Kai Lynch
Hello, I'm Kai. I am a queer & genderqueer trans therapist based in the unceded Ohlone land of Oakland, CA. I immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines at a young age, and am mixed filipinx & irish/italian. I am especially drawn to working with clients who are queer, trans, qtbipoc, neurodivergent, kinky, swers, nonmonogamous, immigrants, and activists or anarchists. My educational training was centered around a psychodynamic lens, and I have especially been drawn toward incorporating relational therapy, liberation psychology, somatic therapy, parts work, and trauma-focused therapies such as EMDR in my work. I believe strongly in continuing to expand my training and knowledge in order to more holistically support my clients, and believe that this is a lifelong commitment.
First session
A first session with me often looks like us getting to know one another, including making room for you to ask me questions about myself or how I do this work. I often like to ask about your history with therapy or mental health treatment, things you have liked or disliked about therapy in the past, and to get a sense of what you're hoping therapy can support with at this time. I also like to share how I approach therapy, and explain the reasoning for things as they come up, so that you can begin to build both an intellectual knowledge of what comes up, and an embodied sense of what those things feel like within you.
Strengths
I work from a liberatory, abolitionist approach. In my work as a therapist, I view it as extremely important & necessary to confront the harmful structures we live in & the ways they have contributed to our pain & beliefs about ourselves and others. Much of what we call "symptoms" & "diagnoses" are actually reasonable, normal reactions to the things we have survived. It is from here that I believe true healing can begin. I approach therapy by first focusing on building a relationship and a sense of trust, and doing so at a pace that feels tolerable so that healing can begin to happen. One of my favorite things to witness in my work with clients is when they begin to unlearn the negative ways they've been taught to view themselves, or have learned from the harmful systems we live in - when they start to speak and think more kindly and compassionately toward themselves, give themselves more patience and understanding, and start to release the burdens they carry that weren't theirs to continue holding.
Ideal clients
As a therapist, I love being able to witness my clients begin to unlearn the negative ways they've been taught to view themselves. To start to think and speak more kindly and compassionately toward themselves, to give themselves more patience and understanding, and to release the burdens they carry that weren't theirs to continue holding. I strongly believe in our capacity to heal, grow, and change, & I feel honored to be a witness and comrade alongside your journey.
Treatment methods
EMDR
EMDR is a trauma-focused therapy that helps to re-process memories that continue to cause distress. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (BLS), such as alternating taps or eye movements, to process memories, emotions, body sensations, and beliefs related to the memories. Through memory reprocessing, the intensity or strong hold past experiences have can loosen their grip a little so you can live more in the present.