At last, I can just be.
Compassionate, affirming therapy for adults learning to take up space
Hi, I’m Luca Jin-Lin Bartlett.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #132935) living on unceded Chochenyo Ohlone land (Oakland, CA). I use they/them and he/him pronouns.
With telehealth, I am able to provide therapy to folks all across California.
I am currently accepting new clients. My sliding scale slots are full with no anticipated openings anytime soon.
ABOUT
I work primarily with QTBIPOC adults who learned to survive by making themselves small and keeping it all inside.
Through experiences of oppression, loss, trauma, abandonment, and emotional neglect, many of the people I work with often did not grow up with a stable, secure foundation from which to safely explore who they are and what they need. They had to quickly learn alternative ways of getting their needs met. Based on their unique circumstances, many of my clients responded to the trauma of exclusion and rejection by seeking safety in staying quiet and being of service to others. I see this most often in survival strategies of perfectionism and over-accommodation.
My clients do what they do—avoid mistakes, prioritize success over failure, say yes when they have no spoons, take the blame, minimize conflict, absorb others’ emotions—to keep everything together. They hold it in, take it all on, and ask, “if not me, then who?” It’s often the case that these sacrifices did and do keep some things together. It’s likely that it can feel really fulfilling to offer care and labor in these ways—it might even be central to their cultural identities. However, we almost always come out wanting when we continue to give without having enough of ourselves left over.
My clients notice the impact of self-sacrifice when they struggle to meaningfully engage in close intimate relationships, listen to their intuition on the big and small things, heal from oppressive wounds, advocate for themselves, and ultimately create a life where they feel secure in who they are.
WHO I WORK WITH
When clients reach out to me, they’re ready to move away from abandoning themselves to centering themselves.
My clients reckon with how perfectionism and over-accommodation prevent them from figuring out who they really are, viewing their needs as inherently valuable, and having the honest, empowered life that they want. I work best with people who are ready to dive in and transform insight into lasting change, even when it’s uncomfortable or scary.
Many of my clients are fellow queer, trans, non-binary, mixed-race, BIPOC, neurodivergent, fat / plus-size, disabled, and/or chronically ill folks. Several are children of immigrants, many are the eldest or only child, and some grew up in abusive or emotionally neglectful environments. Many are caretakers and high-achievers. They are “the strong one,” the “therapist” of their friend group, or are described as “too sensitive.” Their multiply-marginalized identities across race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and size often play a significant role in how their survival looks and functions. Together we find sustainable ways to maintain fulfilling cultural connections while creating more space for individual needs and wants.
You do not have to identify with any of these categories for us to work together! I welcome folks from many different paths.
My specialties also include:
QTBIPOC identities and experiences
Asian American identities and experiences
mixed race identities and experiences
disability and chronically ill identities and experiences
intimacy and relationships of all structures
sex and pleasure
grief and loss
food and body liberation
low self-esteem
general anxiety and worry
social anxiety
depression, including premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
BENEFITS OF WORKING TOGETHER
Healing through the therapy relationship can open up lasting pathways to:
strengthen trust in body wisdom
reclaim identity, agency, and power
embrace truth over comfort
deepen insight into confusing and/or harmful behavioral patterns
nurture wounds from the persistent violence of capitalism
process and metabolize challenging emotional experiences
expand on joyful practices
create a life that centers sustainability (we go as slow as we need to)
move away from an outcome-oriented narrative of “healed” and remain in process
make space for a more empowered, balanced, and aligned sense of self
