What are your favorite clients to work with (populations of special interest)?
I seek to support the QTBIPOC population and people of diverse marginalized identities. Racial and cultural identity development theories do not talk to each other well, but both inform my work as a counseling intern and mental health professional, and can be transformative when they are in dialogue and work collaboratively. I also feel passionate about supporting the neurodivergent population. I offer a combination of psychodynamic and somatic therapies in working with clients coming in with developmental trauma and/or PTSD, religious abuse, and moral injury. Spirituality may be integrated into the therapy as well, depending on the client’s needs.
What are one or two interventions that you enjoy using and have found to be supportive to clients?
I primarily work from a foundation of psychodynamic therapy, where clients are welcome to talk about what is on their mind (images, emotions, thoughts) without judgment or censorship. Lacanian Psychoanalysis allows the client to connect to their unconscious desires. When we listen to ourselves, we realize we have multiple and sometimes conflicting desires at the same time, and we also learn how many of our desires are socially and culturally constructed. We listen to the spoken, the unspoken, and the unspeakable, without judgment. I draw inspiration from Ignacio Martín-Baró, who talks about how critical consciousness leads to a deeper understanding of reality. These theories are important because we hold the power to transform our reality. To be fully human, I believe, only happens through relationships with others. Therapy becomes a unique kind of meeting between persons that creates the opportunity for change and transformation of reality.
What have you learned from your work/collaboration as a therapist working with individuals and communities?
There can be stigma related to seeking therapy, and it takes so much courage to seek counseling. If you are seeking or already in therapy, I want to affirm your courage and strength in your pursuit. Each person has innate knowledge and power to deal with the great waves life brings. The body has an innate ability to heal – even during a traumatic experience, so I believe that therapy work is collaborative in nature, and holistic work. The survival responses fight, flight, or flee enable you to protect yourself; however, they can cause problems when we lose the ability to distinguish between safety and danger. We sometimes need a safe enough space to slow down, reflect, and work on ourselves. Even in the midst of pain and suffering, I observe strength, creativity, hope, wisdom, and perseverance emerging in the lives of people. Liberation, or human flourishing, may look different depending on your social-cultural context, which I deeply respect, and I feel honored and grateful to be in this endeavor.
People of color who have ADHD often carry a double burden: managing a neurodevelopmental condition while navigating a world shaped by racism. Racial trauma, microaggressions, and systemic violence place a constant cognitive and emotional load on BIPOC individuals with ADHD. Chronic stress can worsen ADHD symptoms such as distractibility, impulsivity, and emotional overwhelm.
State violence, white supremacy, and police brutality leave deep imprints on the nervous system. Constantly scanning for danger, processing the threat of discrimination, or witnessing harm to others creates ongoing stress that can amplify ADHD symptoms like overwhelm and dysregulation. This kind of chronic physiological stress doesn’t stay in the mind alone; it lives in the body, shaping how people breathe, sleep, and regulate emotions in everyday life.
Mental health care for neurodivergent people of color must be explicitly antiracist and culturally humble. Antiracist care recognizes how racism affects not just identity but physiology. At Sakura Counseling, we do not pathologize stress reactions to racist and harmful power structures and systems. Culturally humble care seeks to understand each person’s unique personal and cultural background and perspective.
Kirmayer (Kirmayer, 2012) writes about how cultural humility and cultural safety are an “an added critique of cultural competence.” This refers to mental health care providers’ understanding of cultural knowledge and respect and reception towards clients’ worldview, voice, and frameworks informing their realities. Clinicians hold a responsibility to acknowledge structural violence and provide “safe clinical encounters.” Cultural safety is “striving towards the absence of cultural bias and any form of racism” (Konidaris & Petrakis, 2025). Kirmayer [42] describes that “cultural safety ‘moves beyond the concept of cultural sensitivity to analyzing power imbalances, institutional discrimination, colonization and colonial relationships as they apply to health care (National Aboriginal Health Organisation, 2008, p. 3)’”.
Possessing humility, self-reflexivity, and an understanding of both culture and race and understanding of its dynamic impact on mental health, is a shared responsibility between culturally diverse communities and mental health clinicians. Jackson and Samuels (2011) write about cultural attunement in mental health care and social work practice with multicultural communities, stating that “Attunement requires one’s ‘cultural humility’ and awareness and acknowledgement of individual and group based experiences of pain and oppression (Hoskins, 1999).”
Clinicians hold a responsibility to engage in critical self-reflection and critical self-reflexive processes in their culturally attuned work with clients. Cultural safety is reliant upon therapist’s ability to center their clients’ values, self-efficacy, and self-determination. For BIPOC individuals and couples with ADHD, this means support that validates their experiences of racial trauma, honors their cultural strengths, and collaborates with them on tools that feel empowering rather than pathologizing or prescriptive. When care embraces both justice and neurodiversity, it helps people not just manage symptoms, but build resilience, safety, and connection in a world that still has a long way to go.
Sources
Dean R. The Myth of Cross-Cultural Competence. Fam. Soc. J. Contemp. Soc. Serv. 2001;82:623–630. doi: 10.1606/1044-3894.151.
Kirmayer L.J. Cultural competence and evidence-based practice in mental health: Epistemic communities and the politics of pluralism. Soc. Sci. Med. 2012;75:249–256. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.018.
Kirmayer L.J. Rethinking cultural competence. Transcult. Psychiatry. 2012;49:149–164. doi: 10.1177/1363461512444673.
Konidaris M, Petrakis M. Cultural Humility Training in Mental Health Service Provision: A Scoping Review of the Foundational and Conceptual Literature. Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jun 4;13(11):1342. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13111342. PMID: 40508955; PMCID: PMC12155312.
Hook J.N., Davis D.E., Owen J., Worthington E.L., Jr., Utsey S.O. Cultural Humility: Measuring Openness to Culturally Diverse Clients. J. Couns. Psychol. 2013;60:353–366. doi: 10.1037/a0032595.
Jackson K.F., Samuels G.M. Multiracial competence in social work: Recommendations for culturally attuned work with multiracial people. Soc. Work. 2011;56:235–245. doi: 10.1093/sw/56.3.235.
Couples and families are beautifully diverse, shaped by culture, identity, lived experience, and the many ways our minds work. For couples where ADHD is part of the relationship, and for those who are co-parenting, there are often shared strengths and challenges that show up across different backgrounds and family structures.
ADHD can bring creativity, intuition, humor, and deep care for one another, while also introducing difficulties with communication, organization, or emotional regulation. In ADHD couples and mixed-neurotype partnerships, one partner may be higher functioning than the other, and this can create dynamics that look like parent-child dynamic, or one in which one partner is excessively helping, heading on a path to potentially burning out and/or becoming resentful toward their partner.
For neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, gender-expansive, and multicultural couples, these dynamics may be layered with additional contexts such as navigating systems not built with your family in mind, honoring multiple identities, and creating family norms that reflect who you truly are. Understanding the common patterns that arise supports deeper connection, mutual respect, and a sense of belonging. With compassion and curiosity, couples can build relationships and co-parenting partnerships that are affirming, sustainable, and uniquely their own.
Helpful strategies for couples and co-parents with ADHD often center on creating systems and learning hacks that work with neurodivergent brains rather than against them. This may include using shared visual tools such as calendars, task boards, or apps that support reminders and reduce mental load, as well as breaking responsibilities into clear, manageable steps. Establishing predictable routines while allowing flexibility can support emotional regulation and reduce conflict, especially during high-stress times. For multicultural and gender-expansive families, it can also be helpful to openly discuss how cultural values, gender roles, and family expectations influence communication and decision-making, ensuring that responsibilities are shared in ways that feel equitable, affirming, and sustainable.
Equally important are relational tools that support connection, repair, and belonging. Practices such as regular check-ins, collaborative problem-solving, and explicit communication about needs and boundaries can help couples stay aligned, particularly when ADHD impacts attention, memory, or follow-through. Seeking out ADHD-informed, LGBTQ+-affirming, and culturally responsive therapy, parenting supports, or group therapy can provide validation and reduce isolation. When couples center curiosity, compassion, and respect for each person’s identities and neurodivergence, they create space for strengths to flourish and for co-parenting partnerships to grow in trust, flexibility, and resilience.
One intervention that can be especially supportive for neurodivergent couples with ADHD is a structured “capacity and boundaries mapping” practice. This involves each partner regularly identifying and naming their current emotional, cognitive, and physical capacity. Capacity and levels of ability will naturally shift day to day, and it can be highly supportive for the partners to develop skills to clearly communicating what each person can and cannot take on in that moment. Using shared language, visual scales, or color-coded cues (for example, green for high capacity, yellow for limited capacity, and red for overwhelmed) can make boundaries more concrete and easier to understand. When couples practice sharing capacity without judgment and responding with respect rather than negotiation or pressure, boundaries become a tool for care rather than conflict, supporting clearer communication, reduced burnout, and a more sustainable sense of mutual support.
Sources
ADHD Love. (2025, Sept. 10).THE ADHD PARTNER SURVIVAL GUIDE: 10 hacks for a happier relationship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y_09M8Y_Fc
Morse-Budling, L. Tools for Neurodiverse/Mixed-Neurotype Couples: Zones of Regulation (emotion communication). (2024, Feb. 7). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voDl_zMGyr8
Somatic therapies are gentle, body-centered approaches to healing that honor the lived experiences, cultural identities, and resilience of all people. Multicultural communities, disabled folks and folks with different abilities, gender expansive families and individuals, and people of color can benefit from learning techniques which support the nervous system to move from sympathetic (activation) into parasympathetic (rest and digest).
State violence, lawlessness, and ongoing human rights abuses carried out or sanctioned by government systems do not only exist as political realities; they are experienced viscerally in the bodies of those most impacted. For immigrants, people of color, and gender-expansive people, chronic exposure to surveillance, threat, discrimination, and institutional betrayal can condition the nervous system to remain in states of heightened vigilance, shutdown, or exhaustion. When safety cannot be reliably found in social systems meant to protect, the body adapts by prioritizing survival—often through hyperarousal, dissociation, or constriction—responses that may later be misunderstood or pathologized rather than recognized as adaptive. Over time, this ongoing stress can erode the body’s capacity for regulation, rest, and connection, particularly when harm is cumulative and intergenerational. Understanding these impacts through a somatic lens invites compassion and accountability, recognizing that nervous system responses are not individual failures, but embodied reflections of systemic violence and the absence of collective safety.
Grounded in the early work of Wilhelm Reich and Peter Levine, and later shaped by mental health practitioners and community facilitators Resmaa Menakem, Pat Ogden, and Bessel van der Kolk, somatic therapy recognizes that trauma, especially trauma related to chronic stress, systemic oppression, and state violence, is not only held in our thoughts, but in our bodies and nervous systems. Somatic approaches may include practices such as tracking bodily sensations, breathwork, grounding exercises, mindful movement, and gentle awareness of posture or tension, all offered at a pace that supports choice and consent. These therapies help individuals understand how survival responses like fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown can become activated during high stress, and provide practical tools for emotional regulation and nervous system stabilization. By strengthening the body’s capacity to sense safety, even in moments of heightened stress or exposure to ongoing threat, somatic therapies support people in reconnecting with their bodies as sources of protection, wisdom, and embodied resilience.
Creating a Sense of Safety in the Body
Somatic practices you might explore with a therapist
When people begin somatic therapy, one of the first goals is not processing emotions or memories, but helping the body feel a little safer. Safety in the nervous system often comes from small, repeated experiences of regulation, choice, and gentleness.
Below are examples of practices a somatic therapist might guide you through—always at your pace, with permission to stop, adjust, or simply notice.
Box Breathing (Finding Rhythm and Predictability)
You might be invited to explore a simple breathing rhythm, such as box breathing. This isn’t about forcing relaxation, but about offering your nervous system a predictable pattern.
You could try inhaling slowly through the nose for a count of four, pausing briefly at the top of the inhale, exhaling for four, and pausing again before the next breath. As you do this, you might notice how your chest, belly, or throat respond.
A therapist may encourage you to adjust the counts so they feel comfortable—or to stop entirely if your body signals “that’s enough.” The goal is not perfect breathing, but listening to how your body responds to rhythm and pause.
Bilateral Tapping (Supporting Regulation Through Alternation)
Bilateral tapping involves gently tapping one side of the body and then the other, often on the thighs, arms, or shoulders.
You might alternate left and right at a pace that feels soothing rather than mechanical. Some people find this creates a sense of grounding or presence, while others simply notice the sensation of touch.
In somatic therapy, this practice is often paired with curiosity:
What do you notice in your body as the tapping continues?
Does one side feel different than the other?
Would slowing down or stopping feel better right now?
The emphasis is always on choice and agency, not pushing through discomfort.
Gentle Rocking (Inviting Safety Through Movement)
Rocking is a natural self-regulation movement many humans instinctively use, especially in times of stress.
You might rock slowly forward and back in a chair, side to side, or even shift your weight gently while standing. A therapist may invite you to find a rhythm that feels calming—or simply neutral.
Rather than asking “Does this relax me?” the invitation is often:
Does this movement feel supportive?
Is there a sense of settling, or simply less effort?
Sometimes the body responds with a deeper breath, a sigh, or a subtle sense of ease. Sometimes it doesn’t—and both are okay.
Orienting Through the Breath (Tracking Sensation Without Control)
Instead of structured breathing, you may be guided to simply notice where the breath already moves.
You might place a hand on your chest or belly and observe:
Where do you feel the breath most clearly?
Does the breath feel shallow, deep, uneven, or steady?
What happens when you allow it to be exactly as it is?
This practice supports emotional regulation by building tolerance for sensation, without needing to change it. Over time, this can help the nervous system learn that sensation itself is not dangerous.
Self-Soothing Touch (Using Contact to Support Safety)
Self-soothing touch can be as simple as placing a hand over your heart, wrapping your arms around yourself, or resting a hand on your cheek or neck.
In somatic therapy, touch is always approached with consent—even with yourself. You might be encouraged to ask internally:
Does this touch feel comforting, neutral, or uncomfortable?
Would a different location or pressure feel better?
The intention is not to force calm, but to offer the body a sense of containment and support, especially during emotional moments.
Pendulation (Moving Between Ease and Activation)
A somatic therapist may guide you to gently notice a place in your body that feels relatively calm or neutral, and then briefly notice an area that feels tense or activated—before returning to the calmer sensation.
This back-and-forth helps the nervous system learn that it can move out of intensity and return to safety. Over time, this builds emotional resilience and regulation capacity.
You are never asked to stay with discomfort longer than feels manageable.
What are your favorite clients to work with (populations of special interest)?
I enjoy working with folks from the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ community, as well as those navigating multicultural and transnational identities, and neurodivergence. Many clients I work with come to counseling seeking new ways to connect—whether with themselves, their history, their loved ones, their current circumstances, or communities they belong to. I especially enjoy working with those who are navigating identity, deepening their understanding of their inner emotional worlds, and exploring how personal history, culture and systemic influences shape their experiences.
What are one or two interventions that you enjoy using and have found to be supportive to Clients?
I draw from Emotion-Focused, Narrative, and Humanistic-Experiential Therapies. In a session, this might look like holding space for your emotional world, helping you find language to express your truths, and honoring the richness and complexity of your experiences. I also incorporate somatic therapy techniques into my work, because I believe that cultivating awareness of how our bodies hold and express emotion allows us to tap into a deeper level of understanding and healing.
That said, I think that the co-created relationship between client and the therapist is just as important. Sharing our stories and giving voice to the tender parts of ourselves can be deeply vulnerable. In these moments, it makes all the difference to have a safe, trusting space where we can be met in that vulnerability. This is why I strive to always bring care, warmth, humor, presence, and compassion into my sessions. I hope that by showing up in my own humanness, you’ll feel invited to do the same.
What artists, creators, mental health practitioners, healers, or practices help to guide, inform, and/or inspire your work as a therapist?
I love learning from others, and I’m always seeking out new perspectives to guide my work— so this list is always updating! In this season of my work as a therapist, in addition Emotion-Focused, Narrative, Humanistic-Experiential, and Somatic Therapy, these are the folks, books, and practices I draw inspiration from currently:
People
Alok Vaid-Menon
Christabel Mintah-Galloway, RN BSN
Dr. Orna Guralnik, PsyD
Simone Saunders, MSW, RSW
Liz Rhea, LMSW
Angela Han
Books
The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD For People of Color, by Natalie Y. Gutiérrez
Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox, by Manuela Mischke-Reeds, MA LMFT
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower, by Dr. Brittney Cooper, PhD
For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts, by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez
Lastly, my own Thai cultural practices, rituals, and spirituality, passed down through my family, continue to serve as a source of grounding in my practice.
What insurance(s) do you accept?
I accept individuals and couples with Cigna and Evernorth, Providence, Kaiser (Out-of-Network), and Regence. I can also accept out of pocket payments at $130 per session.
What are your favorite clients to work with (populations of special interest)?
My favorite clients to work with are couples, families, teens, adults, and end-of-life clients. I especially enjoy working with LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities and those who have been historically underserved and underrepresented in the mental health community. I specialize in working with those who are dealing withlife transitions, internal family conflicts, grief and loss, systematic barriers, loneliness, and social anxiety. I love working with those who are authentic, unapologetically themselves, and move from a place of passion for change.
What inspired you to enter the field of mental health?
I was inspired to become a professional counselor associate and future therapist from my own personal experience in therapy. When I was twelve, my father passed away and my mother encouraged me to / helped me attend therapy for support and guidance. Therapy not only helped me gain tools to better cope with my issues and work towards living my ideal life, but I was also inspired by the work my therapist and I did together. So much so that at the age of thirteen, I decided that I wanted to become a therapist and dedicate my life to making mental health more accessible and approachable for underserved communities.
What does it mean to you to heal, or be a healer/agent of healing?
The therapeutic journey clients and I embark on together is something I consider as sacred. To be invited into the experience of another and to be the person who walks alongside them as they work towards healing is an honor. To be given the opportunity to build that level of trust with another as they work towards addressing their concerns and connecting to their authentic selves is a beautiful thing to witness. Whenever one of my clients enters the therapeutic space and engages, allowing real change to take place, it offers what I consider to be the best ‘big-picture moment’ a therapist can experience and reminds me why this work matters. as therapists are very lucky to do the work that we do with clients.
What have you learned from your work / collaboration as a therapist working with individuals and communities?
Through my work as a therapist, I have learned that one of the most important aspects of therapy is simply being human in the room with our clients. Our presence and genuine curiosity can speak volumes. I am thankful that I have mentors and relationships in the mental health community because within these, I have been able to see through a variety of lenses. Therapy is a collaboration and relational, both inside the therapeutic space and when we are out connecting our communities. Whether we are working with individuals, couples, or families; we are developing a trusting relationship and exploring issues with a relational lens. After we create genuine, meaningful bonds with our clients, the integration of diverse therapeutic modalities comes easily. I’ve found that clients often prefer we meet them in their current reality before we start using our clinical language. Humanizing the therapy experience is one of my biggest focal points as a mental health provider.
What insurance(s) do you accept?
I accept Kaiser insurance for both couples/families, and individuals, Providence for individuals, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield for individuals.
1. What are your favorite clients to work with (populations of special interest)?
While I am open to working with many client populations, my favorite population to work with are multiracial clients who struggle with identity, and challenges of belonging. I am also interested in working with BIPOC clients who struggle with the various challenges of living in and navigating majority white spaces.
2. What inspired you to become a therapist?
Growing up in a multiracial, low-income family with divorced parents, I have been a witness to suffering my entire life. Additionally, my mother ran an in-home daycare throughout most of my childhood. With her, I vicariously learned the personal characteristics of a caretaker. I believe my early exposure to these two environments is what first instilled in me the value and passion to help others.
I also have experienced my own trauma throughout my life and have embarked on a journey of healing, which was supported by my studies in psychology in high school and college. Through this process, I have learned so much about how humans can heal, and what someone might need in order to achieve emotional, spiritual, and psychological well-being. Having personally experienced the immense capacity of one’s mind and life to subjectively change for the better, I became fascinated with the idea of contributing to this process for others. My earlier acquired passion for helping people found a real-world application when I considered counseling as a career path. I realized this was an opportunity to both sustain myself and my community.
3. What does it mean to you to heal, or be a healer/agent of healing?
I believe that healing is the process of increasing resilience and building insight relating to the wounds of our nervous system, while also decreasing the suffering caused said wounds. To heal is to become less controlled by our learned and automatic attempts at coping. To me, being an agent of healing is an absolute honor. I feel grateful that I have the privilege of walking alongside other humans in their journey to improving their experience of life. In my perspective, the most valuable aspect of life is the experience of life itself. Therefore, working to help others improve their experience feels like an invaluable service to provide.
4. What insurance(s) do you accept?
The insurance that I am able to accept as a student intern are Cigna and Evernorth, Kaiser (Out-of-Network), Providence, Regence. I can also accept out of pocket payments at $130 a session.
Hope is more than just optimism. It’s the belief in the possibility of change, even when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Snyder (2002) describes hope as the belief that we can influence our circumstances and find ways forward, even during difficult times. During times of socio-political stress, when injustice, violence, and systemic oppression feel unrelenting, hope can take many forms. For example, it can look like choosing to rest when the world demands urgency or showing up for your community despite living in an individualistic society. Hope turns into a collective resilience, reminding ourselves that even small acts of kindness, care, and connection can push back against despair.
We are living through a time in which the government is defunding social programs which marginalized communities, and a great majority of American citizens depend on. The Trump Administration is weaponizing immigration and customs enforcement and employing militarized and fascist tactics to elicit fear and harm to people of color and families of mixed immigration status. The current administration has made it clear that their goal is to terrorize, regress, and control through fear tactics. The work of healing the collective and advocacy for groups who are most vulnerable to the violence and discrimination of white nationalist government officials and racist policies, everyone holds a responsibility for recognizing their relationship to others’ oppression.
Scholars and theorists studying war “have long understood that when one can deplete the social capital of a group with whom one is in conflict; they are that much easier to take advantage of” (Tzu, 2008). Engagement is key for cultivating power in community: social capital as a means for resistance as well as resiliency building. Some forms of social capital are bonding, bridging, and linking, all forms of community engagement as a means for resourcing and strengthening through connection (Hansson et al., 2005). Bonding, bridging, and linking, looks like relationships and interdependence across varied social spheres in our lives, across work, social networks, and institutions. Social capital – built in community spaces of all shapes and forms – supports mental health and overall well-being and can be a coping tool for both the individual and the collective. When we engage with each other and build social capital, we connect with each other, and our agency, individually and collectively (Hansson et al., 2005).
“Actively engaging with one’s community and society to create equitable change can play an important role in addressing individual stress while also contributing to a longer-term transformation of the root causes of the pain they are facing” (Bartlett et al., 2021). For marginalized groups and communities experiencing structural oppression and violence, social capital and resourcing in community care is not easily accessible, as these individuals and families are often in a state of survival. Systems of oppression directly impact these groups’ ability to develop social capital – interdependent resourcing and community building. One aspect of building resilience and empowerment is through education. Understanding structural violence can provide understanding and grounding for those experiencing racial trauma, discrimination, and institutionalized harm. Education can be an act of resistance and empowerment, laying a foundation for individuals to understand better the systems and policies articulating the barriers to access in their lives. Advocacy and community engagement can act as a healing modality for treating minority stress, racial stress and the trauma of discrimination and oppression” (Bartlett et al., 2021).
From an attachment lens, hope has always been relational. Bowlby (1988) states that our capacity for trust, safety, and emotional regulation starts with our earliest attachments. When those relationships are reliable and responsive, we learn that others can be a source for comfort and stability. In adulthood, that foundation extends into the communities that we’re a part of. In a world filled with disconnection, polarization, and grief, our community becomes a kind of safe haven for us to restore and share suffering, support, and understanding. Community becomes a place where we can experience safety, belonging, and mutual care. Moments like gathering around shared meals or checking in on one another remind us that maintaining hope is not work we can do on our own. When we gather, give, grieve, and hold space for one another through hard times, it’s a reminder that hope doesn’t grow in isolation, but through relationship, solidarity, and shared humanity.
Bartlett A, Faber S, Williams M, Saxberg K. Getting to the Root of the Problem: Supporting Clients With Lived-Experiences of Systemic Discrimination. Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). 2022 Nov 21;6:24705470221139205. doi: 10.1177/24705470221139205. PMID: 36439647; PMCID: PMC9685113.
Hansson A, HilleråS P, Forsell Y. What kind of self-care strategies do people report using and is there an association with well-being? Soc Indic Res. 2005; 73(1): 133–139. 10.1007/s11205-004-0995-3
Tzu S. The art of war. In: Mahnken TG, Maiolo JA, eds. Strategic studies: A reader. Routledge; 2008: 63–91.
Washington HA. Medical apartheid: The dark history of medical experimentation on Black Americans from colonial times to the present. Doubleday; 2006.
What are one or two interventions that you enjoy using and have found to be supportive to clients?
I mainly draw from attachment theory, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. Whether working with individuals or couples, this might look like us getting curious together about how past relationships show up in your life today, slowing down to really notice and work through your emotions, focusing on small and meaningful steps toward the changes you want, and exploring new ways of telling your story that feel more authentic and empowering. As a relational therapist, I also believe that the relationship clients and therapist build together to be the catalyst for change. We can sit in the therapy room all day and use the most advanced interventions, but nothing is as healing as the relationship. I focus on creating a warm, collaborative, and culturally attuned space where clients feel seen, heard, and understood, and the therapeutic relationship itself becomes a source of insight, growth, and lasting change.
What are your favorite clients to work with (populations of special interest)?
I provide culturally affirming therapy for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals and couples, offering a safe, supportive space where one’s identities, experiences, and cultural background are honored. I specialize in helping clients navigate cultural and systemic challenges, family expectations, and the complex balance of multiple identities while staying authentic to themselves. I also support children of immigrants, first-generation adults, multicultural, and multiracial clients through major life transitions, relationships, or in exploring identity, helping clients process their experiences, embrace their roots, and find their voice. My goal is to provide therapy that is inclusive, collaborative, compassionate, and tailored to the unique needs of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.
What inspired you to become a therapist?
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably realized how challenging it can be to find a BIPOC, Asian American, and/or neurodivergent therapist. Experiencing this as a client myself inspired me to become the kind of therapist I wish I had. As a neurodivergent Asian American daughter of immigrant parents, I understand how complex it can be to balance family expectations, cultural values, and feeling “in between” worlds. I know how vulnerable it can feel to share your story, and I feel honored to witness my clients’ courage and growth. My hope is to create a space where you feel fully seen, deeply understood, and empowered to write the next chapter of your life on your own terms.
What insurance(s) do you accept?
I accept individuals and couples with OHP, Providence (individuals only), Blue Cross Blue Shield, Regence, and Kaiser
What have you learned from your work / collaboration as a therapist working with individuals and communities?
What I’ve learned from my time as a therapist is that people are incredibly resilient, even when they don’t always feel that way. I’ve seen how healing grows in safe, supportive relationships and how much it matters to have your story heard and valued. Working with multicultural communities, including children of immigrants and first-generation adults, has reminded me that therapy isn’t about fixing anyone; it’s about walking alongside people as they make sense of their experiences, connect with their strengths, and move toward a life that feels true to who they are.
The American Psychiatric Association reports that research shows that in Latine and Hispanic communities, the risk factors of acculturation stress and immigration are causing mental distress and an increase in mental health issues (APA, 2017). Overall, there is a lack of Spanish-speaking mental health care providers in the U.S., and there are disparities in the treatment and medication access between Latinx and Hispanic and white clients. (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). Research shows that low-income individuals and those living in poverty are more vulnerable to mental health conditions and mental illness, and that individuals with mental health disorders are more at risk of living in poverty.
Kate Hernandez, a Professional Counseling Associate at Sakura Counseling, shared some of her story with me and spoke to the cultural stigma and experience as a first-generation Mexican American and daughter of a single mother who was undocumented while Hernandez was growing up.“You’re probably struggling and not even realizing it”; We discussed what it was like for Hernandez as a young person in the U.S. surrounded by her mother and family members in a Mexican family system where generational trauma informs culture, perspective, and mental health. “Very few Hispanic people have existed in a time where they were actually calm and present,” Hernandez continued, “Hispanic families don’t see it as trauma. In most Hispanic families, that’s how it’s been for a long time.”
In Latine and Hispanic communities, cultural values such as ‘familismo, ‘confianza’ and ‘respeto’ nurture and anchor individuals and family systems in interconnectedness and mutuality. ‘Familismo’ describes a foundational value in the culture of Hispanic and Latine communities, which is the value of family, and ‘Personalismo’ describes the importance placed on relationships with others. These core values are cultural anchors, as often are religion, spirituality, and faith. As much as family, community, and faith are protective factors in these communities, there are also challenges to accessing mental health care, such as generational trauma, cultural stigma toward mental health, and systemic barriers, such as inequity and lack of access to care due to lack of access to education, language barriers, and/or fear of deportation.
Hernandez became inspired to become a mental health provider after she began learning about the brain and mental health in a high school psychology class. Hernandez described the DSM-V as “a book that gave me answers” while she was learning about trauma and its symptoms and observing mental health challenges in her family for the first time. Hernandez began to see her friends of higher socioeconomic status through a new lens; “If they have it, why can’t we?” We discussed how mental health has looked in Latine and Hispanic communities, and how much need there is still today to de-stigmatize mental health.
Studies show that Latin American and Hispanic adults are 50% less likely to receive mental health treatment (NAMI, 2025) despite 1 in 5 Latine adults living with a mental health illness (UnidosUS, 2024), the most common being post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety (NAMI, 2025). In 2020, the APA (Bailey; APA, 2025) stated that only 5.5% of mental health providers were able to provide services in Spanish, and only 4.4% of psychologists were Hispanic, even though Latine and Hispanic adults make up 17.6% of the U.S. population, and are expected to make up 30% of the total population by the year 2060 (APA, 2017).
Professional Counselor Associate Hernandez described the very real stigma still existing in Latine and Hispanic communities today, and the “huge work in progress” that is currently underway in changing that. “Third generation and on are starting to make the change…it’s on us to break that, because we have access to education.” Hopefully, timely equitable pathways to educational and professional development opportunities will be created so that Latine and Hispanic elders and families will receive the culturally responsive mental health care they critically need and deserve.
