Frequently Asked Questions

It depends. Some clients I worked with saw improvements after 4 or 5 sessions. Others continued therapy with me for a longer time (over 20 sessions).

We will decide together how long you want to be in therapy based on your concerns, your therapy goals, your lived experiences, and your preferences.

Although there is no quick fix, my experiences tell me that clients who practice what we discuss outside of therapy tend to see progress sooner.

Don’t let my fees stop you from contacting me! I may be able to offer reduced fees depending on your unique situation.

If we cannot come to an acceptable arrangement, I can refer you to other therapists who may provide therapy at a rate that better meets your financial needs.

I am the right therapist for you if you want to:

• know how your family/cultural backgrounds, or experiences with stereotypes/discriminations, affect the person you are today and the struggles you face.
• find a therapist who will be transparent with you, offer you observations about the patterns I see, and incorporate your feedback into our work.
• try out new ways of relating to yourself and others, both in therapy with me and outside of therapy with others in your life. Exercises like this are vulnerable and brave, and allow for so much growth!
• learn how to use your feelings to understand, communicate, and meet your needs in relationships. This will be especially helpful if you are not comfortable with your feelings, want to avoid your feelings, or believe some feelings are “bad” or “unsafe.”
• find, celebrate, and believe in your strengths and worth.

No, in most situations. I have legal and ethical obligations to make sure what you share remains confidential between you and I. Unless you sign a Release of Information (ROI) that will allow me to communicate with the people you designate.

It is normal to feel nervous and unsure in the first therapy session. Afterall, it is scary and out of our cultural norm to say “I am not doing well.” You are taking a brave step to seek help!

In the first session, we will go over some basics of therapy. We will discuss what brings you to therapy, how long and in what ways your concerns have been bothering you, and what you hope to get out of therapy. We will also talk about your past experiences (important relationships, childhood experiences, etc) to help me better understand you and your needs. Together, we will come up with a plan for subsequent therapy sessions.

We will typically start with a check-in of how you have been. You can decide what you want to focus on in that session. If you are not quite sure what to focus on, I can offer some options.

I will follow your lead, provide observations of larger patterns I notice, and offer feedback or tools that can help you.

We will end with a brief discussion of how the session is for you, what works, and what doesn’t. This will help tailor my approach in future sessions to better meet your needs.

When you are feeling better or have reached your therapy goals. Yay! We will usually meet for one more session to celebrate all the hard work and progress you have made, and make plans for the future if you need additional support again.

OR

When you don’t see any improvements or feel unheard/misunderstood by me. I recommend trying out 3 to 4 sessions first. In the trying out period (and beyond), I will ask your feedback for what’s working vs. not, and make changes accordingly. If my approach is still not meeting your needs after that period, we can discuss ending therapy. I will refer to other therapist who can better help you.

Call 911. Go to the nearest emergency room and tell them you are having a mental health crisis. Call any of the hotlines:

• National Suicide and Crisis Hotline: 988 (https://988lifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/)
• San Diego Access & Crisis Line: 888-724-7240

The best way to reach me is to fill out the contact form below or to email. I will reply to you within 24 business hours (not including weekends)