New to Grow
Hi, I’m Shirley, a licensed clinical social worker based in New York. I work with youth and adults who are navigating stress, transitions, identity questions, and the emotional impact of family, cultural, and societal expectations. Whether you’re beginning therapy for the first time, or returning after a break, I aim to offer a space that feels steady, thoughtful, and supportive. I see therapy as a place to slow down, make meaning of your experiences, and cultivate greater alignment between who you are, what you carry, and how you want to move through the world. I welcome your story and look forward to exploring it together.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Our first session is an opportunity for me to learn about you and what feels most present in your life. I will pay attention to the broader contexts of your past (family, culture, relationships, and history), and there is no expectation to share everything at once. Your story can unfold naturally over time. Within the first session and beyond, I like to invite clients to slow down and notice what's happening in their body to connect more fully with the present moment. We might pause to notice physical sensations, emotions, or parts of yourself that may feel activated. Our work together will be collaborative and paced. You are not expected to form clear or precise goals - we would begin where you are.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
As an Asian American therapist, I am especially attuned to how culture, race, immigration, and social inequities can live in the mind and the body. I integrate mindfulness and somatic awareness to help clients reconnect with themselves in ways that feel grounded and sustainable. I often draw from narrative and acceptance-based approaches, which view you as more than the problems you’re facing. Rather than trying to “fix” who you are, our work may involve examining the stories you’ve come to hold about yourself, learning new ways to relate to difficult thoughts and emotions. I understand healing not only as an individual process, but as shaped by intergenerational experiences, family dynamics, and the broader systems we live within. Together, we may explore how patterns of survival, responsibility, silence, or self-criticism were learned — and how they can be softened or re-imagined with greater self-compassion and choice.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I work with clients who navigate multiple cultures, identities, and life intersections. I’m drawn to working with those who are learning how to trust themselves, take up space, and move through the world with greater agency and self-trust. My clients are often thoughtful and capable on the outside, and open to exploring their inner world in a way that feels gentle and meaningful. In therapy, they are curious about their family history, culture, and lived experiences, and want to understand themselves in context. They value a space for personal reflection and a critical awareness of the systemic forces that shape their lives.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
ACT is a therapeutic approach that helps build psychological flexibility - the ability to stay present and mindful, make room for pain and inner experiences, shift how we relate to our thoughts/feelings, and take meaningful steps toward the life we want to live.
Narrative
In Narrative Therapy, our problems are viewed as separate from us - we explore the stories that were passed down to us and how narratives of the self shape who we are. This approach invites us to examine the messages we’ve absorbed over time and to gently rewrite our relationship with the past, making space for alternative stories that feel more aligned, compassionate, and whole.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy views healing as a process that involves the mind and the body. Mindfulness invites us to pay attention to our inner and outer experiences with greater awareness—learning to notice thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations as they arise. By tuning into the body and the present moment, we can begin to understand what our experiences are asking of us and develop a more attuned and grounded relationship with ourselves.
Compassion Focused
Compassion-Focused Therapy centers on developing greater kindness toward ourselves in how we think and speak to ourselves, and relate to our experiences. It offers a set of skills that help us respond to struggle with warmth rather than judgment, and to recognize pain as deeply human rather than personal failures.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma-informed care recognizes that overwhelming or painful experiences impact the mind and the body in ways that remain long after the event itself. In this approach, therapy is intentional and paced, with attention to safety, choice, and emotional capacity.