Guiding Principles of My Work
I graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, CA. My graduate training in Integral Counselling Psychology provides a unique background integrating Eastern wisdom and Western counselling approaches. To bring forth emotional and psychological health, the counselling process is holistic and integrates the mind, body and spirit of the whole being to achieve healing and growth.
I graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, CA. My graduate training in Integral Counselling Psychology provides a unique background integrating Eastern wisdom and Western counselling approaches. To bring forth emotional and psychological health, the counselling process is holistic and integrates the mind, body and spirit of the whole being to achieve healing and growth.
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours that contribute to emotional and mental distress. Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are interconnected and changing one of them can shift the others. In therapy, we work with identifying unhelpful thoughts, changing and challenging those thoughts, and changing unhelpful behaviours in order to reduce distressed feelings and improve one’s emotional well-being. CBT tends to be goal-oriented and may also includes problem solving and skill building. It is shown to be an effective therapy approach to depression, anxiety, stress and other difficulties. |
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT, is a mindfulness-based behavioral therapy that integrates principles of acceptance and mindfulness. In ACT, we learn to accept our thoughts and feelings rather than fighting against them. In addition to accept and embrace our inner experience, we also work to understand our values and make commitment to value-driven actions. This therapeutic approach encourages us to increase psychological flexibility, work with life's challenges, and take actions to achieve what will give us meaning or to live align with our values. |
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Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices is one way for us to become more present in life. Through mindful practices, we learn to focus our attention on our inner experience, becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings, sensations and body. We also have a choice of shifting our focus to the outside world to be more aware of our surroundings. With repeated practice, we become less attached and less reactive to our experience, and better able to allow thoughts and feelings to pass. This is helpful particularly for managing unhelpful thoughts or distressing emotions. The practices of non-violence and compassion are important parts of a mindfulness practice. Our emotional pain and sufferings intensify when we put ourselves down, judge ourselves harshly, or when we try to push away unwanted feelings. When we are faced with challenges and our own limitations, it is important to remind ourselves to accept who we are with gentleness and kindness wherever we are in this journey. |
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Relational / Attachment Based
The therapeutic relationship can be a great foundation of growth and healing. Through a safe, trusting and authentic relationship, the real self is allowed to emerge without danger of being hurt, judged, or misunderstood. This relationship creates a safe ground for the client to open up, reveal themselves, experience all ranges of feelings, and allow thoughts previously considered unwanted or unacceptable to appear. A trusting relationship also provides corrective emotional experiences which might have been missing in a client's earlier experiences where they may have been exposed to an unsafe, neglectful, abusive or traumatic environment. |
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Person-centred
Person-centred or humanistic counselling is based on the idea that each person is capable of self-actualization and reaching their full potential for growth. Empathic understanding, unconditional positive regard, and congruency of the therapist create an environment where clients feel accepted and understood. These qualities facilitate the development of self-regard, trust of one's own experience, and the innate tendency for growth that is in all of us. The therapist is non-judgmental, genuine, and deeply involved in the process. The therapist may also draw on their own experience to help build a stronger therapeutic relationship. |
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Existential Psychotherapy
Human conflict arises from our confrontation with existence: we experience isolation and aloneness; the freedom of choice and the responsibilities that come with choosing; sense of meaninglessness, and inevitability of death / fear of non-existence. Existentialism encourages people to face the conditions of being human. By facing life, one can embrace the freedom to choose or to be, and at the same time take responsibility for those choices. We do not need to be content with meaninglessness, and can find meaning and hope by changing perspective or direction. Fear of death and the anxiety about our own mortality can be daunting, but we can choose how to embrace life and how to live a life with meaning. We may explore existential issues in our work together. Questions such as: Why are we here? What does it mean to be me? Who am I? What do I want out of life? Why do I make certain choices? Or not? Why am I so fearful or anxious about living? Why am I so afraid of aging and death? |
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