What's My Approach to Therapy?
While some clients enter therapy with specific goals, and I am more than willing to be of assistance, I pride myself as a culturally competent and community values-forward professional with an understanding that each client has a unique system of support and challenges.
My experience has been rather eclectic in terms of the population I have worked with, and I have come to feel connected to adolescents and immigrants who require a specific lens of care. As a bilingual therapist able to provide sessions in Mandarin and English, I am eager to be of support for fellow members of the community who struggle to assimilate or navigate in the metropolitan NYC area.
I have more than eight years of experience in outpatient mental health settings, half of which was spent as a case manager specialist, and more than four years of experience as a clinician. I have worked closely and successfully with individuals, families, couples, and groups across all ages and backgrounds. As an immigrant, queer woman of color, I find myself able to compassionately provide a mirroring comfort for clients of all identities, but especially those who might share similar identities as me.
I have found my clinical approach to be blended from gestalt, person-in-environment approach, and trauma-informed lens. Throughout treatment, I also utilize a variety of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) interventions when skills training is in order, and my style can be described as motivational but compassionate. My past clients know me well to be able to match their pace, using various analogies and references from books I am reading, and humor to get to know them.
I graduated from UGA with an undergraduate Bachelor of Science in 2016, with two years of research experience during that time, and received my master’s in social work from NYU Silver in 2020 with specialized training in community leadership. During my time as a mental health case manager, I completed training in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) motivational interviewing. In my previous clinical position as an LMSW, I received my emotionally focused therapy (EFT) training certificate in 2021, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills training in 2024, and my Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in 2025.