Integrity, strength, humility, experience, insight, depth, support, mindfulness.
Compassionate and skillful care for your personal growth and healing journey.
(Photo by Bob Hsiang)
Entrance to the Public Garden in Arles
Vincent Van Gogh
General Adult Psychiatry
1734 Fillmore Street (near Sutter)
San Francisco, CA 94115
T: (415) 824-3055
email: click here
I am a Board Certified Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (DFAPA), trained at Brown, Stanford, UCSF and the all-important School of Life, specializing in providing care (therapy and/or medications) for people suffering from psychiatric conditions and life stressors, especially difficult work and personal relationship issues, losses and life trauma. In 2018, I will start offering workshops in mindful self-compassion (MSC) and compassion cultivation (CCT). Sign up for details at www.sflovedojo.org.
At heart, I’m a poet, writer, humanist and spiritual seeker, with ample training and interest in science and diverse interests from film to psychology to culture and community to technology, all of which play a role in my work and appreciation of the human condition, and my interest in alleviating suffering. Mindfulness, compassion and curiosity, grounded in the therapeutic relationship, are the foundations for understanding and helping you over the near and long-terms.
Therapy helps you find new meanings, resonances and patterns in your life, thoughts and emotions, taking you beyond self-help and education to gain greater freedom, make better choices, and grow as an individual and in relationship to others. Life can be difficult. Whether you face illness, loss, challenges in work, love, or other relationships, or are caught by uncertainties, dissatisfactions and disappointments, a therapeutic relationship with a trusted counselor can help you move forward, thrive and support your best possibilities.
Our work will begin with active listening and careful attention to your stressors and life history, including important relationships and patterns. I look forward to learning about you and your strengths, aspirations, and struggles.
We will work to understand you and your situation, then work creatively to meet the challenges and opportunities before you. Through the warmth, sensitivity and support of the therapeutic relationship, we will work towards insight, wisdom and personal growth, beyond your predicament to your individuality. The dilemma before you is usually an entry point to depth and vitality.
As one of my mentors taught me, “therapy is art in the medium of relationship.” Relationship can transform, instruct and heal. Therapy is an ongoing conversation and a communication of spirit, thought and heart. In my experience, the commitment of time and effort pay off manifold in quality of life, happiness, stability and a growing sense of peace. At the very least - and this is by no means minimal - simply having steady therapeutic support and guidance can be a necessary rock through difficult times.
I work with both individuals and couples. My knowledge, experience and therapeutic skill are in service to you. I primarily practice depth psychotherapy, for which I’ve had advanced training, and also prescribe medications if needed.
My goal is to help you overcome obstacles, enjoy fulfilling relationships, achieve your potential and optimize your quality of life. I have a special interest and expertise in spiritual and cultural understandings, particularly mindfulness. I also have interest in helping my clients develop emotional intelligence and resilience to deal with “Difficult People” and “Difficult Situations.”
Please use this website to find out more about my practice. I am an Expert for Psychology Today, and my blog “The Pacific Heart” is accessible here. I also have an interest in film and culture, and write the Memoirs of a Superfan film blog for the Center for Asian American Media. I also give presentations, for example this one at the Asian Art Museum on the neuropsychology of collecting. I also write for other publications, including this for Clinical Psychiatry News on workplace abuse, and this for Hyphen Magazine on mindfulness, compassion and relationship (These Three Things_FINAL.pdf).
(Note: While I enjoy writing, the sessions will be about you and what’s going on in your life. I hope my writing can be helpful, especially for those I’m not working with, but real change comes through a real relationship.)
