Blog

Our thoughts on love, grief, culture, identities, mental health, and psychotherapy.

The power of Gratitude

The power of Gratitude

In case you’re someone skeptical about the “woo-woo,” I have good news for you. There is a lot of research on this topic. Gratitude practices are one of the most widely studied activities when it comes to emotional well-being and have been shown to improve mental health, particularly when it comes to depression and anxiety. Connecting with the feeling of gratitude releases hormones that help you feel more happy, present, and content. The best part? Gratitude is free, and asks no more of you than a few minutes of your time.

therapy for the mid 20sSharon YuAugust 30, 2026marina-mendes

Trauma, (Harmful) Theology, and Healing

Trauma, (Harmful) Theology, and Healing

My clients often work with me for reasons related to their Christian faith, describing a continued stuckness after reading many Christian books in which authors propose changes or transformations that seem simple but don’t match the challenges of lived experience. Where I received my master's degree training and education - Fuller Theological Seminary - gives them hope that I can help work through this mystery.

religious trauma therapySharon YuAugust 22, 2026grace-chan

Are late discovered autistic women more vulnerable to trauma bonds?

Are late discovered autistic women more vulnerable to trauma bonds?

Many of us who discover we're autistic later in life have spent years adapting to chronic relational misattunement. When you've repeatedly been told you're "too sensitive" or "overreacting," it's easy to begin questioning your own experience. Over time, this self-doubt can make unhealthy relationship dynamics especially difficult to recognize, and even harder to leave.

autistic people therapySharon YuAugust 15, 2026gabriella-giorgio

The youngest daughter, part 2: the roles we didn't choose

The youngest daughter, part 2: the roles we didn't choose

When I wrote about the youngest daughter back in June, we looked at how youngest daughters are often reduced to a single story - the “baby” of the family, the “distractor” to relieve conflicts in the home, or simply living in the oldest sibling’s shadows - when the reality in the therapy room is usually far more layered. In this second installment, I continue exploring the roles youngest daughters often find themselves playing: the emotional sponge, the lost child, and the "eldest" youngest daughter.

asian american therapySharon YuAugust 8, 2026rachel-kwon

Mixed Neurotype Couples: ADHD + Neurotypical

Mixed Neurotype Couples: ADHD + Neurotypical

When partners have very different ways of experiencing reality, they are able to broaden each other’s perspectives and deepen their own understanding of the world around them. Loving someone who thinks fundamentally differently from you brings a lot of beauty and vibrancy into your life. And for many couples, the differences between you can also bring misattunement, misunderstanding, and disconnection.

couples therapySharon YuAugust 1, 2026janelle-malak

Together and Apart: Why Couples Seek Therapy

Together and Apart: Why Couples Seek Therapy

Experiences of infidelity are a common prompting point for couples to seek therapy. In this corner of the world, infidelity tends to be imagined as a physical, sexual boundary crossing outside of the relationship, but what rupture means or looks like to any given couple can extend far beyond these narrow definitions and depends greatly on the particular shape and agreement of that partnership.

couples therapySharon YuJuly 25, 2026emily-gaston

The struggles of a creative

The struggles of a creative

Current shifts in the industry, the use of Artificial Intelligence, and the struggle to earn a living amid rising costs are just some of the major stressors that can interfere with a creative's ability to engage in their art and threaten the very identity they've built around it. These stressors can put creatives in a constant fight-or-flight state of survival. When your art and your livelihood are the same thing, the very real fears of uncertainty become obstacles not just to safety and balance, but to a sense of who you are.

ifs therapySharon YuJuly 18, 2026michael-hung

Accepted not celebrated

Accepted not celebrated

There is nourishment in acceptance. And yet, something may still be missing. Being accepted as gay or queer is not the same as being celebrated as gay or queer. We need to be accepted for who we are, but from our caregivers and loved ones, we also need to be delighted in. As children, we need to experience our parents’ faces lighting up when they see us. As we grow into adolescents and young adults (when we typically come out) that need to be celebrated doesn’t disappear. We learn to love ourselves, in part, by witnessing others love us.

LGBTQ+ affirming therapySharon YuJuly 11, 2026bret-hansen

Healing with Nature :: Lessons from Mother Earth

Healing with Nature :: Lessons from Mother Earth

We see the importance of connection reflected across different therapeutic modalities. In Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, we tend to internal relationships, bridging connections between parts and Self. In psychodynamic therapy, we connect the present moment to past experiences. In relational therapy, healing occurs in the relationship between therapist and client. In somatic therapy, we find healing through the mind-body connection.

This makes sense. Everything we know exists within a web of relationships; we are inherently relational beings. Nature-based therapy extends this web of connection even further.

nature therapy, ifs therapySharon YuJune 27, 2026marina-mendes

Your inner critic isn't the enemy. It's exhausted

Your inner critic isn't the enemy. It's exhausted

“If I’m not critical or harsh on myself, I will fall behind.”

As the oldest Asian sibling who grew up in Asia, I’m no stranger to this thought. In my past lives before becoming a therapist, when I worked in the entertainment and corporate worlds, I operated from this belief. And now, even in my anxious moments (therapists have bad days too!), this part of me slips into old habits because it’s the ‘safest’ way to motivate me to be better.

ifs therapySharon YuJune 20, 2026grace-chan

When blending in becomes survival

When blending in becomes survival

We were recognized as weird, sensitive, and anxious. As mature for our age. As intense. As “a little too much,” or maybe not quite enough. Eventually, the wounds caused by these judgments cause protective parts to emerge - engaging in constant internal work in order to appear socially fluent, emotionally attuned, and easy to be around.

All that work is called masking.

autistic people therapySharon YuJune 13, 2026gabriella-giorgio

The youngest daughter

The youngest daughter

In contrast, youngest daughters are often thought of as spoiled, “the baby of the family,” and having it easy growing up. Although this can certainly be true, I often hear a different, more nuanced story from youngest daughters in the therapy room, and one that they have rarely had the opportunity to express. Like all of us, they carry traits with both highlights and lowlights, strengths and weaknesses, parts with gifts and burdens.

asian american therapySharon YuJune 6, 2026rachel-kwon

Healing Generational Trauma Through IFS and EMDR

Healing Generational Trauma Through IFS and EMDR

This combined approach is especially meaningful when working with cultural burdens. Many clients have internalized beliefs passed down through generations as survival strategies. First, we can honor the protective intention behind these parts’ beliefs; then, we can then help the nervous system release the intensity that keeps them locked in place.

emdr therapy, ifs therapySharon YuMay 30, 2026janelle-malak

Across Lines of Difference: Cultivating Safety and Curiosity in Relationship

Across Lines of Difference: Cultivating Safety and Curiosity in Relationship

In navigating conflict, I often hear couples get caught in “why” questions. Why did you do that? Why do you feel that way? Why does this keep happening? There is an understandable desire for causality or a clear explanation that will resolve the tension and distress in the relationship. Yet, the “whys” often pull couples out of their emotional experience and curiosity and into analysis, litigation, and defensiveness. Consider the difference between the questions why do you feel that way? And how do you feel? Or what does that feel like? A small shift in how you communicate with your partner (s) can have a meaningful impact on fostering a deeper sense of safety, openness, and a desire to understand.

couples therapySharon YuMay 24, 2026emily-gaston

Perfectionism and What It Might Be Telling You

Perfectionism and What It Might Be Telling You

Trauma-informed methodologies such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) and NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) operate on the fundamental principle that:

Healing can occur once we understand and build relationships with the parts and survival strategies we have developed to navigate life

ifs therapySharon YuMay 16, 2026michael-hung

Nature-Based Therapy: Your Body Wants to Be Outside

Nature-Based Therapy: Your Body Wants to Be Outside

One is the descent — the deep, internal work of getting to know the landscape of your soul. The other is the ascent — the remembering that you are part of a web of interconnectedness with all other living beings here on Earth.

To me, to heal is to be able to stand in the present moment, holding both of these dimensions at the same time – the stories that make you uniquely who you are, and your undeniable belonging in the family of everything – without needing to change anything.

ifs therapy, teen therapy, nature therapySharon YuMay 9, 2026marina-mendes

Brainspotting Intensives

Brainspotting Intensives

A therapy intensive is a focused, immersive experience that helps you move through specific, targeted issues in a shorter period of time. If weekly therapy sessions are like rehearsals - where you practice relational skills and revisit the same materials to deepen your understanding and compassion towards your parts in the play - then an intensive is like a healing retreat for the parts of you that have desired an intentional time and space to be attended to.

Brainspotting IntensivesSharon YuApril 25, 2026grace-chan

It’s not simply overthinking. It’s autism.

It’s not simply overthinking. It’s autism.

Anxiety, in the traditional sense, is oriented toward future threat - what might go wrong. Autistic rumination is often oriented toward clarity about the past or present - what actually happened and whether it was understood correctly.

This is often why reassurance doesn’t bring much relief. The system isn’t asking to be soothed as much as it’s trying to understand. What’s being sought isn’t comfort, but clarity - something that allows the interaction to feel complete.

autistic people therapySharon YuApril 18, 2026gabriella-giorgio

Finding belonging beyond the rules we were taught

Finding belonging beyond the rules we were taught

For many neurodivergent individuals, online communities, such as those formed on Discord or in gaming spaces, have become powerful places of belonging. The rise of communities like How to ADHD reflects a shift toward embracing difference rather than masking it. We’re also seeing the emergence of more sensory-friendly and identity-affirming spaces globally, designed to reduce overwhelm and increase accessibility.

neurodivergent therapySharon YuApril 11, 2026rachel-kwon

Healing Relational Trauma with EMDR

Healing Relational Trauma with EMDR

What is relational trauma?

Unlike “big T” trauma, relational trauma is typically quiet. It doesn’t come from one catastrophic event, but grows out of repeated misattunement, inconsistency, neglect, criticism, or boundary violations in close relationships. Over time, these experiences can shape how we see ourselves and what we learn to expect from others.

emdr therapySharon YuApril 5, 2026janelle-malak