About

I am a pre-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist eligible to serve California residents. I pursue regular training and supervision to deepen my practice and to ensure that my clients are getting the support they need.

Growing up as an immigrant in the US and living in divergent cultures developed within me a sensitivity towards and passion for working with those who feel themselves at the margins of society and in their own life. An important part of my personal journey has been reclaiming my disavowed parts, identities and relationships, and developing a reverence for them. I am adept at walking between worlds, holding multiple perspectives, and bridging people, cultures and ideologies. I enjoy accompanying those who feel caught in-between — between fantasy and reality, heart and mind, dark and light, old and new, East and West.

How I listen to you is informed by my own experiences as an immigrant, a woman of color, an ex-pat, and what queer feminist, activist and writer Gloria Anzaldúa calls a "citizen of the universe." I also have 10+ years of contemplative practice in mindfulness, yoga, Vipassana and other Buddhist traditions that influence how I work and view the world.

My style is warm, open, engaged, thoughtful and unhurried. I listen—concretely and symbolically—to what's said and unsaid, what's felt and not felt, what's remembered and what's been forgotten. I use a signature cocktail of humor and honesty to both support and challenge you. I see symptoms (depression, anxiety, addictions, insomnia, etc.) as normal responses to abnormal circumstances, and believe our wounds have the potential to lead us to greater wisdom, creativity and aliveness.

In addition to being a therapist, I am a writer, avid book and stationary collector, traveler and mother. My work as a therapist has been influenced and enriched by all of my life experiences, and my work with clients have in turn influenced and enriched my life.

Education

MA in Integral Counseling Psychology
California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA

BA in Media Studies
University of California in Berkeley, CA

Professional Affiliations

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) — San Francisco & East Bay Chapters
American Psychological Association (APA)
Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)

Approach

While every single one of us is born whole, life can sometimes chip away at our wholeness. Many of us come to experience this at some point in life, perhaps as a result of feeling despair, dissatisfaction, emptiness, or some kind of lack. Some of us may feel called to find our way back “home,” to ourselves, or to something greater yet unknown. By reconnecting with all aspects of our humanity — our capacities to know and be known, to love and be loved, to hate and be hated, to learn, grow, create, play, and be — we give ourselves the opportunity to have a genuine encounter with our minds, heart, body and spirit.

I believe the process of therapy can support our journeys back to wholeness.

We are multi-faceted beings, consisting of many parts. Like the twelve faces of a dodecahedron, some sides are regularly exposed to light and love, while others dwell in the shadows. I aim to provide an environment where you feel safe enough to explore and express all parts of yourself — the known, unknown and forgotten parts. My hope is that the space we co-create together will be a place of catharsis and personal transformation, a place where your many parts, faces and sides can come out to play.

What Informs My Work

I am trauma-informed, relational and integrative in my approach, meaning I interweave Western psychological theory with Eastern practices and Indigenous wisdom, incorporating research-based methods as needed. The following perspectives shape and color my particular lens:

Contemporary Psychoanalysis
Jungian & Archetypal Psychology
Self & Developmental Psychology
Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches
Experiential & Body-Based Approaches
Neuroscience on Trauma & Attachment

Critical Race Theory
Liberation Psychology
Transpersonal Psychology
Harm Reduction Approaches
Feminist Multicultural Theory
Yoga, Buddhism & Buddhist Psychology

How I Work

I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all-approach. Instead, I collaborate with each person I work with to customize a unique recipe specific to their needs and preferences. Beyond dialoguing, below are some of the ingredients I might sprinkle into our sessions:

Gestalt & Parts Work
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Developmental Model for Relationships
Mindfulness & Compassion-Based Techniques
Astrology, Enneagram & Personality Typologies

Breathwork & Guided Visualizations
Dreamwork (Jungian & Gestalt)
Expressive Arts & Play Therapy
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Hakomi