headshot%202018_edited_edited.jpg
Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #124019
​

"Where you are, is not who you are."

- Nayyirah Waheed

​

 

Sometimes we can reach a point in life where we feel frustratingly stuck. The coping mechanisms that used to soothe us no longer work, and we feel as if we are repeating an old, but familiar cycle. These points become a great opportunity to look deeper within, to feel into what is most needed for our healing. Because what heals us deeply, allows us to engage in our lives and relationships in more meaningful and authentic ways. Are you ready to begin that exploration today?

About Me

 

Sandy is a Chinese-American daughter of refugees of the Vietnam War. Her father is Cantonese from Guangzhou and her mother is Teo-Chew, both growing up in Vietnam. Sandy is the only daughter of five siblings, spending much of her youth in Texas. Her first career in corporate sales at a Fortune 500 company made her realize how connecting with other human beings on healing felt more authentic than remaining in the business world. She considers it a calling and a privilege to work on healing inter-generational trauma and to cultivate the resilience, power, and joy that is possible when we make space for deep, committed healing.

​

​

​

 

My Approach

 

It can be so nourishing and transformative when we can share our story with a compassionate other. Pain can be turned into medicine through speaking, being witnessed, and being supported. I come from the belief that nothing is inherently wrong with you and that we sometimes need help in getting past the obstacles to one’s most authentic self. My approach is warm, affirming, and heart centered.

 

My practice is also steeped in the principles of mindfulness with an anti-oppressive framework. It is influenced by my experience as an adult child of working class refugees and my transition from the corporate world into counseling psychology. Aside from all of that - I believe it is the relationship that we co-create together that will empower you to build a stronger connection to your intuition and the innate wisdom that exists within.

​

I want to help you to gain a clearer understanding of yourself, disrupt mental and behavioral patterns that no longer serve you, and find ways to integrate all the parts of who you are. We can do this through cultivating joy, finding gratitude, and feeling deeply into the most difficult emotions. 

 

​

Relevant Trainings & Experience

​

  • Brainspotting Phase 1 & 2 - BIPOC training with John Edwards LCSW

  • Yoga Mindset Training with Karina Ayn Mirsky

  • Asian American Pacific Islander Women LEAD Conference

  • Asian & Pacific Islander Mental Health Empowerment Conference

  • Somatic Experiencing Workshop with Peter Levine

  • Certified 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Karina Ayn Mirsky

  • Conscious Roots Counseling Center - Therapy for the People

  • Pierce Street Integral Counseling Center 

  • Seeds of Awareness Holistic Counseling Center

  • Fiddleheads Therapeutic Group for Children

  • Kalamazoo Literacy Council

  • California Institute of Integral Studies - Teaching Assistant - Couples' Counseling

 

​

Education ​

​

  • California Institute of Integral Studies - MA in Counseling Psychology

  • The University of Texas at Austin - BBA in Marketing

 
  • Instagram