Helen Bass
Hi, I’m Helen. I’m a Filipina-American therapist, and I work with Asian and immigrant women, postpartum moms, and Christian couples who are used to holding a lot—quietly, responsibly, and often without much space for themselves. On the outside, you’re capable and dependable. But internally, it can feel like anxiety, pressure, and a kind of exhaustion that doesn’t always get named. Therapy with me is a space where you don’t have to carry all of that alone. You set the pace. I’ll gently guide you, offer tools, and help you make sense of what you’re feeling—so things start to feel a little lighter, a little more grounded, and a lot more sustainable. I support you through postpartum anxiety, cultural expectations, perfectionism, and that deep sense of over-responsibility—so you can reconnect with yourself in a way that feels calm, steady, and true. For couples, we slow things down together. We look at the patterns, create more understanding, and strengthen your connection—while honoring your faith and the values that matter most to you. Because at the end of the day, this is your life. And my role is to support you in living it in a way that actually feels aligned, meaningful, and like your own.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Your first session is really just a place to pause. A place to land, take a breath, and begin. We’ll talk about what brought you here, what’s been feeling heavy lately, and what you’re hoping might feel different. There’s no pressure to have the right words or a clear story—you get to move at your own pace. I’ll ask some gentle questions so I can understand the full picture—what you’ve been carrying, how your relationships are impacting you, and what happens internally when stress shows up. We’ll also look at your support system, including your faith, if that’s an important part of your life. If you’re a new or postpartum mom, we’ll make space for that too—the emotional shifts, the physical toll, and everything that often goes unspoken in that season. By the end of the session, my hope is that you leave feeling a little more clear, a little more grounded. That you start to understand what’s happening beneath the surface. That you get a sense of whether this space feels supportive and right for you. And that you walk away with one or two simple, practical tools you can actually use in your day-to-day life.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Clients often tell me my approach feels calm, steady, and deeply supportive. I tend to work best with people who are used to being the strong one—the reliable one. You’re high-functioning, you show up, you handle what needs to get done… but underneath that, you’re stretched thin. You might be carrying a lot for other people. Struggling to truly rest or let yourself receive support. Feeling a bit disconnected in your relationships. Or moving through a big life transition—like marriage or motherhood—that’s shifting everything. In our work together, we’re not labeling your strengths as problems. We get curious about them. We look at how your coping patterns were shaped—often for very good reasons—and then gently shift them so they start supporting you, instead of quietly holding you back. Together, we focus on helping you feel more at ease in your own mind and body. Learning how to set boundaries that feel clear and sustainable. Communicating in a way that actually reflects what you need. And building a deeper sense of self-trust, resilience, and confidence. So you’re not just getting through life—you’re feeling more grounded and connected within it.
Anxiety
Couples Counseling
Perinatal Mental Health
Grief
Life Transitions
Racism
Asian / Asian American
Christian
Pacific Islander
Person of Color (POC)
Woman
California
Cash - $200 per session
Location
Offers in-person in 150 N Santa Anita Ave, Arcadia, CA 91006, Suite 800VirtualMy treatment methods
Culturally Sensitive Therapy
My specialization in culturally sensitive therapy is driven by a deep commitment to acknowledging and integrating the diverse backgrounds, values, and experiences of each individual into the therapeutic process. I recognize that culture profoundly shapes mental health, coping mechanisms, and treatment expectations. By adopting a culturally sensitive approach, I ensure that therapy is not only respectful and affirming of a client's identity—including race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation—but also maximally effective. My goal is to move beyond a one-size-fits-all model, co-creating a healing space where clients feel truly seen, understood, and validated in the context of their unique cultural framework.
Attachment-based
Attachment-Based Treatment (ABT) serves as a cornerstone of my therapeutic practice, providing a robust framework for understanding and addressing deep-seated emotional and relational patterns. By focusing on the client's internal working models—the unconscious blueprints of relationships formed in early life—ABT helps to illuminate how past attachment experiences influence present-day relational distress and emotional regulation.
Psychodynamic
In my sessions, psychodynamic therapy looks like slowing down enough to understand why certain patterns keep showing up—not just how to “manage” them. We pay attention to the themes underneath your current stress: the inner critic, perfectionism, people-pleasing, overthinking, feeling “too much” or “not enough,” and the ways you’ve learned to stay safe in relationships. Together we explore where those patterns were formed, what they’ve protected you from, and how they’re affecting your choices now. The goal isn’t to blame the past—it’s to give you clarity and freedom in the present. You can also expect me to gently notice what happens in the room between us—how you share, what feels hard to say, when you brace for judgment, or when you feel relief. Those moments often mirror real-life relationships, and working with them in therapy helps you build self-trust, healthier boundaries, and more honest communication outside of session. This is deep work, done at your pace—no quick fixes, just steady, meaningful change.
Christian Counseling
For clients who want it, spiritual beliefs can be respectfully incorporated into the healing process. For many, especially those navigating first-generation cultural pressures or the exhaustion of "church hurt," faith has often become entangled with high-stakes expectations and performance. My own faith is the ground I stand on—it is the source of my belief in your inherent, God-given dignity—but I lead with a wide, compassionate lens that honors the complexity of your journey. I view our work as an integration of psychological insight and spiritual depth. We won't ignore the parts of your story that feel "messy" or the questions that feel "un-Christian." Instead, we look at the architecture of your beliefs to distinguish between the life-giving heart of your faith and the systemic or cultural burdens that have weighed you down. Whether you are deconstructing old narratives, untangling your identity from narcissistic religious systems, or simply trying to find a version of faith that feels like home, my goal is to help you move toward a relationship with God that celebrates your true, creative, and neurodivergent self—one where you are no longer performing for grace, but living from it.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, we will engage in a collaborative approach. You are the expert of your life. We will explore how your thoughts impact your behavior, feelings, and physical reactions. We will explore how to become aware of your worst-case scenario thoughts so they do not rule your life. This modality is evidence-based, proven to help with anxiety and postpartum