Asian Therapists in Lincoln Park, IL

I'm a licensed art therapist that is dedicated to nurturing culturally attuned care for the Asian and Asian-American communities. At the core of my practice is an unyielding belief in the transformative and healing power of art, a medium that transcends linguistic and cultural barriers, inviting individuals from all walks of life to engage, express, and heal. I've embraced a diverse array of individuals, particularly championing the needs of people of color, immigrants, and minority groups, guiding them towards self-acceptance, gender affirmation, and a profound sense of self-worth.

You have the answers - my role as your therapist is to collaborate and bring your capacities and experiences to the forefront. My personal identities (i.e. latine and South Asian), along with my education in psychology, religion, and social work, inform my practice through an anti-oppression lens that is affirming of people on the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum, people of all sizes, genders, racial, and religious identities, parenting and non-parenting people, diverse relationship structures, kinksters, people who have been incarcerated, and people who work(ed) in survival economies (i.e. sex work).

I offer a warmly collaborative, open, and at times, gently challenging approach to help you enhance your quality of life. My clients are busy, driven adults who feel "stuck" in their relationships and careers, and disconnected from themselves and others who matter most. Many report experiencing anxiety in various forms, imposter syndrome, excessive worry, and burnout. Since 2013, I have compassionately guided clients toward a higher sense of fulfillment, well-being, and overall functioning. Using integrative clinical approaches tailored to your specific needs, I will partner with you to create positive change.

Do you criticize, doubt and judge yourself a lot? In your relationship, do you feel like walking on eggshells because you are afraid of saying anything to your partner that will spark yet another fight? Do you feel disconnected and your needs are not met? Imagine being at peace with yourself and feeling heard, connected, loved, appreciated, and respected with your loved ones. My mission as a relational therapist is to help you break maladaptive behavioral cycles and ways of relating to yourself. In interrupting these patterns, we open new avenues of communication—giving you healthier ways of connecting with the people you love most.

I specialize in trauma recovery, racial/ethnic/cultural identity development, religious/spiritual abuse, intergenerational trauma, depression and anxiety. I have experience working with under-served populations and individuals experiencing complex trauma, depression, anxiety and relational difficulties. Growing up in a single-parent household with traumatized adults made me passionate about navigating the complexities of trauma, marginalization, mental health stigma, perfectionism, identity and belonging. I work with adult children of immigrants, BIPOC, & QTBIPOC folks to hold a safe space for our intersectional identities.

Have you felt frustrated and lost about your career, relationships, or identity? Or has there been an internal conflict of feeling not good enough that leads to feeling stressed and isolated? When uncomfortable emotions escalate, it can be difficult to find a sense of peace and control. I aim to create a safe and accepting environment where you can freely express yourself, allowing us to embrace these emotions and experiences.

Nothing human can be alien to me -Terence. Within the bounds of a safe relationship, I hope you can let the ugly, shameful and irrational parts of you breathe. Together, we can encounter them with compassion, as this is often where the work lies. I endeavor to create a warm holding environment for you as we explore issues more deeply and understand their origins through psychoanalytic, relational and existential perspectives. I share my conceptualizations with clients and provide psychoeducation to increase insight into our unconscious experiences, while honoring individual uniqueness, cultural nuances, and other complexities.

Regardless of the successes, you still have moments when you feel like a failure. If you’re someone who holds yourself to high standards, you might feel frustrated by how you get in your own way from succeeding. If you struggle with the combination of perfectionism and procrastination, counseling can help. I provide direct, interactive feedback with an anti-systemic racism perspective designed to help you stay accountable to your goals.

Psychotherapy provides an opportunity for a deepened experience, where we can learn both about how you came to be who you are, and how you can grow towards something new. I recognize this process as inherently vulnerable, and as such I offer warm gentleness with honest words, to help you feel comfortable within the therapeutic process to explore yourself and engage the world and your relationships in newfound ways.

The clients who are the best fit for my clinical approach tend to be people who want to build a stronger sense of self, learn how to center their own needs and set boundaries, and are open to inner child healing. The clients I work with want to change their relationship with themselves to be more compassionate and nurturing. They are recovering people pleasers, people who want to learn how to be more assertive, often have unresolved trauma, and are ready to break cycles in order to establish new patterns. They seek support from me to discuss dating, relationships, sex, childhood traumas, identity, and healing from abuse and neglect.