Ellery Woo PsyD

As a second-generation Hoi'Saan/Chinese American, I acknowledge that I benefit from the privileges afforded to me as a result of being an American citizen and a person who speaks English without an accent. That being said, depending on (including but not limited to) who you are, your socioeconomic status, homeland, family resources back home and in the United States, native language(s), and the immigration policies and laws can shape how you navigate all of these complex layers.

Storytelling is powerful. Colonization created a story that a person's struggles are completely contributed by that individual's choices and behaviors. That story does not name, acknowledge, nor account for the multiple systems that people from historically marginalized communities are required to navigate. Therapy helps to validate and contextualize the socio-cultural-political background and power differentials that people have to figure out to survive and thrive.

What does feminist therapy look like? I discuss my therapeutic approach explicitly and directly during the first session sessions by letting clients know that I am collaborative in acknowledging my expertise on certain areas and the client is an expert on themselves. I acknowledge the inherent power differential that exists between me and the client and I do as much as I can to delineate that power to help the client to make choices that are best for them.

As a second-generation Hoi'Saan/Chinese American, heterosexual, able-bodied, cis gender woman I acknowledge and name the parts of me that are privileged into the therapy room as I work with people from diverse backgrounds. I believe acknowledging marginalization and privilege can create a safer space from a trauma-informed perspective. The majority of the therapeutic work I do with folx is exploring identities that important to them.

Being present is one of the antidotes for anxiety and depression. Anxiety is about the future. Depression is about the past. Accepting the realities that are in the moment, letting go of what has already happened, and making meaning out of previous experiences can help remedy the past and ease some anxiety and in fact, change a person's relationship with their anxiety. Values can ground the here and now. Clarifying values and acting according to them are at the heart of ACT.