Online Asian American Therapist across New York City & State

As an Asian American therapist, I pay close attention to the cultural and family stories that shaped you, such as messages about achievement, obedience, respect, and not making waves. I’m mindful of how racism, immigration, and “model minority” expectations can silently shape anxiety and burnout. My goal is to help you sort out which expectations still fit, which are hurting you, and how to honor your values without disappearing yourself in the process.

Clients often describe me as warm, thoughtful, and direct in a kind way. I’ll listen closely and validate what you’ve gone through, and I’ll also gently challenge the patterns that keep you stuck, like perfectionism, people-pleasing, or avoidance. I integrate evidence-based approaches (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, exposure therapy) with a strong focus on culture, identity, and nervous-system regulation. You can expect both reflection and practical experiments to try between sessions.

A good fit often feels like feeling understood, not feeling judged, and being able to imagine opening up more over time. If you read my website and it feels relatable, that’s a good sign. In our early work, notice how you feel before, during, and after sessions. Do you feel seen? Do you leave with something concrete to reflect on or practice?

I welcome open conversations about fit. If at any point it seems like another type of therapist would better support your goals, I’ll do my best to help you find one.

First, request a free 15-minute consultation. We’ll set up a time to connect when I receive your contact form inquiry, and I’ll call you at the number you provide me. The purpose of this brief initial phone call is for me to get an idea of your concerns and for us to get a sense of whether we’d likely be a good fit to work together. We’ll briefly discuss what brings you to therapy at this time, along with what you’d like to get out of therapy. This is also a chance for you to ask me any initial questions you have. By the end of our phone call, we can decide to schedule your first appointment or make an alternative plan.

If we decide to work together:

I meet with clients 1x/week for 45 minutes.

(As we meet, the most important component of therapy is developing a good working relationship and feeling comfortable with how fast or slow we work together. I will encourage you to check in with yourself periodically about how you feel. If you sense that something feels off, please check in with me so we can address it.)

In the first few sessions, we’ll go through important information from the initial paperwork, go through confidentiality and policies, and answer any of your questions. I will also get to know you and your primary concerns a bit more. To better understand how your concerns may have developed and how it has been affecting your daily life, I will collect information about possible triggering events and background information. Background information includes mental and physical health history; relationships with family members, work colleagues, friends, and other individuals; and interests or hobbies. The information gathered will be used to guide our work together. By the end of these initial sessions, I will recommend next steps, and we would agree on the initial direction for therapy. Later sessions will usually be driven by you and what you’d like to address. We’ll also continue to discuss recurring themes, or core issues – along with the thoughts and emotions that come with these issues – together. In addition, I will teach you skills that you can use to address week-to-week concerns.

As part of ongoing assessment, I like to ask for feedback and check in with you about how therapy is going. In addition, I also like to collect data that can indicate how you are doing as a quantitative indication of whether therapy has been working for you. I will tailor therapy based on your presenting concerns, core issues, and response to therapy.

No. While my specialty is high-achieving Asian American women, I also work with high-achieving adults of all backgrounds who resonate with my approach to anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout. I often work with ambitious and recreational runners on anxiety, perfectionism, and performance-related stress (including returning to running after injury). While I’m not a sports psychologist, I use evidence-based therapy with a runner-savvy, performance-aware lens and can coordinate with your physical therapist or coach when helpful.

I’m also a nationally certified school psychologist and keep a small caseload of kids and teens (by referral) for anxiety and perfectionism during daytime hours only. If you’re unsure whether we’re a fit, you’re welcome to book a brief consult and we’ll decide together.