our approach

Asian, Korean, & Taiwanese therapist in Irvine and Orange County

Your Expectations

  • “I want to feel clear about the work we are doing together to make things better, instead of just talking about my issues.”

  • “I need guidance, practical tools, and direct feedback. I don’t want my therapist to simply reflect back what I say.”

  • “I have enough insight without change. I want to get unstuck in my patterns of how I feel and how I relate with people.”

  • “I want my therapist to understand the nuances of my culture and family dynamics without having to overexplain.”

We hear you.

While we tailor our therapeutic approach to your needs and preferences, we have found that combining the following directive, insight-oriented, somatic-based, trauma-informed, and evidence-informed methods helps you feel clear about your work toward self-discovery and healing:

family of four laughing and looking at each other

01/06

restoration therapy

Developed by Terry D. Hargrave, Ph.D., and Franz Pfitzer, MD, the Restoration Therapy (RT) model combines multiple science-backed components of attachment theory, contextual family therapy, and neuropsychology. This evidence-informed approach helps identify and change destructive relational patterns by addressing past violations of love and safety. We offer a therapeutic experience integrating insight, creative experiential exercises, role-playing, movement, and practical tools to foster profound changes in your brain, enabling thoughtful and informed choices for your life.

You may benefit from this approach if you experience:


Difficulty putting to words or making sense of the pain you experience, such as depression, anxiety, anger, stress, or discontentment

Predictable patterns of unwanted emotions, thoughts, and behaviors

Persistent involvement in relationship dynamics that are stressful or harmful with no idea on how to change

Shame, thought spirals, and lack of compassion for yourself

Frequent anger toward others, situations, and difficulty trusting

A fear of closeness and vulnerability

Perfectionism and controlling tendencies which make life and relationships challenging

Close-up of a person's eyes and part of their face
Close-up of a person's eyes and part of their face

02/06

brainspotting

Brainspotting, developed by Dr. David Grand, is a somatic-based approach that helps treat trauma, regulate the nervous system, and rewire neural pathways. It supports accessing intuitive healing mechanisms for profound recovery. This method treats past and recent traumas and aids creatives, professionals, and athletes in overcoming performance blocks.

Research shows traumatic experiences are stored in the limbic-subcortical brain region. Brainspotting uses your field of vision via eye position to locate and process these experiences. It offers a non-invasive tool to address burnout, grief, chronic pain, depression, anger, and anxiety, promoting deep healing and thriving

You may benefit from this approach if:


You feel that you have reached your limits with previous talk therapy approaches

You have a tendency to feel disconnected from your feelings, numb, or dissociated

You feel the persistent impact of previous traumatic experiences and memories on your current life

You have difficulty being present in the moment and are quick to overanalyze, intellectualize, or problem solve

You notice frequent automatic physical sensations and emotional reactions to cues in your environment

You experience creative and performance blocks that make it difficult to do what you want to do

You suffer from fears such as flying, public speaking, or being in social settings.

You have enough insight about yourself, but still can’t seem to take the steps you know you need to take

EMDR Asian Therapist in Los Angeles & Pasadena, California

03/06

Eye movement Desensitization & reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), developed by Francine Shapiro, is a somatic therapy for treating trauma. It uses bilateral stimulation (visual, tactile, or auditory) to help clients process distressing memories. This structured approach aids in reprocessing traumatic memories, integrating a more adaptive narrative. EMDR can benefit trauma-related conditions, anxiety, and depression.

You may benefit from this approach if:


You find yourself reliving distressing memories, even though they happened a long time ago

You prefer a highly structured therapy approach to address specific traumatic events that you can’t seem to shake off

You have experienced a traumatic event and find it difficult to talk about it

Talk therapy and other therapeutic approaches have not been helpful to relieve the impacts of your traumatic experiences

You already have an established and supportive relationship with a primary therapist and want to do short-term work to address a specific trauma via EMDR

Gottman Method Couples Therapist in Pasadena and Los Angeles
Gottman Method Couples Therapist in Pasadena and Los Angeles

04/06

GOTTMAN mETHOD

Developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman, the Gottman Method is a research-based approach to couples therapy grounded in decades of studying what makes relationships thrive or break down. This method focuses on strengthening friendship and intimacy, improving conflict management, and building shared meaning between partners.

In our work, some of our couples therapists use Gottman-informed assessment and interventions to help couples understand their relational patterns, repair emotional injuries, and create practical, sustainable changes in how they communicate and connect. Sessions may include structured dialogues, exercises to increase emotional attunement, and tools to navigate gridlocked issues without losing respect or care for one another.

This lens can help you:


Recurring arguments that never seem to resolve, even when you both “know” the issue well

Emotional distance or disconnection, feeling more like roommates than partners

Difficulty talking about hard topics (money, sex, family, parenting, culture) without escalation or shutdown

Mismatched needs for closeness and independence, leading to criticism, defensiveness, or withdrawal

Betrayal or trust ruptures, such as infidelity, secrecy, or broken agreements

Interracial or intercultural dynamics, where cultural values, family expectations, or identity differences impact the relationship

Stress from work, parenting, or creative careers that spills into the relationship and makes it hard to stay on the same team

Asian Therapist for Creatives and Artists in Entertainment and Arts Los Angeles & Pasadena, California

05/06

Clinical art therapy

Clinical art therapy is a modality that uses imagery, art materials, and the creative process to deepen self-awareness, promote self-regulation, and facilitate healing. It provides an outlet to express difficult and unidentified emotions, creates a safe distance to explore unsafe experiences, and provides a voice for your unconscious thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. Research shows that traumatic experiences are stored as images in our implicit memories in the right hemisphere of the brain and as sensations in our body. Art therapy integrates the whole brain by pairing imagery and conversation with a trained professional to bring insight and make meaning of your experiences.

Our trained art therapists will work with you collaboratively to create healing interventions that target your specific needs. Depending on what you are experiencing, art may be the main focus of your sessions, or it may be used as a supplemental tool for exploring a specific area of need. There is absolutely no artistic skill required to participate in art therapy.

You may benefit from this approach iF:


Build awareness of your emotional experiences

Clearly articulate your experiences for others to understand

Process stuck trauma that you might be avoiding or intellectualizing

Gain new perspective and new insight of yourself

Learn new ways of expression and communication

Create safety in exploring overwhelming memories or situations

Silhouette of a person with curly hair touching a sheer curtain, creating a soft shadow effect

06/06

POlyvagal theory

In our therapeutic work, we integrate the lens of polyvagal theory on the autonomic nervous system by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges. We attune to the ways that your brain responds to safety and danger cues from the environment, your interactions with people (including your therapist), and your body’s internal physical sensations. We have found that providing a solid understanding on how your nervous system is wired can help you feel more empowered to make intentional decisions to nurture a calm mind and grounded body.

This lens can help you:


Identify the specific cues in your environment that lead to calm, stress, and disconnected experiences

Make sense of information your physical, emotional, and cognitive experiences tell us about your nervous system

Learn practical grounding skills to regulate your autonomic nervous system when it is activated

Understand how your history, personality, identities, and lived experiences affect your current preferences, experiences, and needs

Discover all of the resources available to you to increase calm

Learn about the impact of trauma on your nervous system & rewire new associations with different cues in your environment