My Approach

My approach blends traditional psychotherapy, which emphasizes your mind's thoughts and feelings, with somatic therapy, which focuses on your body's reactions and sensations. Using a combined mind-body approach provides you a holistic treatment that allows you to more quickly heal and change. My goal in working together through therapy is to help you gain insights and develop skills that allow you to relieve suffering and experience growth.  I will provide the outside perspective, as well as appropriate homework suggestions like books, videos, reflections/meditations, or step by step personal projects to promote the desired change. You will integrate these new ways of experiencing and managing your life into your different environments and relationships.

Most of my clients experience significant improvement with relatively few sessions (Therapy isn't "forever"!); numerous clients who have "tried therapy before" have been surprised at the efficacy of this integrated approach. It works for them, and it can work for you!

In-Person or Online Video

Therapy traditionally is provided in-person, where you and I meet together at my office about once a week. Most of my clients prefer this method. However online therapy creates flexibility and convenience if you have a tight schedule or live too far away to drive. Research shows that online video therapy is as effective as in-person therapy. Video therapy can only be provided to California residents where I am a licensed clinical psychologist.

What can Therapy help with?

Therapy is useful when you need to heal from deep hurts, overcome dysfunctional behavior patterns in your life, or improve difficult relationships at home or work.  Some common examples are:

  • Anxiety

  • Panic Attacks

  • Depression

  • Divorce and Family Dynamics

  • Intimacy, Trust, and Sex

  • Grief, Loss, or Trauma

  • Negative Self-Esteem & Identity

For more information on each topic, scroll down to learn more in my Areas of Expertise below.  If you're not sure how I can help with your specific issue, please set up a free phone consultation so I can answer your questions.

What to Expect

Initial Phone Consultation
We will talk on the phone for 20 minutes to help us figure out if I am the right professional to best meet your needs at this time. If I think there is someone better suited to help you, I will refer you to another qualified and respected professional.

Before the First Appointment

Once an appointment has been scheduled, I will email a confirmation along with necessary forms for you to complete online before your first appointment. The registration covers information I need to allow us to successfully work together. It will include contact and background information, reasons for seeking therapy, current diagnoses and medications, as well as provide you more details about my business practices and policies.

The First Appointment

We typically spend 75 minutes together to review your expectations, discuss your therapy needs, and most importantly allow time for us to get to know each other and create a working relationship. We will review your current functioning and relevant past therapy experiences in order to create an appropriate and useful treatment plan. If you need additional time, you may extend your first appointment up to 120 minutes for a prorated fee based upon availability. Some clients value an extended first meeting because they have waited a long time to face their concerns, and are finally ready to unburden themselves and receive the support they need. If relevant, I will use my professional perspective to help you make this decision based upon your energy, focus, and well-being in the meeting. We will only work at a pace that promotes your stability, resilience, and supports your change process.   

Follow Up Appointments

If we decide to work together, it is important for you to commit to about 3 weekly appointments to set the foundation of your work. We will choose a consistent time each week to facilitate safety and build trust. Appointments are typically 50-60 minutes, but can be extended based on your needs, at a prorated fee depending on availability. When you begin feeling better, appointments may be scheduled every 2-3 weeks or even once a month.

Contact

Schedule your FREE Phone Consultation so we can discuss your needs or goals. I look forward to speaking with you soon!


Areas of Expertise

  • Asian American Identity &
    Family Dynamics

  • Anxiety & Stress

  • Depression

  • Divorce & Separation

  • Emotions & Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

  • Family Dynamics & Marriage

  • Gender Issues

  • Grief & Loss

  • Identity Issues

  • Infertility & IVF

  • Intimacy & Trust

  • Mindfulness & Meditation

  • Multicultural Challenges

  • Panic Attacks

  • Self Esteem Challenges


Areas of Expertise

Asian American Identity & Family Dynamics

The interaction of Eastern and Western value systems, experienced through culture in families and communities, can be healthy and integrated or dysfunctional and contentious. Insight into these often competing value systems can improve individual identity, self-esteem, and family dynamics. 

Anxiety & Stress

A restless mind full of worries, negative thoughts, and fearful consequences will harm relationships, productivity, and overall well-being. Anxiety shows up in a multitude of ways like feeling irritable, frustrated, "spun up", or physical pain, and can even be masked by compulsive behaviors (shopping, pornography, or substance abuse). Long term untreated anxiety and stress can wreak havoc on your body and increase risk for other medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart conditions. Using the science of the body and brain, you can learn to understand and manage your anxiety in a healthy productive way.

Depression

A constant state of negative feelings and perspective, physical exhaustion, inability to concentrate as well as loss of interest in daily living and pleasures can be a hopeless and terrifying way to experience yourself and the world. You can gain insight into your feelings and thoughts, process them in a conscious intentional present manner to reduce your suffering and begin healing.  

Divorce & Separation

When your family relationships break, you feel lost, confused, angry and lonely. There are questions about the past, present, and future. There are conflicting priorities and desires and you need a place to grieve, explore, heal, and a way to move forward in everyone's best interest.  

Emotions & Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

An accurate and science-based understanding of emotions and feelings is absolutely essential for healthy identity, relationships, and careers. Our emotions and feelings are often misunderstood and thus mishandled. Learn the science of emotions to empower you to more effectively manage yourself, and your personal and professional relationships. Use verified and reliable tools to assess and grow your emotional intelligence!

Family & Marriage

Every family comes with its own unique set of unspoken rules and expectations based upon each partner’s childhood family experiences. The experience of parenting and marriage can be far more satisfying when partners proactively create the family culture they want by working through their hidden assumptions and issues, and applying positive parenting approaches.  

Gender Issues

Society places an immense burden on people based on their observed, assumed, or proclaimed gender identity. Exploring and understanding the impact to you and your roles in life as a man, woman, transgender, or questioning is a vitally important aspect of healthy development and effective living. 

Grief & Loss

Whether tragedy strikes unexpectedly or comes after a prolonged period of suffering, processing your beliefs and feelings about your loss is one of the key aspects to moving forward in a manner that honors the loss as well as yourself. Grieving is unique to each person and cannot be rushed or judged, but is essential to creating the necessary peace to keep living in a healthy positive way.

Identity Issues

Who have I been? Who am I now? Who do I want do be? Who do others assume I am? Who do I project myself to be? Who am I afraid of becoming? These are all aspects of exploring your identity and determining the most authentic, integrated, and powerful way to live your life.

Infertility & IVF

Infertility is a lonely and painful journey to experience. Often the suffering is hidden from those we interact with, even people in our inner circles, and you are further hurt by careless ignorant comments or remarks. Finding a place to process all the confusing thoughts and feelings, grieve the many losses, and navigate the complex medical journey allows a safe harbor during difficult times.

Intimacy & Trust

To long for safety in connection is fundamentally human and an experience everyone longs for. Understand and change your own barriers to trusting yourself and others through the science of human connection (i.e. Attachment Psychology). You will dynamically transform your ability to connect and maintain healthy satisfying relationships. 

Mindfulness & Meditation

Learning to train the mind and its fluctuating thoughts is as useful and powerful as training your body for healthy living and physical challenges. Meditation and mindful living can improve your life in a myriad of ways such as decreased reactivity, increased equanimity, decision making clarity, deeper enjoyment and satisfaction of ordinary living or challenging circumstances.

Multicultural Challenges

Increase your ability to live effectively in a multicultural society by exploring and understanding yourself and the Other. Conscientious investigation of both the positive easy aspects of differences, as well as the challenging gut-wrenching parts that disappoint and hurt is crucial to working through division and creating collaboration and community. 

Panic Attacks

The impact of losing control over your body and mind is one that strikes terror in anyone who has experienced a panic attack. Trying to change your mind or overthinking doesn’t work or help. Learn the science behind panic, as well as tools and skills to help you calm your body and brain to positively change your outcome. 

Self Esteem Challenges

It’s impossible to believe in or love yourself when you fail to meet your expectations of who you “should" be. To set yourself free and embrace your most authentic beloved self you will need to examine your beliefs, understand the origin of these ideas, and challenge your perspective, attitude, and choices with a loving compassionate mindset.