First things first,
I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT).
This means I am working on my hours toward licensure under the supervision of a licensed professional. My supervisor provides guidance, feedback, and support with my cases.
My title as an AMFT can be misleading.
I see individuals and relationship structures (couples, polycules, and families) alike.
At first glance,
As a person,
I present as a relatively young adult cis-het woman, who is of Asian descent and height.
I present as able-bodied.
I present as average/mid-sized to the general American population, and currently would be deemed “too fat” to older Asian elders who do not know how else to commune.
My presentations are one-dimensional.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, California.
I was raised by an immigrant mother and refugee family who did their best with what resources and skills they had.
Their resources and skills sometimes looked and sounded loud and aggressive.
I see a therapist, too.
As a therapist,
I understand what it’s like to be in the client’s chair.
I know how terrifying therapy can be.
I also know how soft therapy can be.
I will encourage you to explore. I will keep it real.
I will keep it light where it needs to be, and hold space where it’s dark.
I will remind you that your journey and narrative are yours to mold.
Outside of sessions,
I am relearning what it means to play.
Without the [complete] pressures of perfection, I am enjoying learning how to sing and dance
(activities I previously swore I’d die avoiding)
so that I can sing along to whatever comes up on Spotify without quickly running out of breath.
I strive to be the cool aunt to a lovely toddler on the East Coast.
We are practicing expressing how much we loved our time together through grief, anger, and big hugs when it’s time to say goodbye.
I am always moving my foster failure’s dog bed so that he can soak in all the sunshine he can from the ever-shifting sun rays.
(You may occasionally hear the pitter-patter of his feet as he walks around my office, or his attempts to be a guard dog.
Apologies and thank you for your patience with this in advance.)