New to Grow
Hello dear reader, I am Carol, born and raised in Malaysia and have been residing in the US for over three decades since my undergraduate years in New England and eventually resettling in Southern California. Prior to my full time work as a therapist, I spent most of my life engaged in social justice work focused on racial solidarity building, immigrant rights and worker rights advocacy and in the anti-violence against women movement. I have a background in healing and prevention work within public health, health and community mental health agencies, immigration, family and criminal court-based trauma services, in academia, with global NGOs on women's health services for over three decades in the US and South East Asia. This drive to engage in social change work stemmed from my experiences growing up as a child of working class immigrants in Asia, having experienced, embodied and witnessed the painful effects and realities of racism, colorism, classism and xenophobia, from as young as I can remember. Gratefully, I also experienced the antidote in the goodness, solidarity, strengths, creativity, joy, mutual aid, deep friendships, faith, spirituality and community caring for each other, amidst life's hurdles. As a child, I strived to be a part of the solution, not a bystander, but an agent of social change, to knit communities in solidarity for peace. As a grown person, I have met my calling in bearing witness for healing harms done to the soul, holding a nurturing, loving and protective space for those looking to mend the raw and painful places that have yet to be tended, to find or reclaim the innate voice of your wisdom to speak your truth and to build, rebuild or restore inner strength and confidence.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
I'll welcome you with warmth and we can introduce ourselves. I'd love to hear what brings you to therapy and what your hopes are. If you feel comfortable that we may be a good fit, we can co-create the space tailored to your needs, to begin your exploration and healing. We will journey together, with acceptance, good humor and flexibility.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Each of us lives in a complex web of a social, familial, cultural, political, neuro-biological, spiritual and environmental context. LIfe's challenges exist within a host of these overlapping and interrelated issues. I encourage and support you in unpacking, discovering and making meaning of life's ebbs and flows and finding your inner truth in the context of your lived experiences. I bring a tapestry of experiences that enrich and inform the way in which we engage in the therapeutic work, whether processing and releasing stored pain and stress, making sense of confusion when you are feeling lost . We can do this through talk therapy, psychodynamic work, inner child and attachment healing work, body based and somatic healing, EMDR and tapping, parts work or creative arts healing. We may explore attachment experiences, somatic experiences, trauma, generational and ancestral blockages, relationship challenges, struggles with parenting, workplace stress issues, managing reactivity or finessing communication and relational skills in service of finding your place of calm, integrity, clarity and peace.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
My foundational work and experience is rooted in decades of hands-on social justice, counseling, advocacy faciliting community dialogue and community organizing work primarily with (but not limited to) communities of color, immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ+ folx, survivors of partner violence, sexual violence, labor exploitation and those engaged in sex work. In the aftermath of a difficult life event, trauma or a major transition, it may feel like your whole foundation, your life as you knew it is turned upside-down. You may feel misunderstood, alone, numb, reactive, angry, afraid, confused, stuck, distracted, moving like molasses, feeling like your body is worn out, and working against you. I can help you get through these hard times. Together we will find the resources and strength you need to process and make meaning of what you are experiencing and come out the other side. It DOES get better. I will journey that road in solidarity with you to find your clarity, calm and peace. I do this with honesty, gentleness, without judgment and with a kind, nurturing and loving spirit.
EMDR
We can utilize bilateral stimulation through tapping, eye movement or other means to release stored trauma and unlock deeper insights and compassion
Attachment-based
We can explore early caregiver attachment patterns and how you may be predominantly wired to relate to others. We can gain better insight into how you communicate and relate to your loved ones and how you can set and manage expectations of yourself and others in a way that can serve you and your relationships better.
Feminist
My work is rooted in recognizing that there is a socio-political structure and context that we live in that has not prioritized or valued many social groups across the globe. This inequality of social, economic and political power, whether historical or current, has an impact on how we live our lives, how our societies is shaped, conciously or in unconscious ways. We will explore your life in the context of your gender role and expectations, gender identity, class background, race, ethnicity and cultural background, sexual orientation, individual or ancestral migration history and other factors that are seminal to your life. We will examine the privileges or lack thereof and discover ways in which we can locate our inner power and strength and have purpose and connection to self while being connected to building and being part of a kinder and more compassionate world that centers principals of lovingness, equality, true solidarity and human rights.
Gender-affirming therapy
I support you through your explorations of self, identity, gender, sexuality, your social and professional interactions and other parts of yourself that are in the fore to find self-love, acceptance and self-compassion as you navigate through life.
Narrative
I'll support you as you weave through, organize and make meaning of your life narrative for a clearer understanding of your past, present and how you would like to manifest your future.