Services
- Individual
- Couples
- Group
About My Clients
My clients are high achievers who are not afraid of hard work, but they have been avoiding tackling their own emotional and mental health. They have no problem supporting others (friends, family, coworkers, causes they believe in), but when the spotlight turns on them - they minimize or dismiss their own struggles. They are the ones holding themselves back. My clients are individuals and couples of all genders and orientations, and they are usually immigrants or the children of immigrants.
My Background and Approach
If you want a therapist who will give you a mix of practical skills plus psychological insight, let's talk! I'm someone who believes in you and takes your identity, experience, and issues seriously, but also brings laughter and camaraderie into the room. I believe you already have what you need to succeed (which is super frustrating for you, because you probably feel like you aren't doing it). I'm here to be a sounding board, to help you make decisions, and to reflect back your emotional and behavioral patterns to you. I take a solution-focused approach, meaning we start by mapping out your future, and get you headed there from day one. Some people think this means we don't talk about your past, or what brought you in - not true! Your past experiences hold the key to figuring out how to get you unstuck and feeling like yourself again.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
The common thread among my specialties is I focus on people who are not seen for who they truly are. Marginalized communities experience erasure from the mainstream, as well as from within our ranks. I recognize my privilege as a queer and white-passing woman. I do know what it feels like to have parts of your identity erased, and how it can affect your self-image. (Luckily, I have had a great support system.) I specialize in working with transgender and gender nonconforming folks, queer couples and individuals, first-generation Americans/immigrants, and high achievers who feel like they have "first-world problems," and dismiss their own mental health. All of these groups of people know to some extent what it feels like to be ignored, threatened, and dismissed. I believe that therapy, particularly with someone who understands that experience, is one way toward healing.