About me
Welcome! I’m Diane (pronouns: she/her), a licensed clinical psychologist in California with extensive experience working with trauma, eating disorders/body image concerns, anxiety, and relationship concerns. I also help people navigate early adulthood challenges such as career transitions, friendships and romantic relationships, and building self-confidence.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, and am a proud Asian American, queer, cis woman. As a daughter of a first generation Chinese American and an immigrant from the Philippines, serving the Asian community and all racial minorities is my passion. I’ve experienced and seen firsthand how stigma of mental health and the model minority myth in the Asian community has impacted me, my family and my community. As a “recovering perfectionist,” I seek to help my clients appreciate and honor their humanness. Outside of work, I am a yogi, proud auntie, co-parent to 2 kitties, foodie, and globetrotter.
Social justice and advocacy are integral to who I am as a psychologist and a person. In addition to serving my fellow Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDAs), I stand for all BIPOC communities, immigrant rights, Palestinian liberation, undocumented and mixed status folks, and the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m committed to anti-racism, decolonizing mental health, and to liberation of all oppressed folks.
I received my doctorate in clinical psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago, and my bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). I completed my doctoral internship at UNC Chapel Hill, and have worked at several universities including UCLA and California State University, Northridge. My breadth of experience includes working with undergraduate and graduate students, health professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, therapists), and creatives (e.g., actors, artists, writers). Along with my private practice, I am a staff psychologist at UCLA where I provide individual therapy, group therapy, and supervision and training to therapists-in-training.
License Number: CA PSY30141
My style
As a therapist, I’m warm, compassionate, and collaborative. My roots are in psychodynamic theory and unpacking how your unique history shapes who you are. I practice from an integrative approach weaving in CBT, ACT, and mindfulness practices. As a decolonial psychologist, I center cultural humility and address how systems, oppression, power and privilege influence my clients’ struggles and strengths. I have always valued community (including family, chosen family/friends, partner), which is why I see the relationship I build with my clients as the foundation for healing and change.
You can read more about my approach here.
