my style.

what can you expect when working with me?

professional, yet relational.

Relationships are significant to me. I aim to develop the relationship I have with you by developing through earning your trust and making sure you’re getting what you’re needing out of the process.

Naturally in my personality, I present more "formal” than “casual,” though the vibe of the sessions will be warm, kind, and inviting. My clients often feel inclined to share with me things they are super excited about like their pregnancy sonograms, art projects, pictures of their animals, and whatever else makes them proud beyond their therapy achievements (…or the latest tea of the week, that’s always fun too). I absolutely LOVE getting to be part of my clients’ lives in a therapeutic manner.

The majority of my clients consider me to have a genuine interest and care for their experiences without judgment or bias while also maintaining high standards of professionalism.

This may mean defining professional boundaries or not taking up too much of your session talking about myself as this is a designated time for you to share. However, I may choose to self-disclose should I see it as appropriate in the therapeutic relationship and building connection.

gentle, yet direct.

My style is gentle and empathic, yet direct and honest. This means that I will not sugar-coat for the sake of it, yet I will affirm and honor your experiences in a calming manner. I try my best to balance compassion while also pointing out thoughts and behaviors. I will interactively share my authentic reactions without shaming or dismissing your emotions. I often check in with you to see how you are receiving the information.

active.

I am an active participator in sessions and not the type to sit back and “mhmm” the whole time. However, I give ample space to clients to express their experiences without constant interruptions. As a therapist, I strive to validate while gently challenging you to grow and answer the hard questions. A lot of them. For you, this may mean working on yourself outside of therapy, engaging in deep reflective work, and putting any insights you’ve gained into practice.

practical.

In addition to processing emotions and processing past experiences, I provide you with a straightforward way to make changes in your life. My goal is to have you leave each session with something actionable and tangible to put forth into your daily life between sessions so you can see how much you’ve grown and how far you’ve come since signing up for therapy.

committed.

I will hear you and listen to you. I am detail-oriented and tend to remember the little facts you share. I am committed to providing space for you to experience your emotions unapologetically and a safe environment where your wholeness is appreciated. There will be times in our work when we slow down and process the pain and other times when we problem-solve and discover tangible ways to create meaningful change.

challenging.

There will be moments when it can feel too much, and you have the choice to decide how deep you go for that day. There will be times when I will gently push you a little out of your comfort zone if therapeutically appropriate.

culturally considerate.

It is also important to consider your personal experiences, cultural upbringing, intersectional identities that you hold, and other aspects that makeup YOU.

feedback-oriented.

To ensure you get what you need from therapy, I seek feedback from you regularly to check in on how things are working or if there’s anything that needs changing to help you reach your goals.

length of treatment.

Most of my clients seek me out for longer-term counseling which we would build a strong therapeutic relationship over months to years to give us time to work through complex and ongoing issues, notice trends and patterns, and unpack deep-rooted past experiences that may shape the way you function today.

Should you prefer or only need to address situational/acute concerns, I’m always happy to assist in approaching them via a solutions-focused short term therapy lens.

theoretical orientation.

I consider myself “integrative” which means I draw from various theories depending on the client’s needs.

I view you as the expert on yourself and your experiences and myself as the expert on facilitating the therapeutic process to ensure you are moving towards growth.

The style of session is usually fluid and unstructured. There are no worksheets or agenda-of-the-day, rather we move where it’s best to go for that session (excluding EMDR treatments).

These theories and interventions include:

    • Acknowledging past traumas that may affect your mental and emotional health.

    • Ensuring a safe and trusting environment during therapy sessions for your comfort and stability.

    • Empowering you to guide your therapy journey, promoting a sense of control and independence.

    • Utilizing mindful techniques to avoid triggering past traumas, minimizing re-traumatization.

    • Considering social, cultural, and environmental factors in addressing trauma and facilitating healing.

    • Understanding the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions.

    • Identifying negative thought patterns and behaviors contributing to distress.

    • Collaborating to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.

    • Teaching coping skills and relaxation techniques for stress management.

    • Establishing achievable goals to monitor progress.

    • Understanding how past experiences, especially from childhood, influence current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

    • Analyzing relationship patterns and their connection to deeper emotional experiences.

    • Enhancing self-awareness through exploration and interpretation of unconscious thoughts and feelings.

    • Acknowledging and exploring feelings within our relationship that reflect past dynamics.

    • Resolving conflicts and emotional struggles to foster healing and growth.

    • Understanding your cultural backgrounds, including traditions and beliefs, to grasp their influence on thoughts and feelings.

    • Approaching clients from diverse cultures with care and respect, steering clear of stereotypes or assumptions.

    • Tailoring methods to accommodate cultural preferences, which may involve integrating specific customs or languages in therapy.

    • Addressing how cultural disparities affect your challenges and aspirations, such as handling discrimination or family conflicts.

    • Assisting you in overcoming cultural barriers and advocating for yourself within your communities.

    • Prioritizing the influence of relationships on emotional well-being.

    • Identifying recurring patterns in relationships that cause distress.

    • Acquiring communication skills for expressing needs, setting boundaries, and resolving conflicts.

    • Exploring how early relationships shape current interpersonal patterns.

    • Creating strategies to overcome challenges and enhance relationships.

    • Developing healthier ways of relating to others through exploration and understanding of interpersonal dynamics.

    • Focusing on your future goals and desired outcomes rather than past problems or issues

    • Recognizing your existing strengths, resources, and successes that can be leveraged to achieve your goals

    • Asking specific questions aimed at identifying potential solutions and positive changes

    • Collaboratively setting clear, achievable goals that outline what you want to achieve in therapy

    • Developing concrete action steps and strategies to move towards your desired outcomes

    • Enhancing emotional awareness and understanding of their effects on life.

    • Acquiring coping techniques for managing intense emotions.

    • Exploring emotional origins for deeper insight.

    • Supporting healthy emotional expression in therapy.

    • Building skills to handle challenging emotions and adversity.

    • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps process traumatic memories and experiences.

    • Utilizing eye movements, taps, or sounds to stimulate brain activity for memory processing.

    • Diminishing the emotional intensity of traumatic memories.

    • Facilitating the formation of new associations with traumatic experiences for healing.

    • Shifting negative beliefs and perceptions towards more adaptive thoughts and behaviors.

EXACTLY, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?

    • Provide psychological information to help you understand your experience

    • Teach scientifically-backed techniques and strategies in addition to talking

    • Share feedback to help you reflect on how others may experience you

    • Allow space and room to process heavy emotions to enable healing

    • Discuss childhood memories and experiences

    • Determine ways to set personal boundaries

    • Collaborate on solutions

    • Celebrate your growths and strengths

    • Point out places where there are discrepancies in what you do vs what you say

    • Prioritize our therapeutic relationship as a way to transform your own relationships

    • Ask you to summarize new insights to acknowledge what you’ve discovered

    • Reflect through various means of expression - written, verbal, creative, somatic

    • Encourage you to engage in new behavioral changes or reflections outside of therapy to solidify your growth

    • Engage in assignments

Clients who seek me out usually identify as:

  • high-achieving professionals / entrepreneurs

  • master’s & Ph.D. students / postdocs / academics / medical students

  • intellectualizers / deep thinkers

  • deep feelers / empaths / highly-sensitive

  • strong lovers & givers

  • teachers / healthcare providers

  • type A personality

  • introverts & old souls

  • children of immigrants

  • ADHD

description of clients I work best with, Are you…?

motivated.

motivated for new changes in their lives despite how scary and uncomfortable that may be

committed.

committed to showing up for sessions on time and regularly

self-reflective.

reflects inwards and identifies where in their actions, thoughts, and behaviors are they willing to examine

honest.

honest with their experiences, emotions, and themselves

excited.

excited to integrate what they’ve discovered in therapy into their relationships, situation, or self development

growth-oriented.

accepts potentially hard to hear feedback that could help in their growth

empowered.

empowered to confront their struggles

accountable.

understands lasting change is not immediate and does not derive from the therapist

There are points in life where things feel threatening to our core sense of self. During these moments, it can be difficult to reach out, especially when you’ve always been the only one to “hold it together” for others. While I have full faith you are fully capable, you don’t have to do this alone.

Transformation takes deep healing which can sometimes be uncomfortable. My goal is not to rush your process, demand you in how to run your life, or shame you into fitting a certain mold on the path of your journey. You are enough. It has always been an honor to truly hear someone’s story and collaborate on how we can pursue wholeness and thrive towards authenticity.

In my practice, you’re treated with the highest priority and not as someone who is “broken that needs fixing.” While I have had intensive training and certifications to facilitate the therapy process, you are the expert on yourself and your experiences. No one knows you better than you know you.

I acknowledge how valuable and sacred your time is. Thus, our therapy space is a designated time just for you to focus on yourself to make sure you get the most out of it. You may have spent much of your days taking care of others’ needs and your professional responsibilities. Therefore, my goal is to foster a safe and supportive environment where you can settle into your true self to thrive into the best version. Come as you are because you are enough exactly as is.

Rather than a cookie-cutter approach, our time together will be specifically tailored to your goals and adapted to your lived experiences. If you don’t know what your goals are yet, that’s okay! We will spend some time exploring what brings you into counseling. We will collaborate throughout the process to ensure your needs are met throughout therapy.

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