Do you feel stuck in the past and unable to shake the guilt ridden shame you feel for wanting to reach out to a therapist but scared your family will find out?
You are not alone. Asian Americans are the least likely of all ethnic and racial minority groups to seek out mental health care services. It is vital that we understand the culturally relevant barriers to getting help. California is home to the highest percentage of people of Asian descent. The San Francisco Bay Area hosts several of the most elite universities in the world with a significant growing population of young adults identified as Asian. It is crucial for a person who identifies as part of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) diaspora to be able to find a psychotherapist who has the insight to provide culturally sensitive treatment approaches.
At You Were Born Free, I center my practice for Asian Americans and adult children of immigrant or refugee parents who struggle with intergenerational trauma, depression and anxiety. A holistic therapy framework supports cultivating harmony between your mind, body and spirit. Through this approach you will be able to honor your family's cultural traditions while illuminating your own interdependence and vitality.
My approach to therapy is deeply informed by my lived experiences growing up as the first born daughter to refugee Vietnamese parents fleeing war violence and a communist regime. I understand that immigration issues, acculturation expectations, and socially dominant ways of communication often create added stress and barriers to receiving appropriate treatment.
At the core of my practice’s philosophy is culturally responsive care utilizing a holistic framework. I specialize in providing therapy that honors your cultural traditions and values which include interdependence, spirituality, humility, family honor and duty.
Oftentimes, the suffering and grief lives within your psyche and eventually manifests in the physical via diseases, ailments, and mental afflictions. Instead of direct emotional and cognitive strategies common with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), I draw from mindful approaches, acceptance of your present state and gentle reintegration of your senses as we work to rewire your nervous system and connect with your own body’s wisdom. As a result, you will achieve balance in life between your own dreams and your family's legacy.
Welcome, I’m Ms. Emily Tran, the eldest daughter of Vietnamese refugees and a holistic therapist from Berkeley, CA. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I fell in love with its natural beauty but I grew up grappling to uphold expectations as the eldest child. I watched my mother struggle with American values and navigating a society that didn’t seem to have space for immigrants. I tried to resist the heaviness associated with saving face, familial responsibilities, and rigorous academic expectations.
The authoritative parenting style I experienced as an adolescent ruptured my identity. I developed immense shame and did not have the skills to manage extreme guilt for disappointing my parents. I found hope and healing through various holistic modalities and honoring my own Vietnamese and Chinese American identity. I am committed to providing the highest quality of service for new clients. It would be an honor for me to walk alongside you in solidarity and compassion.
Arrive as you are. My practice is for you, a kindred spirit, who wants to dive deep and is ready to seek healing for long term, life transforming therapeutic support. It takes incredible courage to open up and be vulnerable, especially when verbalizing your feelings was not the norm during your childhood.
You will receive safe and nurturing guidance that models the healthy relationships you envision having with your partner, children or friends. You Were Born Free is a life affirming and integrative private practice well suited for Asian Americans in Berkeley, Oakland, and throughout California.
We are a diverse diaspora who have endured colonization, persecution, genocide, displacement and poverty. Intergenerational, historical, and complex trauma often show up as pervasive shame and guilt, chronic anxiety and depression, anger, overwork, addictions, chronic health issues, conflict avoidance, rejection, and low self-esteem.
My practice, You Were Born Free, approaches healing your survival instincts by incorporating the beauty of interdependence and gentle mindfulness inherent in many of our Eastern traditions. You are welcome and encouraged to explore and incorporate your religious and cultural values in our space together. We will work to uncover your own individual light as it is intertwined with your familial connections so that you may shine and honor your family's name.
Asian immigrant parents and caregivers often do not have the language or ability to talk about mental illness. Our cultures often prioritizes acts of service and interpersonal harmony over verbal expression of feelings which tends to focus on the individual and the self as separate from the collective. Traditional Western talk therapies encourage expression of self and view a suppression of feelings and wants as maladaptive. Eastern traditions approach well-being from a holistic perspective which means that sickness is viewed as disharmony between our physical and spiritual bodies. This also includes social and relational issues that contribute to one's illnesses. We are taught to repair harm immediately to maintain harmony within our familial and social connections. Emotional restraint sometimes works as an effective way of preserving interpersonal harmony. As a result we often seek help within our own communities instead of reaching out to a therapist.
As an Asian therapist, I take great care in building a therapeutic relationship that is founded on the integration of your mental, physical, and spiritual health. I understand the culturally different worlds that make up the Asian diaspora in America. I have found great success with my own healing through a holistic and integrative therapeutic approach utilizing acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, yoga, spiritual development, and culturally adapted Western psychotherapies.
Asian cultures often prioritize meeting the needs of our relationships, children, and interpersonal connection over our own individual needs. As your therapist, I am sensitive and patient to the gradual care needed in developing a full range of individual emotional expression. I also understand that we share strong familial duties and expressing negative feelings associated with your loved ones could reflect negatively on your entire family. This often triggers stress, shame, and guilt for divulging in such experiences and reactivates our deeply held intergenerational traumas within our bodies.
In working together, you will find ways to redefined your relationships through holistic approaches that center your unique story and life experiences. We will work to help you reclaim ancestral strengths and traditions. It would be an honor to guide you in getting clarity around your individual and collectives values.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), data from 2018 on diversity of psychologists within the workforce, 5% of Asians are psychologists. The APA data does not account for other licensed therapists and professionals such as LCSWs, LMFTs or LPPCs. Regardless, there is still an urgent need for more Asian therapists to serve a growing demographic.
California now has more than 6 million people of Asian descent which more than the total population of Asians in the US. And Asians are the highest racial demographic in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose at around 30% of the total population respectively. This could be a strong indication for why many of us find it so difficult to find a therapist that is culturally sensitive and approaches their therapeutic practice in ways that affirm the Asian American experience.
According a 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from SAMHSA, about 25 % of Asian American adults sought mental health services compared to 52% of white Americans. This doesn’t mean that we do not struggle with mental illness. We often struggle with anxiety, depression, shame, and perfectionism related to cultural norms and values that place high value on harmonious family identity and societal image over individualism and direct communication styles. We are often told to only divulge private information with family members. Opening up to discuss our emotional and mental challenges can be extremely hard, shameful, and frowned upon.
An Asian therapist is able to understand this dynamic and be able to provide you with culturally competent care. There is often a sense of safety and camaraderie when you overcome these challenges with a therapist who is equipped with the training and understands culturally adaptable holistic therapy approaches. Get connected with me today if you are curious about my unique framework and qualifications.
Below are several specialized directories for you to use to find a professional asian therapist in your area. I provide online therapy for anyone who lives in the state of California. If access is a challenge for you, please consider contacting me for current openings in my sliding scale fee program.
As a Vietnamese-Chinese American Therapist from Berkeley Ca, I consider it my life’s work to be able to serve and guide clients through complex intergenerational trauma, find emotional support with relationship issues, and heal self doubt and worry that keeps them stuck in a style of denial and guilt. Get the holistic support you need to find profound joy, healing, and wholeness. I provide online therapy for adults living in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco and throughout California. Consider reaching out today to get connected with a free consultation. I would love to hear your unique story and journey with you towards healing.
