Malissa Pansa-ad (she/her)

Seeking therapy can be an intimidating and overwhelming process. From acknowledging that you would like more support to searching for the right therapist for you, it takes time, effort, and courage to face your challenges and risk vulnerability. That is why I aim to create a warm, welcoming, and non-judgmental space where you experience trust, safety, and comfort to bring your authentic self into the room. To be vulnerable and open as your true self without fear of judgment is to move towards freedom and expansion. I especially enjoy working with BIPOC individuals, couples, and families to explore issues of race, sex, gender, culture, and other identity that may be impacting your relationships, work, or overall wellbeing. As a family and couple therapist, I believe problems reside between people and not within them.

My philosophy as a WOC is to create a space where BIPOC feel safe, comfortable, and welcomed enough to trust in their experiences with the world. BIPOC are often gaslighted by white folx or others who hold positions of power. When we are gaslighted and told enough times that something wasn’t racist or didn’t happen in the way that we know deep down we experienced it, that doubt can eat away at us and cause us to question our own intuition, truth, and experiences. This causes us to second-guess continued acts of oppression, overt and covert, and ourselves and over time, slowly eroding our own self-confidence, voice, and ability to protect and advocate for ourselves. I want BIPOC to know that I see them and hear them, and that whatever they experience and perceive in life is real. Perception IS reality for BIPOC, plain and simple.