I have always been fascinated by people’s stories and how they become who they are. The older I am, the more I have understanding and compassion for people’s struggles in life. Struggles are part of being human.
To quote a saying : ‘Pain is unavoidable, suffering is optional”. Most people’s sufferings come from trying to avoid emotional pain. My work as a psychotherapist is to help you understand your emotional pain and to develop compassion for yourself.
Everyone’s story is different, our struggles look different, how we work through our lives are different, therefore, the work we do together will be tailored to each person’s uniqueness. It may take the form of verbal processing, learning coping skills, confronting some mistaken assumptions. I will meet you where you are at and work collaboratively with you on your life and issues you bring in.
My training as a Marriage and Family therapist emphasized relationships. Even before we were born, who we are is influenced by our attachment and relationship with our mothers, and later with our main caregiver.
I work primarily from the attachment and relational psychodynamic perspective. I believe most of our emotional pains stem from relational issues, whether from childhood trauma or from current relational struggles. I specialize in helping clients work through childhood trauma, couple and relational issues and cultural/race issues.
I received my B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Later, I received my M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. I am licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and also as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC).
Here are some post-graduate trainings I attended:
Eye Movement De-Sensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Basic Training 2020
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples, 5-day Externship in San Diego with Susan Johnson, Ed.D 2008
Completed Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Core Skills training 2016
Continual advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for working with couples
Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment Level I & II 2021 by Dr. Janina Fisher
Language
Fluent in Cantonese
Irene Rapp, LMFT 