Hello.

I believe that therapy is an intensely personal experience and feel deeply honored to be considered. I write about myself here in the hopes that you get to know me, where I come from, and how these experiences affect my therapy practice .

I grew up in Houston as part of a very large family. They helped me understand the overt and implied racism I experienced as a brown woman in Texas. I felt angry, but my family showed me that sticking together would help. The care that I saw my family give to one another helped me realize that I wanted to help others.

I went to college in nearby Austin, because there was an implied pressure that I stay close to home. I studied teaching, and after some therapy, realized that I chose that path so that I could eventually become a stay at home mom. The influence that sociocultural norms has on a person still shocks me. After a few years, I felt counseling to be my true path. Through this experience, I feel it to be something that I can help others unpack.

I chose to move to Seattle and used graduate school as my excuse. I felt that it would be a refreshing, diverse place to be. I was culture shocked by the generations and history of Asian Americans on the west coast. A particular story I remember is befriending someone my age whose grandfather had been in an internment camp and lost all of their land. I learned what it was like for his family to rebuild. Not only were Asian Americans rebuilding, they were making efforts to improve Seattle by becoming elected officials. I had never seen Asian Americans be part of the culture. I was used to being ignored and brushed aside. I learned to embrace myself as an AAPI woman here. Experiences like this help me help others as they explore who they are and how they show up.

I’ve been counseling for 10+ years now, and it feels like I was born to do this. I’ve done it in many settings: schools, community mental health, and private practice. No matter where I’m practicing, the ultimate privilege is to help others live the lives they want to live.