Therapists in Santa Monica, CA

Are you going through internal struggle due to trauma? Do you feel anxious and depressed about the future? Do you struggle with family issues and relationship issues? I’m willing to meet you where you are, help you process unwanted thoughts and emotions, and help develop an action plan to effectively cultivate your healing and growth. I’m here to help you explore unresolved feelings (anxiety, depression, anger, helplessness, grief, etc.) and develop skills to effectively cope with them. Thus, you can feel relieved and fulfilled in your relationship with yourself and others.

Hi! I’m glad you’re here! I’m an Asian American therapist who supports individuals, couples, and families during times of relational conflicts, mental health distress, and overwhelming life transitions. I value creating a space where you feel comfortable coming as you are during times of pain, questioning, and loneliness, as well as celebrating the moments of hope, triumph, and joy! In therapy, we’ll creatively work together to explore the complexity of your story and develop practices that can support you in living according to the values that make your life meaningful.

Do you struggle with anxiety and depression due to your childhood trauma? Are you having problems with your partner or family members due to life transition issues? Are you experiencing increased stress, fears, and doubts around the future? I believe that we all have the capacity to heal our emotional wounds and create meaningful changes. My goal as a therapist is to offer you a safe place in which you can process insights, concerns, and emotions associated with trauma.

You wonder who you would be if you didn’t struggle with perfectionism, people-pleasing, anxiety, or negative self-talk. You value friends and family and validate everyone except for yourself, as if your worthiness is an exception to the rule. A lot of doubt and uncertainty comes from not knowing if we are worthy, if we’re leading “worthwhile” lives, if we are good enough to take chances, to state our needs, to show up as ourselves and not who others want, expect, or demand that we be. Before we can ask others to meet our needs, we first have to take the deep dive of figuring out what that looks like for ourselves.

I strive to cultivate a trusting and honest relationship with my clients so that they feel fully seen. I have more than 10 years of experience working with families, individuals, children, and adolescents in various settings including schools, direct therapy, community mental health, non-profits, child welfare, and criminal justice. I provide clinical services to individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues, high-stress work environments, and coping with life transitions.

I help people navigate the big choices in life, confront issues like depression and anxiety, and face down bigger problems like addiction or unresolved trauma. Maybe you sense something isn’t quite right — your job, your marriage, your personal relationships and want to get “back on track.” Together we can face difficult choices, move through the stages of change, and help you recover a sense of personal integrity. I work with couples, individuals, and sometimes families to improve communication, explore values, and address underlying issues which may be a source of conflict.

On the outside, you make success look easy, though it comes at a cost. You hide parts of yourself, which leaves you wrestling with overwhelm, anxiety, and self-esteem. You may even feel an internal game of tug of war. My goal is to help alleviate the struggles and difficulties you've been carrying alone by providing a caring and welcoming space. Together, we will look at various parts of yourself and find what's not working, so new patterns can emerge by deepening insight and finding pragmatic solutions. I enjoy helping clients improve communication, understand emotions, and create a healthy relationship with themselves and others.

Whether you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, interrelation issues, or any of the complexities of life, therapy can be a non-judgmental space for reflection and vulnerability. Finding the right fit to help you explore these internal, interpersonal, or sociocultural factors can be a challenge, and I want to meet you where you're at, then help you get where you’d like to go. Our focus is building a strong therapeutic relationship together and having an affirming space for you to explore your identity, experiences, and emotions.

Do you feel like your past prevents you from enjoying your present and looking forward to your future? Do you find yourself repeating patterns of behavior that no longer serve you? Do you struggle to maintain meaningful and stable relationships? If yes, perhaps it’s time to take a deep breath and look inward. By exploring the wounds from your past, you can find empathy and understanding. You can be free. “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.” – Peter A. Levine

I work primarily with adults who are wanting to manage symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, and trauma. I will be with you on your path to discovery, recovery, and finding the person you would like to become. I approach therapy with a client-centered approach in order to create a safe, comfortable space for you to share and express yourself, and your vulnerabilities. We will explore healthy ways to process your trauma, regulate difficult emotions, and restore broken relationships. I believe the trust built between Client and Therapist is powerful, and necessary in order to help you through your healing journey.

Perhaps no one can ever inhabit fully the lived experience of another, nor would I presume that I could know it, yet our therapeutic relationship can—without disrespecting the integrity of your lived experience—present the opportunity to take your perspective. I hope to imagine your experience because, as Carl Jung articulates: “Loneliness does not come from having no people around you but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you," and in the memory of childhood’s loneliness and solitude, creative power resides.

I work to help you be the best person possible. I empower clients to recognize their choices in life and take advantage of them. I enjoy working with adults, families, and couples, but especially love working with teens/adolescents and parents. I've had success with anxiety, stress, depression, family problems, relationship problems, and work and school issues. I have an eclectic style where I utilize methods that best suit my client's needs. I treat my clients with the utmost respect to create and environment of safety and comfort. My clients grow through the partnership we create together.

My first career was in the business world, working in corporate America and on Wall Street. I understand the demands of a high paced career and how easy it is to become disconnected from our relationships and ourselves, and lose sight of our values and goals. I specialize with high performing professionals who prefer a directive and solution-based therapeutic style. I've been working with individuals and couples for over a decade, helping them improve the way they feel about themselves and enhance the quality of their relationships.

Life can get complicated and there is no handbook on how to handle things like depression, anxiety, addiction and relationship problems. It is important to know two things: 1. you are not alone, 2. challenges are always opportunities to grow and change your life. You are probably here because it's time to "do something different." Let us help guide you through this journey!

In the sea of content available online, we may think that if we just take in the right information, we can feel better, but this is not the case. I believe that people change and develop in relationship. I practice therapy in a way that prioritizes the therapeutic relationship itself as the medium for change. This relationship serves as a launching point for gaining insight into one's life and practicing new ways of being. Also, I help patients see the role that trauma has played in their lives by providing education and nurturing areas of psychological growth that were suppressed because of trauma.

Navigating life can be really challenging and my goal is to provide a warm, safe, judgement free, and collaborative environment to assist you navigate these challenges. In my work I recognize the importance of each individual’s intersecting identities such as race, gender identity, gender expression, culture of origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, primary language and disability. It is through the exploration and comprehension of these different parts, as well as live adversities, that we can have a more complete understanding of who we are and why we act the way we do.

Life is often challenging and can leave us feeling anxious, depressed, or emotionally overwhelmed. Therapy provides an opportunity to address and work through the difficulties we face so that we can lead a more satisfying and fulfilling life. A vital component of therapy is creating a safe and comfortable environment so that issues can be explored openly and honestly. I provide a collaborative and supportive environment through acceptance, compassion, and genuineness.

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost - J.R.R. Tolkien. Therapy is a unique type of wandering. It's a journey that begins by taking a step inward with an understanding that self-reflection and introspection have purpose. Your purpose and motivation is unique to you. You could be motivated by growth, healing, connection, love or pain. Knowing your motivation will help you stay focused and persevere through your journey.

Are you going through a divorce, or perhaps you're not sure of the direction of your marriage or relationship? Do you have co-parenting challenges? Are you looking for someone to listen, have empathy and genuinely care about your situation? I specialize in working with women going through a separation or divorce, those who have experienced trauma with their intimate partner or witnessed it in their childhood, are experiencing PTSD, anxiety and depression.