Welcome

You may be considering therapy for many reasons. Perhaps you’re facing a new life challenge. Or maybe, you simply want a place to hear your own voice more clearly -a space to be witnessed through warm, nonjudgmental eyes. These reasons and anything in between are all worthy reasons to begin.

There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.

-Audre Lorde

Approach

I view therapy as a place to have a slowed-down conversation and experience. I work primarily through talk therapy. Yet, I believe that therapy is an ideal place to really notice feelings, sensations and thoughts. Therefore, I integrate somatic/body and awareness-based approaches, including Brainspotting, mindfulness, Attachment Focused EMDR and CRM, the community resiliency model, if this is of interest to you. I find these practices can facilitate a connection to body, feelings, the self and the present moment with greater ease. You may come to therapy with a specific goal or timeline in mind, or we may spend numerous sessions simply exploring. Both approaches are valid. 

ABOUT ME

Licensed  Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT 146144) | Pasadena Therapy Collective

I completed my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Southern California. This degree has a focus on the impact of race, gender, socio-economic, and sociopolitical constructs on individuals, families and society, as well as human sexuality. I continued my training at the Southern California Counseling Center (SCCC) in Watts and Mid-City. At SCCC, I worked with adults, children (including K-4 school-based), couples and families. I have also led groups focused on anger management, domestic violence and mindfulness-based stress reduction with an emphasis on social justice-informed therapy.

My passion for work supporting youth and families began in my first career as an educator. I have trained as a yoga teacher and am a practitioner of both yoga and meditation. I am currently striving to rebuild a joyful relationship with hiking and running after a slower than expected recovery from minor cancer surgery. But truthfully spend most of my waking hours parenting my young children.

I am a white, able-bodied, cis woman (PGPs: she/her/hers) in a heterosexual marriage. As such, I strive to do the work to be conscious of how my privileged identities show up in the world and therapeutic settings. My Chinese last name represents my spouse’s racial and ethnic identities, not my own.

Services

I am a local, Pasadena therapist. 

I am currently offering telehealth (video or phone) to individuals located across California and in-person sessions in Pasadena.

Individual

Therapy is first and foremost a relationship in which trust must be developed to nurture a healing, supportive relationship. It can be a profound experience of unburdening ourselves of fears, anxieties, guilt, shame and anything that is no longer serving us.

Couples/Families

In a world that pulls us in so many different directions, it is easy to get stuck in patterns of disconnection and conflict despite wanting the opposite. Therapy can provide a space to be heard and listen in a new way that makes finding a path forward possible.

Groups

Some therapy goals are best faced with the support and feedback of a therapy group on its own or concurrently with individual therapy. I occasionally run small therapy groups….

Area Of Focus

Support quieting the many damaging narratives of shame –feelings of inadequacy, worthlessness, brokenness, insignificance, being “too much”

Finding a path towards living a fuller life while dismantling the effects of trauma (including abuse, neglect, closed-off or narcissistic parents/partners)

Exploring ways to take care of one’s self in the context of relationships impacted by abuse, addiction, and intergenerational trauma

Reviving or discovering sensuality, connection and playfulness within oneself and relationships

Contact

To set up a consultation to discuss your goals and see if we might be a good fit, email hello@ckmft.com or use the contact form below. Please note that my email and phone service is neither encrypted, nor HIPAA-compliant. If we do work together, we will have an additional HIPAA-compliant, secure messaging system available for our communication if you would prefer that.

Location

Pasadena Therapy Collective 450 South Marengo Avenue Pasadena, CA 91101

Nearby Areas

Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Montrose, San Marino, San Gabriel, Sierra Madre

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I acknowledge the land upon which I live and conduct business as the ancestral and unceded territory of the Gabrielino, Fernandeño and Tongva peoples. I offer my respect to their ancestors and my support to the present and future generations who continue to fight for Federal recognition by working to expose white supremacy in my personal and professional lives.