I’m a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, and I work with adolescents and adults. I believe in the uniqueness of each person’s experience, and in the value even of bad habits. Therapeutically, I want to help people understand and integrate different identities, with the goal of empowering them through greater self-cohesion and flexibility. I’ve written, presented, and taught classes on the influence of culture and ethnicity on identity, both locally and nationally. One of my interests has been exploring identities and meanings born out of “low culture,” artistic and creative genres that aren’t fully mainstream, such as comic books, video games, TTRPGs, and cartoons.
Part of my training was counseling artists and designers at an art college, and I loved working with the creative process. That passion for imagination and possibility was further developed in my work as a school-based therapist at community clinics in San Francisco. I bring that appreciation of play and exploration to my work with teens and adults, as I believe that health involves the ability to move between feelings, attitudes, and values.
You may be able to tell from my photo that I am a gay Chinese-American cis-man. My parents are immigrants from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Unfortunately, I cannot conduct therapy in Mandarin; I’m not quite fluent enough. Language, culture, and conflict are very familiar issues to me, and I bring that knowledge to my clinical work.
Education
Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Francisco
B.S. in Neuroscience, Tulane University, New Orleans
Training
Psychoanalytic Candidate, William Allison White Institute
Fellowship, California College of the Arts
Internship, California Pacific Medical Center
Professional Memberships
Northern California Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Division 39 of the American Psychological Association