Therapists

“Why is my load so heavy?"

We all ask this question at some point in our lives when the wounds pile up and make us weary.  We wonder why we can’t put the cares down or let go of the pain, and yet it seems impossible to move forward with the load on our shoulders. Whether the experience was a "passing comment" from a loved one who cannot recall ever uttering those wounding words, the unexpected death that leaves a lingering hole deep within us, the diagnosis that stole the life we wanted, or the regrets over actions or words spoke that we cannot take back. The load is heavy.

Relationships in our lives have the power to hurt or to heal us. The fact of the matter is that life continues to move forward and rarely slows down enough for us to examine what we have packed and continue to carry along with us into new experiences on its own – it takes intentionality.

Making the choice to slow down and examine our load is brave, daring, and life changing. The goal of it all is to gain new, healthier, lighter experiences of relationship with others, to leave a positive footprint in the lives of those we love, and to avoid passing down our heaviness to the next generation. Yet the first step on any new journey is often the hardest.  My hope is that by working together, we can explore the weights tying you down, find healing and hope, and a way forward that brings light and life, even in the midst of life’s difficulties.

Getting to know me

In my professional life, I have walked alongside those with special needs in the children's hospitals, inmates and their families, and others through life-stage transitions. My cross-cultural experience in East Asia coupled with being in the States as a Marriage and Family Therapist affords me diverse perspectives. Regardless of the geographical location, ethnicity or faith, similar threads run in the human experience of pain, resiliency, love, and hope.

At the Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic, I work under the supervision of Dr. Wendy Smith. My therapeutic approach integrates humanistic, psychodynamic, narrative, and experiential approaches. When working with individuals, couples, and family clients, my goal is to help clients process their experiences and familial influences towards deeper connections with themselves and others.

I enjoy working with youths, young adults and persons with special needs and those at crossroads in life, looking to enhance their personal adaptiveness towards paths of meaningful aspirations. Having personally navigated deep valleys, I am passionate about persons facing ministry challenges and burn-out to rediscover their passions and personhood. Additionally, I believe in the potential and the dynamicity of couple and family relationships to expand beyond old family scripts to flourish as a collective unit. My style of therapy includes both practical tools to meet specific needs, whilst exploring longer-term enduring patterns. I endeavor to pace with my clients in their unique individuality with trauma-informed and faith-sensitive care to sow seeds of hope, growth and healing.

I would be honored to be a trail guide to you and your loved ones as you begin a new path forward.

At The MFT Clinic, I work under the supervision of Dr. Wendy Smith, PsyD. My therapeutic approach is narrative, experiential, psychodynamic, trauma-informed, and faith-sensitive. When working with individuals, couples, and family clients, I look for the stories that they tell themselves. I am curious about what led to the development of their narrative and how they have interpreted their experiences. In therapy, my goal is to help clients process the pain of their past and co-create a new unique story that includes flourishing, wholeness and healing, leveraging their strengths in new ways. It is a true honor to be invited to come alongside my clients to set the stage for new chapters of hope and growth.

“What a privilege it is to dive deep and journey with fellow human beings on this path called life, discovering alongside precious souls: their beauty, their potential and unique design, and how amidst brokenness, their space to shine.” - Amber