Affirming Trauma Therapy

Healing from trauma with evidence-based virtual therapy that honors the unique experiences of Asian American, LGBTQ+, and minority survivors in California, Washington, Oregon, and New York

Trauma isn't just about what happened to you—it's about how those experiences live in your body, shape your relationships, and affect your sense of safety. For Asian American and LGBTQ+ individuals, trauma often includes layers of cultural silencing, systemic oppression, and identity-based violence that many therapists don't fully understand.

Whether you've experienced a single incident or years of ongoing harm, whether your family acknowledges it or denies it, whether society calls it trauma or minimizes it—your pain is real, and you deserve culturally competent support in your healing journey.

Your Trauma is Valid—Your Healing is Possible

A Note on Safety: Trauma therapy requires feeling safe enough to explore difficult experiences. We work at your pace, with your consent, and with deep respect for your survival strategies. You're in control of your healing process

    • Intergenerational trauma from war, colonization, and displacement

    • Immigration trauma including loss, adaptation stress, and exploitation

    • Racial trauma from discrimination, hate crimes, and microaggressions

    • Cultural trauma from forced assimilation and identity erasure

    • Family trauma with cultural silence around abuse

    • "Model minority" trauma from impossible expectations

    • Language trauma from shame and exclusion

    • Rejection and Discrimination trauma from family, religion, or community

    • Conversion therapy and religious trauma

    • Identity-based violence including hate crimes

    • Medical trauma from healthcare discrimination

    • Bullying and harassment throughout life stages

    • Minority stress as ongoing trauma

    • Internalized oppression as self-directed harm

    • Sexual trauma or abuse

    • Compound discrimination targeting multiple identities

    • Isolation trauma from lack of community spaces

    • Betrayal trauma when cultural communities reject LGBTQ+ identity

    • Complex grief for lost family and cultural connections

    • Identity fragmentation from forced compartmentalization

    • Invisibility trauma from erasure in both communities

Understanding Trauma in Our Communities

  • Trauma doesn't just affect individuals—it moves through families and communities:

    • War and displacement: Carrying the unprocessed pain of previous generations

    • Immigration sacrifice: The weight of family survival on your shoulders

    • Colonial trauma: Internalized inferiority and cultural shame

    • Survival mode parenting: Love expressed through criticism and control

  • Trauma from systems and institutions compounds individual experiences:

    • Legislative trauma: Constant threats to rights and safety

    • Medical trauma: Gatekeeping, pathologization, and denial of care

    • Religious trauma: Spiritual abuse and exclusion

    • Educational trauma: Bullying with institutional indifference

    • Family system trauma: Rejection by those meant to protect you

  • Unique trauma of existing between worlds:

    • Racism in LGBTQ+ spaces, homophobia/transphobia in Asian spaces

    • Lack of role models who share all your identities

    • Choosing between communities for safety

    • Erasure of your full experience in both communities

Understanding Complex Cultural Trauma

Evidence-Based Trauma Treatment Through A Cultural Lens

CPT helps you process traumatic memories and change trauma-related beliefs. We adapt CPT to address culturally-specific trauma responses in Asian American and LGBTQ+ individuals:

  • Process trauma memories while honoring cultural coping mechanisms

  • Challenge trauma-distorted beliefs ("It's my fault," "I deserved rejection")

  • Address culture-specific shame and family honor concerns

  • Develop safety behaviors that work within your cultural context

  • Rebuild trust in relationships and communities

  • Create adaptive trauma narratives that integrate cultural identity

Example Reframe: From "I brought shame to my family by being assaulted" to "What happened to me was not my fault. My family's difficulty accepting this reflects cultural trauma, not my worth."

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Trauma

ACT helps you build a meaningful life while carrying difficult trauma memories. This approach is powerful for trauma that can't be "fixed" like systemic oppression or family rejection:

  • Accept trauma as part of your story without letting it define you

  • Defuse from trauma-based thoughts about worthlessness or brokenness

  • Connect with values beyond trauma survival

  • Build psychological flexibility to hold both pain and joy

  • Take committed action toward the life you want despite trauma

  • Develop willingness to feel difficult emotions without avoidance

ACT Practice: "My trauma happened and deeply affected me. I can hold this truth while also choosing to build connections, pursue my goals, and live according to my values."

Self-compassion is crucial for trauma recovery, especially when trauma involves shame, self-blame, and internalized oppression. We help you develop compassion for all parts of yourself:

  • Offer kindness to the parts of you that hold trauma

  • Recognize common humanity in trauma survival

  • Soothe trauma activation with self-compassion practices

  • Counter self-blame with understanding of systemic factors

  • Develop internal nurturing when external support is limited

  • Practice radical self-acceptance of your trauma responses

Self-Compassion Practice: "This trauma response protected me when I needed it. I honor my survival and offer compassion to the parts of me that are still protecting me from harm."

Self-Compassion for Trauma Healing

Mindfulness-Based Trauma Treatment

Mindfulness helps you stay grounded when trauma memories arise. We adapt mindfulness to be trauma-sensitive and culturally relevant:

  • Develop present-moment awareness to interrupt flashbacks

  • Build body awareness to recognize trauma triggers

  • Practice grounding when dissociation occurs

  • Observe trauma responses without judgment

  • Cultivate dual awareness—past trauma and present safety

  • Use cultural practices (meditation, prayer, movement) for grounding

Mindfulness Adaptation: Using culturally familiar practices like tea meditation, walking meditation, or breath work that connects to your heritage while processing trauma.

Your Trauma Does Not Define Your Future

with culturally affirming support that honors your full identity and experiences, you can move from surviving to thriving. Your healing matters—not just for you, but for all of us.

Begin your trauma healing journey with a therapist who truly understands.

Schedule your free consultation now