Teens and Adults Psychotherapy in San Francisco

My Teachers Are My Communities

I started out my “counseling/therapy” career as a HIV/AIDS testing counselor and a program coordinator in the San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood after working several years in the art industry. During my six-year tenure there, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a diverse population of adults with HIV related issues as well as LGBTQ specific challenges. This lead me to continue pursuing a career in psychotherapy. Having great discussion with my clients on interesting topics from "Why do we suffer?" to "What's our purpose?", I knew that this was a career that I could learn from my clients as well as share my expertise on managing risks in one's life. I particularly enjoyed exchanging thoughts and ideas with them about existentialistic way of looking at our lives. Witnessing my clients having an "Aha!" breakthrough moment was particularly rewarding.

Around this time, I also encountered numerous adult clients who were not comfortable with talking to a stranger about their issues since their cultural background did not include the concept of Western psychotherapy. Instead some of our community members often turned to expressive arts, spiritual guidance, clergy and/or self-actualization practices. They appeared to be more comfortable with self-reflective exercises to uncover their deepest pains.

This is when I learned about Morita and Naikan therapies. Both Eastern Philosophy-based modalities rely on our ability to turn our attention away from an idea of what should have been and face the maladaptive notion that actually puts ourselves in a difficult situation. Morita and Naikan were my thesis subjects that I worked on in graduate school as well. After graduation, I continued studying both Morita and Naikna through Constructive Living seminars by David Reynolds, PhD., and the Japanese Psychology program, lead by Gregg Krech at the Todo Institute. I was certified in the Japanese Psychology in 2007 and I have been incorporating both Morita and Naikan concepts into my Western psychology practice ever since.

After earning my master’s degree in clinical psychology from New College of California the same year, I was hired by a local non-profit (NPO) agency who placed me at a public high school as a substance abuse prevention and treatment counselor. Previously, I had never worked extensively with adolescents but I discovered working with this challenging yet resilient population was very gratifying. While using person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI) technique, brief strategic family therapy (BSFT), and mindfulness exercise such as Expressive Arts Therapy, Morita and Naikan to help them manage stress and substance use, I also ran support groups, organized school-wide substance abuse prevention activities as well as classroom presentations. 

It was such a great learning experience that when the federal funding at the high school ended after three and a half years, I continued providing psychotherapy for students with trauma history at another public middle school. On the days that I was not at school and was at the NPO agency clinic, I had an opportunity again to work with adult clients with anxiety, depression, and trauma related adverse childhood experiences. I left this place after ten years, and am currently working with the clients at my private practice in San Francisco, California. 

Because of my diverse clinical experience with people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and challenges, I am dedicated in working with anyone who is willing to reflect on their lives and improve their skills in managing life’s obstacles.

Contact me for a FREE 20-MINUTE PHONE CONSULTATION 415.823.0022