working with a bilingual team!"

✨What’s something you wish people understood more about therapy?
"Everyone's therapy process is unique, no two experiences are the same. If you didn't like it the first time, try again."

✨What's your go-to comfort food?
"Noodles!"

✨What's one thing on your bucket list?
"Travel to Japan."

✨What's the best advice you’ve ever been given?
"There is always going to be something you don't know, focus on what you know instead."

11/20/2025

Thank you to VoyageMinnesota for highlighting our work at Vanguard Clinic! We appreciate the recognition!

We love what we do and feel honored for the opportunity to work with our clients everyday!

Check out the article:

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Kaying Vang, PsyD, LP. Hi Alyssa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. First of all, thank you for this opportunity to be featured. My name is Alyssa Kaying Vang. I’m a psychologist, a mother, a wife, a sister, ...

11/17/2025

"Meet Us Monday - Faces Behind the Care!"
This week, we're introducing our therapist, Mosi Thao, MA, LPCC.

✨What do you love most about working at Vanguard?
"What I love most about working at Vanguard is the ability to help people. Whether it is holding space for someone, guiding someone or helping someone to become the best version of themselves and live their best life, paying attention to our mental health is more important today than ever before."

✨What’s one thing you want clients/patients to know about you?
"One thing I want clients to know about me is that mental health is really important to me, and I am honored to be invited to go on this journey of healing with each and everyone of them."

✨What’s something you wish people understood more about therapy?
"There is no right or wrong way to do mental health therapy, and it is not only for people with severe mental health challenges. Often, therapy is a process of building awareness of oneself, understanding all the challenges that has brought us to this moment, and thus finding ways to move forward into tomorrow working on being our most authentic self."

✨What's one app on your phone you can’t live without?
"Google translator, I am always curious to learn how a phrase or word is spoken in different languages."

✨Best advice you’ve ever been given?
"just do it."

11/10/2025

"Meet Us Monday - Faces Behind the Care!"
This week, we're introducing one of our therapists, Houa Vang, MSW, LICSW.

✨What do you love most about working at Vanguard?
"I get to work with amazing Hmong-identifying colleagues and one the greatest pioneers of Hmong mental health."

✨What inspired you into this career?
"Growing up, I've always been curious about people, why they are the way they are, how come they behave the way that they do, and just overall curious about human behavior. This curiosity initially led me to Psychology, but I eventually found my way to Social Work when I realized I was interested in learning more about a person as a whole and wanted to take action to support individuals and families. Therapy just magically landed upon me and I've loved it every since."

✨What’s something you wish people understood more about therapy?
"You don't need to have severe mental illness or to be in crisis to seek therapy. Therapy is a space where, hopefully, you come out learning and understanding more about yourself. If you don't like your therapist, it's okay to find a new one or one that you feel is more fitting for you."

✨What’s your favorite way to spend a day off? Or what do you like to do outside of work?
"-On my days off I just love laying on my couch and bingeing reality TV shows. Otherwise, I enjoy ending my evening watching a movie with my husband.
-Fall is my favorite season. I love fall festivities, from apple picking to pumpkin patches, with my family. It's also football season! I retired from playing flag football, but football is still very much a part of my life. I enjoy playing Fantasy Football and spending Sundays, Monday and Thursday nights watching games.
-I also love cooking and baking, trying new recipes, and find cooking to be super therapeutic. Thankfully, my partner does the dishes for me."

✨A quote you live by or love.
"You can do anything, but not everything."
I found this quote in my younger years, and it still holds true for me now. It's a reminder to myself that it's okay to slow down. It's okay to rest. It's okay to be ambitious and have many goals, and it's okay that it doesn't all happen at once. For me, what's been important is being able to find balance in my day to day life.

10/27/2025

"Meet Us Monday - Faces Behind the Care!"
This week, we are introducing May Lee Heu, our amazing Office Manager! She’s the heartbeat of our clinic, making everything run seamlessly behind the scenes!

✨What do you love most about working at Vanguard?
"I enjoy working at Vanguard because of the calm clinic atmosphere and I'm grateful for a wonderful team that are positive and passionate about what they do."

✨What’s rewarding about this job?
"One thing that is rewarding about this job is there are people who are willing to share "nyaj lug kub" from their lived experiences. They pass on the words of wisdom so that I can apply it to my life."

✨What’s your favorite way to spend a day off? Or what do you like to do outside of work?
"My favorite way to spend a day off is with my family, whether we're walking on trails, simply at home relaxing, cooking Hmong food or bike riding."

✨What's one thing on your bucket list?
"One thing on my bucket list is to go to Japan."

10/20/2025

"Meet Us Monday - Faces Behind the Care!"
Hi everyone! We’re starting a new series where each Monday we introduce one of the amazing team members here at Vanguard Mental Health! Mental health is built on connection and we believe it's important to know who's walking beside you on your healing journey. Stay tuned each week to meet our team!

Starting us off today is Dr. Alyssa Kaying Vang - the visionary and driving force behind the incredible work happening at the clinic!

✨What do you love most about Vanguard?
"The mission, the community, and my team!"

✨What inspired you into this career?
"It is a beautiful marriage healing others deeply and understanding human behaviors."

✨What's something you wish more people understood about therapy?
"The process helps give you a sense of agency over your life. Once you experience that sense of agency, you can navigate life's challenges."

✨What's your go-to comfort food?
"Pho"

✨What's one app on your phone you can't live without?
"Google maps"

✨Best advice you've ever been given?
"From this day forward, may today be the day you love each other the least (advice given at someone's wedding)"

10/09/2025

We will be tabling at this great and FREE event. Come learn about selective mutism from the award-winning author: Kao Kalia Yang! And stop by to say hello to us, we’d love to see you.

You must register. See QR code in flyer.

The Hennepin Healthcare Pediatrics Department is excited to host renowned author Kao Kalia Yang for our annual Tobin-Thompson Lectureship on Wednesday, November 5 from 5:30-8:00 pm. She will be speaking about her experiences with selective mutism as a refugee and immigrant in Minnesota and ultimately how that led to her journey as an author.

The main audience for the event is healthcare providers who provide care to children and youth, but given Kao Kalia's influence and connections, we expect to have families, educators, and others with interest in attendance.olo

09/24/2025

Thank you, Hmong Family Advisory Committee of South Washington County School District, for having us! We are thrilled to see the diversity of this school district grow over the years. And we are appreciative of the great work you are doing to support our Hmong students!

09/16/2025

Join us Friday, 9/19/2025! Our clinic will be there to answer any questions you have about mental health.

09/13/2025

Our Vanguard Clinic team had a meaningful and joy-filled weekend connecting with our communities.

On Friday, we joined Newport Care’s continuing ed cruise on the St. Croix, where we had the opportunity to network with fellow providers.

Today, more of our team spent the morning walking and running alongside the Su***de Prevention Collaborative’s 5K—continuing the vital work of supporting those living with depression. Together, we carry forward our mission of restoring hope, nurturing worth, and empowering healing in our communities. Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Little Asia Café in support of Istrive Camp MN Zej Zog

We are grateful for every opportunity to learn, walk alongside, and invest in the well-being of our communities.

08/29/2025

September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month

Our team is honored to join the 14th Annual Su***de Prevention Collaborative Walk/Run. Together, we walk to raise awareness, spark conversations, and remind our community that mental health impacts us all.

Join us as we take steps—literally and collectively—toward hope, healing, and prevention.

You can sign up via QR code on flyer.

We hope to see you there!