The lowdown: who I work with + how I work
Who I work with: I work with individuals who are exploring their identity (maybe for the first time ever!), navigating complex trauma, experiencing life transitions (that maybe feel all-consuming), exploring harmful religious experiences, and those curious about the way their lived experiences impact who they are and how they engage with the world. I specialize in providing supportive and affirming care to queer, trans, and gender-expansive clients, as well as working with clients navigating religious trauma or spiritual abuse.
How I work: I operate from a core belief: you are the expert of your own experience. I deeply value and appreciate your innate wisdom and enjoy utilizing a collaborative approach to therapy. I pull from holistic approaches in my work, including attachment-based, emotion-focused, strengths-based, and trauma-focused. I see you as a whole person with lived experience that informs who you are and how you operate through the world, including the systems (political, geographic, etc.) that you live within.
My 'why' for counseling: While I have loved all the different professional opportunities my career has allotted me - I began to intentionally look at the thread that tied me to all these different roles. And found that positively partnering with youth, families and the community, to gently facilitate meaningful change, has been the constant. Leading me to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. As the child of Filipino immigrants, who also both happen to be deaf, I have watched from a very young age what it looks like to be misunderstood, while fighting hard to show up in the world as yourself. This was an ongoing, painful and sad experience, that created a fire within me to see to it that all people experience a world where they can be understood for who they are, understand and be conscious of the things happening within themselves, and for me as a person, friend, partner, parent and clinician to really understand them. As an Asian American woman from a collectivist culture, my hope is to break the stigma surrounding mental health - among every community - by creating a safe space where understanding of self and one’s experience can lead to healing.
About me personally: I am a born and raised Coloradoan, who grew up in the suburbs of Denver. I am passionate about the outdoors - skiing, camping, hiking and biking. In my free time you’ll find me thrifting with my wife, playing basketball with one of my foster kids, or hiking with my dogs.
