at last, i can just be.
AFFIRMING, EMPOWERING THERAPY FOR THE EVERYDAY SUPERHEROES STRUGGLING TO HOLD IT ALL DOWN
UNBURDEN YOURSELF
Are you overwhelmed and overburdened with life’s unending demands?
Do you feel torn between tending to yourself and tending to others?
Do you feel like you’re doing so much and yet it still doesn’t feel like enough?
Do you feel like you’re not enough?
Do you feel disconnected from your body and your emotions?
Have you tried all the things—meditation, skills development, intellectualization—and you don’t understand why you’re still struggling?
HEALING STARTS WITH YOU
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HEALING STARTS WITH YOU •
HI, I’M LUCA.
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based on stolen Lisjan Ohlone land, colonially known as Oakland, CA. I use they/them and he/him pronouns.
I feel passionate about working with people who have learned to survive by trying to “get it right,” strive for “perfection,” and be “good.” I’m here to guide you toward building a life where you don’t need to be perfect in order to feel fulfilled. You do not need to make yourself small to get what you need.
I’ll say that again.
You do not need to make yourself small to get what you need.
There is room for joy, pleasure, and connection while making space for all the different parts of you to exist—yes, even the ones you deem imperfect! Our full selves are worth embracing, and I can help you find your way back to wholeness.
setting the stage
I work with adults and older teens (16+) who feel stuck in cycles of overwhelm, perfectionism, and shame. Through a mix of relational psychodynamic therapy, somatic / body-based practices, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), I can help you release control, feel more confident, reconnect with your body, align your values, and build sustainable, mutually loving and supportive relationships.
Drawing from your own internal strengths and inner wisdom, my collaborative approach fosters deep self-awareness, body-based processing, emotion regulation, and safe vulnerability, thereby empowering you to move from being in survival mode to living the balanced, meaningful life that you want.
Specialties
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General worry
Social anxiety
Emotional overwhelm
Perfectionism
People-pleasing
Over-extension / pushing beyond your boundaries
Shame
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Relationship expectations
Relationship structures of all kind
Intimacy and vulnerability
Shame
Sex and pleasure
Communication skills
Boundary setting
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Gender identity exploration
Gender dysphoria and euphoria
Coming out considerations
Social and medical transition considerations
Letter-writing for surgery approval
Internalized transphobia
Dating while trans
Concerns about being trans and/or non-binary in the current political climate
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Childhood abuse or neglect
Emotional abuse or neglect
Racialized trauma
Interpersonal trauma
Intergenerational trauma
Reconnecting with the body after trauma
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Grief processing
Grief ritual exploration
Making sense of grief
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Exploration of neurodivergence
Emotion regulation
Sensory overwhelm
Internalized shame
School and workplace accommodations
Making meaning from a new diagnosis
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Identity exploration as it relates to race, class, gender, ability, sexuality, immigration status—with a special emphasis on emerging disability identities and Asian / Asian American and Pacific Islander cultural identities, including children of immigrants
Community seeking and building
Healing from harm perpetuated by oppressive systems and interpersonal relationships
I have extensive experience working with people who are queer, trans and/or non-binary, BIPOC, mixed race, neurodivergent, disabled and/or chronically ill, eldest children, and children of immigrants. You do not have to identify with any of these for us to work together.
IT’S SO WORTH IT ON THE OTHER SIDE
I’m here to support you with moving beyond insight and mobilizing around lasting change. I can help you:
Identify and accept your emotions, even the ones that feel “negative,” “bad,” or “unhealthy”
Re-connect with your body
Listen to your intuition
Feel more confident setting boundaries
Gain insight into confusing and/or harmful behavior patterns
Normalize the messiness of being a person in a suffering world
Liberate yourself from shame
Reclaim your sense of identity, agency, and power
Practice vulnerability and intimacy in a safe context
Improve your relationships
Create a life that centers sustainability (we go as slow as we need to, and adjust as needed)
Build a more empowered, balanced, and aligned sense of self
My Approach
My style is warm, emotionally engaged, relational, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. I honor the complexity of your lived experiences, and will hold your story and pain with respect and care.
Informed by my own experiences as a racialized, disabled, queer & trans person and my commitment to working with multiply marginalized people, I value the following in my practice:
Authenticity
Curiosity
Cultural humility
Collective care
Accountability
Collaboration
Anti-oppressive / Anti-carceral / Decolonial stance
OFFERINGS
You might start therapy with something specific you want to talk about or focus on. My approach as an in-depth therapist means that wherever we start, we are bound to uncover deeper emotions and processes beneath the surface. This allows for a holistic, expansive approach to healing that goes beyond awareness and results in lasting change.
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INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
I provide therapy for adults and older adolescents (16+) who need support with managing overwhelm, stress, perfectionism, and shame. Within this context, a variety of other concerns might arise, such as anxiety and depression, unexpected life transitions, family conflict, grief and loss, and explorations with sexuality and gender identity.
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1:1 RELATIONSHIP THERAPY
1:1 relationship therapy, or individual attachment-based therapy, is for people looking to feel greater calm and peace in their relationships. We spend a significant amount of our time and energy in relationships. It makes sense that we’ll experience some bumps along the way, especially if we have histories of feeling abandoned or rejected.
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GENDER AFFIRMING THERAPY
Gender affirming therapy is for anyone looking to explore their gender identity, or for people who feel confident in their gender identity but want to further explore how their gender informs and impacts other parts of their lives, such as dating, school, work, friendships, and family relationships. I feel passionate about being a trans provider offering gender affirming care at a time when trans people are maliciously targeted by the federal government and in interpersonal relationships.
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SOMATIC TRAUMA HEALING
I use somatic / body-based approaches to strengthen the mind-body connection. When we experience trauma, our innate ability to connect with our sensations and emotions get disrupted. Trauma healing is therefore a restoration of who and how we are.
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GRIEF THERAPY FOR TEENS
Going through adolescence can be both exciting and challenging for many young people. When loss happens, we can be thrown for an even greater loop, suddenly unsteady in who we are and how we feel. I’m here to support with navigating grief and loss in a way that allows you to make the necessary changes to grieve meaningfully.
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NEURO-AFFIRMING THERAPY
Neuro-affirming therapy is for people who are exploring their possible neurodivergence, or for people who already identify as neurodivergent and want an affirming, inclusive therapy space to further process how their neurodivergence impacts their lives.
