Laurel Meng (she/her)

I am a Chinese American with immigrant parents--I have lived with a bicultural identity all my life. I am well-versed in navigating conversations about white supremacy and the resulting oppression, discrimination, and alienation it has created for people of color. I am also passionate about dismantling hetero- and cis-normative frameworks. These are not topics we have to shy away from in our work together. I will work with you to claim space for yourself and build your own narrative.

I use a queer-affirming approach to our work that has been cultivated through lived experience and professional training. People of all gender and sexual identities are welcome at my practice, and I will work to understand what those identities mean to you. For those who are questioning, I will meet you where you are and walk alongside you in your journey.

I understand a lot of the struggles we go through to be based in difficulties with our interpersonal relationships, and these difficulties are grounded in the way we form attachments. Many traumatic experiences also stem from insecure attachments with people whom we trusted to provide safety. Through our work, we will explore how you can form more secure attachments with your loved ones and create the safe, trusting relationships you want in your life.

Our emotions tell a story and give us important information about what we need. EFT will help you open yourself to experiencing your emotions fully and listening to them. I will help you name your emotions and explore what they are trying to tell you. Knowing your needs will help you better respond to your emotions. In our work together, no feeling is irrational and no need is "too much."

I believe the therapeutic relationship to be the crux of our work together. I am committed to building trust between us and will utilize our relationship to understand how you show up in your life. To that end, I will show up as a real person who responds to you in real time. We will also explore your relational patterns throughout your life to form more secure, healthier connections in the future.

Traumatic experiences, big and small, live in our bodies and influence our future actions and sense of self (sometimes unknowingly). I consider the definition of trauma to be quite broad and I aim to help you explore the hard moments of your life with compassion and care. Fortunately, our brains are naturally adaptable and can relearn how to trust and feel safe. I will work to create space for you to heal and grow.