GET TO KNOW ME
MY STORY:
Born to Filipino immigrants, I grew up living between 2 cultures: immigrant culture and American culture. I have felt the first generation pressures of conformity from either culture, the inevitable desire to belong to both, while not quite belonging to either. In this great American experiment of mixing cultures, I am grateful to be a living bridge between cultures—it informs my work as a therapist, as a citizen, and as a human that understands differences can co-exist. I see it as a superpower and my great duty holding the tension of difference.
Growing up, I witnessed the strong, hardworking women in my family be both the backbone and the heartbeat of the family. I saw the unique challenges they faced in professional environments and at home. Their presence inspired me to work with women, with a special love for working with women of color.
I pursued my Masters of Marital and Family Therapy at Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health. There, I grew a profound love for Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) due to its generous way of interpreting humans, how we form connections, and the ways we can form safer and more secure attachments over time. I noticed I came alive working with couples in the therapy space; I enjoyed it so much I dedicated my Masters thesis to the integration of EFT in couple’s work.
After graduating, I dedicated the bulk work of my training hours working with children and teens living in underserved areas of Los Angeles. Over the course of those years, I realized how much I loved working with teens. I loved that I could be the therapist I knew I needed in my own adolescence experiencing anxiety and depression.
In the most recent years, my family has gone through a series of significant losses. The biggest loss being my mom to cancer. My world, both personally and professionally, was shaken up by grief. Grief is one of the most sacred things to carry, and it is one of the most brutal things to carry. I recognize how invaluable a balm having a safe space to work through grief can be. I have a special place in my heart for those going through grief, and I have been increasing my education to deepen my work with grief.
MY VALUES:
I believe in being human with other humans in the therapy space.
I am a believer of therapists seeing therapists.
I believe in transparency.
I believe in boundaries.
I believe you, and I believe in you.
LMFT #112444 - California
LMFT #T3372 - Oregon
LF #61423457 - Washington
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
-James Baldwin
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT OUT OF THERAPY WITH ME?
You can expect curiosity, respect, honesty, and my commitment towards making the therapy space safe for you. A huge part of that is practicing non-judgment while you share your world with me. I am kind, firm, and hold boundaries for myself and my clients.
I support clients in building insight, self-esteem, and self-trust. I am passionate about helping women feel connected to themselves and empowered in their ability to show up to life fully.
Therapy is a collaborative.
I help clients openly recognize, build tolerance for, and express their feelings. Therapy can help organize the big emotions that come up. When clients describe their experiences in their own words, it builds self-awareness and helps them build a stronger understanding of themselves and their patterns. Understanding our emotions and stories gives us important insight into our values, desires, needs, and identities.
Therapy is systemic.
We impact and are impacted by the systems around us. We acknowledge systemic biases and expectations aloud: gender, cultural, familial, or intergenerational…anything that feels implicitly restrictive and interruptive. In this work, we consider your autonomy and how you want to engage with or question those systems.
Therapy is focused on your choices.
Mindful reflection helps us understand our experiences. It lets us make clear, fully-informed choices about our lives moving forward.
