“ When you are in the middle of a story it isn’t a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard powerless to stop it. It’s only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all. When you are telling it, to yourself or to someone else.”
Background and Approach
I provide therapy that is in-depth, insight-oriented, and relationship-centered. This addresses immediate disruptive symptoms along with their underlying drives and roots. As appropriate, we might reflect and reminisce about the past to re-examine unreconciled memories and hidden wounds with hopes to harvest wisdom. Other times, it may be better to problem-solve stressors in the environment or make sense of current struggles and hardships. We can also strategize solutions and plan for the future! I have experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy, reminiscence and narrative therapy, problem-solving and task-centered approaches, solutions-focused therapy, systems theory, existential and humanistic psychology, and cognitive and behavioral interventions. While I can practice a variety of different modalities and models, my underlying philosophical and relational stance seems to be deeply influenced, shaped, and aligned with Jungian, Psychodynamic, and Existential lenses.
Email me at talktherapy@bentime-stories.com OR call at 310-776-5451 to schedule an free 15-min initial consultation so we can learn more about each other and discuss next steps.
Whether it’s reminiscing or reflecting about past stories, making sense of current stories, planning for the next chapters, or even imagining unlived fantasies and dreams—I enjoy listening to people’s stories and how we make meaning out of our lives. I am grateful to have opportunities to be immersed in people’s stories through behavioral health services, especially engaging in:
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My passion for reminiscence and life review is rooted in nearly a decade of social gerontology training. In 2010, I began providing life review and reminiscence to older adults with my training in the Frontiers in Human Aging: Biomedical, Social, and Policy Perspectives cluster program at UCLA. Upon completing the intensive coursework, I also pursued the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Minor through the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs’ Department of Social Welfare, in collaboration with the School of Medicine Division of Geriatrics and the School of Public Health. Eventually, I became a William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholar and Aging Initiative Fellow focusing my graduate social work education on aging-related issues. I continue my professional efforts and training as a gerontologist through membership with the Los Angeles Alliance for Community Health and Aging (LAACHA).
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Furthermore, to best support individuals with current challenges and help prepare for the future, I provide clinical social work services with special emphases on health and aging as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (LCSW#111929), Pennsylvania Board of Social Workers, Marriage Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors (CW023993) who is also Certified in Public Health (CPH#15107) through the National Board of Public Health Examiners. I earned my Master of Social Welfare (M.S.W.) from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, concentrating in social work with individuals, families, and groups; and specializing in geriatric social work and human services management. I completed my geriatric social work traineeship at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System in the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) through the Southern California Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium (GSWEC). I continue my commitment to social work through memberships in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and Network for Social Work Management (NSWM).
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For in-depth psychosocial support and behavioral services to analyze past stories and broader themes of life that are less concrete and conscious, I also provide psychotherapy as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW #111929) with special training in existential and psychodynamic perspectives. My Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Anthropology, Gerontology, and Public Health from UCLA College of Letters and Science has created the foundation for examining mental health and the psyche through a lens that focuses on humanity, human existence, behavior, and nature across the life course. I also completed over two years of post-MSW psychodynamic psychotherapy training under licensed marriage family therapists at Airport Marina Counseling Center. Lastly, I also deepen my practice and development in therapies of depth, insight and relationships such as psychodynamic theory, analytical psychology, and psychoanalysis through my memberships with the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work (AAPCSW), International Association for Jungian Studies (IAJS), and Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN).
My therapeutic alliance tends to be strongest with individuals dealing with anxieties and depressions related to:
Urban Psychosocial Stressors
Psychospiritual Adversities in Aging and Adulthood
Gender & Sexuality
Existential Crises
Race, Culture, Identity
Chronic Loneliness
Chronic Health Conditions
Personal Beliefs and Interests
My social work journey has been transformative and healing--setting the foundation for my therapy practice. I was initially interested in medical and public health social work because of deep-seated fears about death and disease that stemmed from family. This led me to pursue specialized training in Geriatric Social Work and Gerontology at UCLA which provided me with psychosocial skills to empower families as we navigate fragmented US health systems, while also promoting resilience in response to adversities across the life course. Throughout my training, I also became particularly drawn to social work’s commitment to social justice which illuminated suffering and disparities that have been insidiously hidden in structural inequities. This awakened a deeper sensitivity, exploration, and care towards untended silent wounds and “legacies of loss” carried by marginalized folx, beginning with my own as a queer and closeted first-generation Asian American, descending from boat people.
Fee Schedule:
I provide therapy in Los Angeles, CA; and virtual teletherapy across California (LCSW#111929), Pennsylvania (CW#023993), and Florida (TPSW2729).
45-minute Session: $200.00
60-minute Session: $225.00
Initial Biopsychosocial Assessment (60-90 minutes): $275.00
Sliding Scale: Limited number of sliding scale offered, depending on financial need, with priority given to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color/LGBTQ+ communities. Happy to discuss a reasonable/affordable rate for both of us.
