About

Nathaniel Chua earned his master’s degree in counseling from the Alliance Graduate School in Quezon City, Philippines in 2009, and his undergraduate degrees in psychology and marketing management from the De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines in 1988.

He is also the author of

Better People, Better Country: A Psychological Blueprint for a New Philippines,

published under the pen name Starfly Chua.
The pen name was chosen in homage to his grandfather and his ethnic Chinese roots, and reflects a preference for allowing ideas to stand on their own—without emphasis on personal visibility or status.

Nathan spent the first 20 years of his career running a family business with his mom and sisters.

He has been in practice since 2009 and spent the first nine years of his counseling work mainly using psychodynamic and existential psychotherapy.

In 2018, he started adding mindfulness approaches to his work, during which time he discovered one of several models of therapy grouped together under what is called the Third Wave of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

In 2019, Nathan Chua found the effectiveness and efficiency of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a model of therapy developed by Dr. Steven Hayes, worthy of adoption into his practice.  He has attended workshops about ACT and RFT (Relational Frame Theory, the science behind ACT) conducted by Dr. Steven Hayes, Dr. Russ Harris, and Dr. Matthieu Villatte, who he is privileged to have as a consultant!

He also had the privilege of attending one of Dr. Andrew Christensen’s workshops about his approach to couples therapy called, Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT), and works with Dr. Blake Evans, a certified IBCT therapist, as a consultant for addressing concerns of couples and families. 

Nathan is an active member of an international organization called, Association for Contextual Behavioral Science or ACBS, where he became the first ever Filipino chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Special Interest Group (DEI-SIG).  This group aims to empower ACT therapists from around the world by affording them opportunities to share and improve their therapeutic insights and skills.  Its advocacies do not just include alleviating human suffering but also empowering people towards pursuing purposeful and worthwhile lives.

On November 17, 2023, Nathan had the privilege of presenting a talk for an international audience of therapists from Low or Middle Income Countries (LMIC) about Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy.  Certificate of Presentation below:

He is also a part-time blogger, podcaster, and YouTube content creator.  He posts his content on his website www.onelifeonly.net to reach as many people as possible with the use of the most effective approaches in therapy.

Nathaniel Chua, MA, Functional Contextualist Therapist – The Philippines’ ACT & IBCT Specialist

Being faithful to the model means therapy isn’t about throwing techniques together like ingredients in a salad.  The “therapy salad” approach mixes bits and pieces without coherence, often leaving clients confused.  An integrative approach, on the other hand, is guided by a unifying framework – methods are chosen and blended with purpose, creating a clear, consistent direction that serves client’s goals.  

In other words, therapy isn’t about randomly mixing different techniques.  That can feel confusing, like tossing ingredients together without a recipe.  An integrative approach means everything fits together with a clear purpose – so the tools and methods used actually connect and support your journey.