Maybe you overachieve as a way to soothe your inner child wounds. You’ve come so far from the discontent in your family of origin, but inside, you still struggle with high-functioning anxiety, high-functioning depression, feeling broken, feeling emotionally numb, self-doubt, or maybe even past traumas. Perhaps you’ve been living with complex PTSD, and you don’t even know it. You want to move from internally surviving to thriving and you’re tired of being an insecure overachiever. There is so much more to everyone, you included, if you are willing to do the work and look within. If you’re curious about yourself and want to heal past pains that may unknowingly affect you now, let’s talk.
Oftentimes, the reason that led you to seek therapy is just the tip of the iceberg.
My approach is to help you address the core issues underlying your struggles. I work primarily from a psychodynamic lens with some cognitive behavioral techniques depending on the individual. I am interactive and collaborative, which means that I won’t sit and stare at you quietly for the whole session. In fact, we will work together in this journey towards self-discovery, healing, and growth.
I also invite you to bring all the nuanced and diverse parts of your identity to this process. As an Asian American therapist, I am sensitive to the ways that our genders, racial-ethnic identities, countries of origin, sexual orientations, personal and family immigration histories, religions, abilities and body sizes can shape our inner thought and emotional life. Often, our psychological issues have some history in inherited pain or trauma that has been passed down for decades. Together, we can work through those experiences to help you develop a more cohesive sense of self.
I believe that our self-awareness is vital to overcoming emotional pain and living a meaningful life. Growing up in an immigrant Chinese family, I’ve always been fascinated by the mental and emotional world of people around me. The human psyche is so complex!
Although mental health was not spoken about within the different communities I belonged to growing up, I had a gnawing sense that whenever someone was labeled ‘“lazy”, “selfish”, or “attention-seeking” by the media, people in my school, or communities I belong to, it was simply not enough. I wanted to understand others and how they came to be. When I became a therapist, this passion solidified; I witnessed the changes and possibilities clients experience as they grow to understand themselves on a deeper level. There is so much more to everyone, you included, if you are willing to do the work and look within.
The journey of self-discovery, self-exploration, and healing is by no means easy or quick but it’s one of the best gifts you can give to yourself.
If you have questions about my practice, curious about yourself, want to grow, and want to deepen your self-awareness. Here are 3 steps to get started.
I am a native New Yorker with a BA in Psychology from NYU and a Masters in Social Work from Hunter College. With training in contemporary psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral therapy, I am here to gently guide you at your pace toward overcoming what ails you.
We will work together to deepen your understanding of the recurring ways in which you feel stuck as well as how past painful experiences may still live on in the present. Through this process, you can begin to find relief, discover new perspectives, and come up with ways to create a more fulfilling and authentic life.
Even though there are no quick fixes or easy answers when it comes to healing, people can experience growth and development as they work through past traumas. Successful professionals struggling with high-functioning anxiety and depression can finally move toward clarity and fulfillment in their inner world.
Cultivating and deepening your self-awareness is a journey towards recognizing and understanding all aspects of yourself, the things that trigger you, your inner dialogues, your emotions, including difficult ones such as shame, jealousy, and anger.
Without understanding yourself, you may inadvertently remain stuck in patterns of thinking, feeling, and being that stifle the quality of your life.
There is so much more to everyone, you included if you are willing to do the work and look within.
Deepening your self-awareness and helping you heal from past pains is my aim in therapy.
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