Hi, My name is Jean(you can also call me Qianru). I'm a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist(LMFT #120031) with around 10 years of clinical experience. I received my Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at USC in 2015. I have provided mental health services to adults from different racial and ethnic groups. I enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds. I can provide sessions in English or Mandarin.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
My approach aims to help you develop attunement to your own feelings and make sense of where your difficult feelings and thoughts come from. Through our work together, you can become more aware of any unhelpful cognitive, behavioral & relational patterns. We will explore new ways to manage your difficult feelings and thoughts more effectively so that they no longer impact your life and relationships negatively. We'll discover what truly matters to you and how you can build a more meaningful life.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I strive to develop an authentic, judgement-free and warm therapeutic connection, where you can feel comfortable expressing and being yourself. My therapy approach focuses on both exploring the sources to help you make sense of your past and current experience, and developing new skills to respond to the difficult situations, emotions, and thoughts more effectively. As a therapist, I endeavor to keep a good balance between providing unconditional support and holding you accountable for making positive changes to improve your life. I value diversity and openness to differences, so I aim to be identify-affirming and culturally sensitive in my practice.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
My specialties include anxiety disorders(i.e. generalized anxiety, social phobia, OCD), depression, adjustment to life transitions, relationship issues, intergenerational conflicts, and cultural adjustment. Being an Asian immigrant myself, I'm also passionate about supporting first or second-generation immigrants, and Asians/Asian Americans.
About Jean Qianru Zhao
Identifies as
Serves ages
Accepts cash
Appointments
Fully bookedMy treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
We will work on noticing and acknowledging your feelings when they arise. We will collaborate to help you develop skills to better manage any overwhelming feelings and reduce the negative impacts they have on your daily life. I will help you to recognize your unhelpful thoughts, and learn to unhook from maladaptive thoughts so they no longer dominate your narratives. We will explore and clarify your values, and work towards action changes(i.e. problem solving skills, communication skills, self-care activities) based on the life you want to build and the person you want to become.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
We will work together to help you become aware of any underlying maladaptive thinking patterns and how they impact the way you react to difficult situations. We will explore alternative ways to perceive the situation so that you can respond more effectively. I will facilitate exploration of your core belief systems, understand where they come from, and help you cultivate more helpful narratives to guide your life. We will also come up with behavioral experiment ideas(if needed) to help you challenge unhelpful assumptions in real life.