THERAPY FOR ASIAN AMERICANS IN OAKLAND & ONLINE
In my Oakland-based practice with Asian Americans, I invite you to wonder: When I let go of my family’s expectations of me, what do I want for my life? What do I dream of for myself?
FOR THE LITTLE KIDS WITH BOWL CUTS WHO GREW UP TOO FAST
As the child of a Chinese immigrant mother, I feel deep resonance working with Asian Americans, including those who grew up with immigrant parents.
Push and pull between different worlds
Fear of speaking up, choosing something different, while knowing that you don’t want to repeat the same patterns
Those little kids became adults who never stopped moving, performing, and achieving.
FREE & CONNECTED
Growing up in immigrant and mixed immigrant/citizen households, we may have inherited unspoken beliefs, expectations, and narratives about the right way to be. Sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly, we dare to wonder who we are outside of these messages. We consider the impact these lessons have had on our sense of self and our ability to connect to what we truly want. We wonder how we’ll find our way back to full, unburdened selves.
In our therapy together, we are free to question, explore, and release the impact of:
belonging in multiple cultures and identities
ideas of success and achievement with career, marriage / relationships, and finances
anxiety from over-performing and over-functioning
family obligation & beliefs of debt owed due to familial sacrifices and hardship
intergenerational trauma from war, displacement & abuse
parentified roles of taking care of family responsibilities
feelings of guilt that prevent speaking up, deviating from the norm & boundary setting
guilt if you succeed in areas of life where your family did not
pressure to “save face” on behalf of the family and minimize mental health needs
LGBTQ sexuality & normative relationship structures
relationship dynamics rooted in transaction (I do this for you, so you do this for me)
In my practice with adult children of immigrants in Oakland and online, we collaborate to cultivate a safe container that supports and enriches your inner exploration without losing your cultural heritage.
“I have had to deeply question what benefit I receive if I pretend that I can do it all on my own.”
Jenny T. Wang
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As a queer, trans, mixed race therapist who practices cultural humility in Oakland, I offer a compassionate, inclusive space for you to process your upbringing and navigate cultural expectations in your family. I feel passionate about the ways in which people of color and other marginalized groups have been deeply harmed by mental health institutions. I cringe at all the times I heard the word “enmeshment” used in relation to immigrant communities and family systems. I’m not here to repeat limited belief systems about families that have unique, culturally resilient (and imperfect) ways of engaging with one another. I listen to your story with an open heart, curious mind, some formal training, and a deep capacity for complexity. I eagerly and earnestly support you in creating an understanding in yourself that allows you to feel more authentically connected to your thoughts, feelings, wants, and goals.
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As an integrative therapist in Oakland, I use a combination of IFS therapy, somatic therapy, and at times, EMDR therapy. I practice from a relational psychodynamic approach, allowing us to use the therapy relationship to explore early childhood patterns of relating to one another. This gives me a sense of how you might have achieved safety and security within your early relationships, and offers me insight into how you relate and respond to the people in your life now.
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Some of us instinctively flinch at the thought of our families finding out that we are considering going to therapy. We anticipate that they’ll tell us that it’s a waste of money, or that only people with “severe” issues go to therapy. We may also have been taught that we don’t talk about family to anyone outside of the family, and worry that going to therapy would be a betrayal of this supposed agreement.
Going to therapy isn’t about humiliating or turning your back on your family. It’s about finally having the chance to tell your story without censorship and fear of disappointing others.
As a therapist who specializes in working with adult children of immigrants, I’m not here to advise you to disconnect from your family, unless there are important reasons why this is the safest option for you. Therapy is about understanding yourself and your patterns better so that you can meet yourself with greater compassion, make decisions with clarity, and change behaviors that no longer work for you. From a place of thoughtful reflection, self-respect, and love, you get to feel into choice and possibility; to create the kind of fulfilling relationship with yourself, your family, and your culture.
CULTURE IS ABOUT STRENGTH & RESILIENCE
My work with adult children of immigrants is not just about releasing cultural burdens; it’s also about inviting cultural gifts and ancestral wisdom. Schedule your 30-minute consultation and start re-imagining your relationship with culture and family.