Growing up in the Philippines, Vangie witnessed a lack of mental health care. She had a cousin who developed substance induced psychosis and because of strong stigma towards people with mental illness, he never got the help he needed. This experience made her wonder how the brain works, and she became curious about why and how some people have mental illness. After immigrating to the US, she eventually embarked on her nursing journey and found herself most excited when working at the mental health clinical sites. To her, it is very rewarding to see an acute mentally ill patient improve with a promise of a better life.

Vangie believes in a holistic approach in taking care of the patients and the importance of establishing a therapeutic relationship. She provides care with empathy and compassion in an accommodating environment to foster open communication between herself and her patients. Her approach is evidence-based and client-centered while offering emotional support to the patients and their families, respecting their culture, values, beliefs and incorporating their strengths and weaknesses to promote adherence to treatment plan and facilitate the achievement of the treatment goals.

Because she has seen how much people with depression suffer, having the FDA-approved Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Esketamine nasal spray advanced treatment options available to help those with treatment-resistant depression is very promising to Vangie. She believes these non-invasive, evidence-based treatments offer an effective relief from depression and life-changing results with few side effects.