Immigration/Acculturation

Immigration/acculturation brings many demands at once: language barriers, a different culture, and new hopes, expectations, and stressors. These changes can cause issues as individuals and families grow and change, especially between generations. Therapy can help you explore your identity and move forward while holding onto what you treasure most. I speak Spanish at a non-native advanced level and have worked extensively with immigrants and the children of immigrants from Latin America.

As an immigrant, I understand first hand the challenges one faces around acculturation and assimilation. Going through the immigration process can be scary and the pressure from the society along with family pressure can result in stress while feeling like you don't quite fit in. As your therapist, we will delve deeper around the challenges you face and assist you in feeling confident with yourself and finding healthy ways to cope with potential anxiety that can arise.

Experienced in working with individuals navigating acculturation issues as well as the complexities of the immigration process and aftermath.

In addition to providing therapy, I also conduct Immigration Psychological Evaluations to assist individuals and families in their immigration process. If your attorney suggested that you obtain a report from an immigration evaluation therapist, you’ve come to the right professional. I have worked with individuals from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and I’m experienced in conducting psychological assessments.

As an immigrant myself, I understand firsthand the challenges and triumphs that come with the process of adapting to a new culture and country. My personal journey has deepened my empathy for the emotional complexities of immigration and acculturation. I'll provide a safe, inclusive space for you to explore your unique journey and its emotional nuances.

I conduct Immigration Evaluations for: VAWA, Hardship Waiver, U Visa, T Visa, and Asylum cases. I work closely with individuals, families, and their attorneys that are seeking legal haven in the USA for a better, safer, and brighter future. Being an immigrant and a child of immigrant parents taught me firsthand the impact of intergenerational trauma and how challenging it is to be the first one to heal these cycles in a community where mental health is taboo.

As an immigrant, I can relate to your experience. I have worked with immigrants and their families through all of my training. I look forward to hearing your immigration and acculturation story. I continue to stay on top of immigrant and racial issues in our country so that I can help individuals from various races and religions as they navigate through their racial identity, immigration story, and the challenges that they face.

I conduct Immigration Evaluations for: VAWA, Hardship Waiver, U Visa, T Visa, and Asylum cases. I work closely with individuals, families, and their attorneys that are seeking legal haven in the USA for a better, safer, and brighter future. Being an immigrant and a child of immigrant parents taught me firsthand the impact of intergenerational trauma and how challenging it is to be the first one to heal these cycles in a community where mental health is taboo.

I come from a unique background of spending my early childhood in South Korea and navigating the issues of adapting to a new culture after immigrating to the United States. I'm also passionate about raising awareness about the importance of therapy and destigmatizing mental illness in Asian American communities.

Many of my clients are first or second generation citizens, or working here with a green card. Immigration/Acculturation is not usually the reason someone seeks therapy with me, but it underlies almost every conversation.

I have the experience not only of having, myself, lived and worked in other countries in my adult life, but of having worked with refugees, immigrants, dislocated peoples, expats living abroad, and persons who have returned to their country of origin, as well as, those unable to return to the country of origin. I have an existential and person-centered non-pathologizing lens through which each person's lived experience is honored and is at the core of the therapeutic relationship.

I'm an immigrant from Greece and the Middle East who is now naturalized in the United States. As someone who identifies as racially ambiguous, I'm passionate about serving immigrant communities and addressing cross-cultural dynamics. I know firsthand how branching out while maintaining a connection to your culture can feel impossible. In therapy, I will work with you through a culturally-humble and culturally-affirming lens to help you navigate these challenging dynamics.

As the daughter of an immigrant, I grew up torn between two cultures. I acknowledge the internal pressure this creates. I love to work with clients on acknowledging their unique experiences as immigrants and children of immigrants. This includes processing: discrimination, immigration, language loss, erasure, survivor guilt, the grief of having family far away, perfectionism, and many more experiences.

I am a Salvadorian Mexican American, and I understand the struggles of feeling like you don’t fit in in either culture. The struggles of having monolingual parents, the stress of having to be their interpreter and scribe, parent to your younger siblings and filter what information comes across into your household. Luckily, I was also witness to how hard work pays off and the power of setting goals and doing everything in your power to achieve them.

Many of my clients are first- or second-generation immigrants, some of whom experience stress related to cultural differences between their current and former homes. I respect clients’ decisions to find ways to honor aspects of both cultures. I am against the idea of treating white, American values as “normal” and anything else as a problem. I am also a descendant of immigrants and have the lived experience of being separated from ethnic traditions by past generations who chose to assimilate.