My Therapeutic Approach

Welcome and thanks for stopping by. Taking the next step to reach out for help can be hard and takes a great deal of courage. And you’re here…navigating this step.

 

I view life as a wild journey of self-discovery filled with twists and turns. Therapy is an opportunity to explore further with support and make better sense of those twists and turns in a safe, accepting space. It’s a chance to learn more about yourself and uncover any patterns and beliefs that you may have and identify if those patterns and beliefs align with your life goals. Together, we can explore how your past may impact the way you interact with certain situations, events, and other individuals in your life.

 

Therapy can also be a time to heal and explore new ways of thinking and being. Depending on what you discover about yourself, you may choose to navigate and change the way you think about these things now, which will ultimately affect your behavior. While it may not be an easy journey to navigate, I am confident that it will be worthwhile if you can commit to showing up and doing the work with me.

 

My approach to therapy is collaborative. I’ll encourage active engagement to help uncover your strengths and resiliencies. You will build awareness of how your thoughts, feelings, and emotions manifest and get more in tune with your body. I’d like to help you understand and identify what your goals are and how you can reach them. Together, we can explore how you can best align with these goals and identify what may be holding you back from reaching them. I utilize a strength-based client-centered approach and incorporate a variety of theoretical models and tools into my sessions including cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapy strategies to help you recognize, challenge and redirect thoughts, learn to accept all parts of yourself, and better manage your emotions.

 

My background, education, professional, and life experiences bring a unique perspective to my counseling approach. I am originally from New York and have lived throughout the US as well as internationally. I made Santa Cruz my home 7 years ago. I’m Korean American first generation born with ties to Argentinean culture. I completed my undergrad work at Boston College, and graduated from Palo Alto University with my Masters in Counseling. I work with individuals, couples, and families from diverse backgrounds and identities.

 

Should you be interested in working together, please email me at susie@shinealight.info or call/text me at 831-316-4421 to meet and see if we could be a good fit for each other.