Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often should I come to therapy? And How long?
A: I typically work with clients either weekly or bi-weekly basis. I work with clients for anywhere between 3 months to a few years — depending on your needs.

Q: What are your rates? Do you take insurance?
A: Here are our rates for each service we provide:

$225 each 50 min individual session

[Disclaimer: I’m acknowledging that not everyone can access therapy at my full fee. I have limited sliding scale spots available between$165 and $185 based on financial need. If sliding scale spots are unavailable, I can provide referrals for clinicians who provide insurance-based therapy or lower fees].

$250 for each 50-min partner’s/couples therapy session (90847)

$200 for Evaluations and letter writing for Gender Affirming Care

[The fee is waived for existing clients]

$950 for a 3-hour IFS Trauma Processing Intensive [Payment Plan Available]

$1895 for a 6-hour IFS Trauma Processing Intensive [Payment Plan available]

$2500 for a 8-hour IFS Trauma Processing Intensive [Payment Plan Available]

We’ve partnered with Thrizer.com, a service that handles your claims and submits them for you, making the reimbursement process smooth and stress-free. We can set you up with this service with no additional charge.

Note: Most clients with PPO plans can get reimbursed between 40% to 80% for out of network mental health services.

Q: Why don’t you accept insurance?

It’s an important and fair question — and I want to be fully transparent with you.

While I deeply believe therapy should be accessible, I’ve chosen not to work directly with insurance companies. Here’s why:

Insurance often undervalues mental health care.
Most insurance companies reimburse therapists at rates far below what it actually costs to provide ethical, trauma-informed care — often $60–$120 per session. To make ends meet, therapists on insurance panels often have to see 30+ clients per week. That kind of volume leads to burnout — fast. And for clinicians doing deep trauma work, it's not sustainable, nor safe for us or our clients.

I keep my caseload between 12 and 15 clients weekly so that I can show up for the last client of the day as I do for the first client of the day.

Trauma work requires presence, not just productivity.
The work I do — with anxiety, intergenerational trauma, ADHD, rejection sensitivity, and identity exploration — requires energy, emotional capacity, and space. By limiting my caseload, I’m able to show up for you fully present and resourced. I can’t do that if I’m running from session to session with no time to breathe or reflect.

Running a high-quality, ethical private practice is expensive.
Here’s a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes:

  • Licensure fees & professional liability insurance – $1,000+/year [Multi-state licensure & business licenses in multiple cities]

  • Continuing education & certifications (IFS, Couples Therapy modalities, EMDR & Brain-spotting trainings ) – $6,000- $8,000/year

  • Clinical consultation & peer supervision – $2,500/year

  • Practice management software, HIPAA-compliant tech, website & branding – $200/month

  • Practice Phone Number/Business Address: $350/year

  • Cellphone/Internet: $1220/year

  • Self-employment taxes, city taxes, & health insurance (no employer benefits) – 30–40% of gross income

All of these costs are part of what allows me to offer you ethical, confidential, and up-to-date care in a private, affirming space where your needs come first — not insurance policies.

Insurance can compromise your care.
In order to use insurance, I’d be required to diagnose you with a mental health condition, and that diagnosis would become part of your permanent medical record. Insurance companies can also request access to your clinical notes and decide how long you can stay in therapy based on their definition of what’s “medically necessary.”

I believe you deserve therapy that’s private, personalized, and not dictated by a third party. You’re not just a billing code — you’re a whole person with a complex story, and your care should reflect that.

So what are you paying for when you invest in therapy with me?

  • A therapist who is deeply trained and actively pursuing advanced trauma modalities

  • A space that’s affirming of your culture, neurodivergence, your multifaceted identity

  • A small caseload so you’re never just “fitting into someone’s calendar”

  • A practitioner who has the energy and capacity to think deeply about you, not just your symptoms

  • Healing that is confidential, collaborative, and not controlled by a health insurance algorithm

I know therapy is a significant investment. If you have out-of-network benefits, I can provide a superbill for potential reimbursement. And if I’m not the right fit financially, I’m happy to refer you to lower-fee or insurance-based providers who may better match your needs.

At the end of the day, you deserve care that honors your full humanity. I’m committed to offering that — even if it means working outside of a system that often asks us to do more with less.

Q: Do you offer a sliding scale?
A: We have a limited number of sliding scale spots based on financial need. Just ask — we’ll let you know what’s available.

Q: What types of therapy do you offer?
A: We specialize in trauma healing, religious and family shame, queer identity exploration, relationship therapy (including poly/CNM), gender-affirming support, ,ADHD evaluation & coaching, and IFS Trauma Processing Intensive (4-hour/session) — always through a culturally grounded, intersectional lens.

Q: What’s an IFS intensive? Is it right for me?
A: Our IFS (Internal Family Systems) intensives are deep, extended sessions (4 hours in a single day) designed to help you move through stuck trauma — especially religious trauma, identity shame, and intergenerational wounds. Think of it as a powerfully focused reset when weekly therapy isn’t enough or your busy life does not allow for frequent appointments to move at a pace you want. An IFS intensive appointment is on weekends and by appointment only. The cost for an intensive appointment is the following:

$950 for a 3-hour IFS Trauma Processing Intensive [Payment Plan Available]

$1895 for a 6-hour IFS Trauma Processing Intensive [Payment Plan available]

$2500 for a 8-hour IFS Trauma Processing Intensive [Payment Plan Available]

Q: I’m not Asian American, but I resonate with what Center for Asian American Trauma offers. Can I come?
A: Yes. Although our practice focuses on providing care to AAPI communities, you are more than welcome to come for support. We work with people from all walks of life — if you resonate with what we have to offer.

Q: Do you write letters for gender-affirming care?
A: Absolutely. We offer WPATH-aligned letters for surgery and hormone care after a respectful, affirming assessment — often within one session ($200 for evaluation & letter). For existing clients, the fees are waived.

Q: Can my parents/partners join for sessions?
A: Yes. We offer support for you in every context and every relationship so you can thrive.

Q: How do I get started?
A: Fill out our contact form or schedule an intake appointment via Calendly. We’ll guide you through the process.