Therapy for high-achieving adults who look like they’ve got it together — but underneath are anxious, burned out, and tired of holding it all in.
Unlearn survival rules and rebuild emotional skills for boundaries, self-trust, and
real connection.
Ready to stop performing and finally show up for yourself?
Specialties
Complex Trauma: helping you heal old wounds and step out of survival mode
Anxiety: calming your body and mind so life stops feeling overwhelming
Therapy for Asian Americans: navigating cultural & family expectations with someone who actually gets it
Brainspotting Therapy: using powerful brain-body techniques to process what words can’t touch
IFS Therapy: working with your inner parts to quiet the self-criticism and build real confidence
Depression: For high-functioning people who keep going while feeling numb and exhausted inside
Therapy for Burnout: for folks who look productive on the outside but feel like they’re constantly running on empty
Therapy for Men: if you’ve been told to "man up" or just figure it out, therapy gives you space to feel and think differently
You Look Like You’ve Got It Together — But Inside, You’re Tired of Surviving
On the outside, you keep moving — showing up to work, handling what’s expected, holding it together because that’s what you’ve always done.
You’ve learned how to look calm even when you’re overwhelmed inside.
You move through your days on autopilot — doing, producing, responding — without ever checking in with yourself.
Underneath that calm exterior, you’re tense, on edge, and running on fumes.
When things get hard, you shut down. When conflict shows up, you avoid it until it eventually blows up.
You stay busy and distracted because slowing down feels like it might unleash everything you’ve been holding in.
You say yes when you want to say no, work harder than you need to just to feel “good enough,” and numb out when it’s all too much.
You start dealing with life by checking out — staying busy, working nonstop, zoning out with TV or social media, and getting through the day without ever really feeling present in it.
And it starts spilling into your relationships — the distance, the tension, the sense that people want more from you than you have the capacity to give.
Your partner feels you shutting down or pulling away
Your friends notice you’re hard on yourself and suggest therapy.
People gently hint that you should talk to someone because they can see how much you’re carrying.
All of it is a sign of how heavy it’s been to hold things on your own.
Here’s the truth:
You’ve been in survival mode for so long it feels normal.
You’re bracing for the next thing to go wrong, keeping the peace, staying productive, and doing everything you can to hold it together. It works — until it doesn’t.
You’ve become incredibly skilled at surviving — pushing through, staying quiet, accommodating others, keeping the peace.
Those habits protected you once, but now they keep you stuck
You’ve tried the usual fixes: staying busy, distracting yourself, venting, self‑help… but nothing actually changes.
Because those things only manage symptoms — not the root.
Therapy is different. It gives you the space to pause, see what’s actually happening beneath the surface, and start changing the patterns that keep tripping you up in real life — in your relationships, your choices, your stress.
That’s where real change begins — and that’s the work we do together.
Hey, I’m Alex
Trauma & Anxiety Therapist in the Bay Area
I’m Alex — a second-gen Chinese American and Bay Area native. I help adults who’ve spent years holding it together — high‑functioning, overwhelmed, and quietly struggling — finally reconnect with themselves and the parts of them they’ve had to shut down to survive.
The folks I work with are the ones who always seem fine. You know — the reliable ones. The responsible ones. The ones who hold everything together at work and home while quietly falling apart inside.
They’re smart, driven, and capable — but also anxious, exhausted, and carrying way more than anyone realizes. They're managing relationships, careers, and high expectations from everyone around them. They've spent years putting others first, pushing through, and staying quiet to keep the peace.
If that’s you? I see you. And I want you to know this:
I’m not fooled by the success or the calm exterior. A lot of therapists see the job, the achievements, the “you seem fine” and stop there — but I don’t.
I work with high‑functioning adults every day, and I know how to look past the mask. I see the anxiety, the shutdown, the guilt, the pressure — the parts of you people don’t notice.
Where other therapists get distracted by how well you’re functioning, I track what’s happening underneath. The survival mode. The overwhelm. The real problems you’ve had to hide.
That’s the work I care about — and that’s where I meet you.
Therapy that gets to the real wounds beneath the surface
My approach is simple: I want to get to what’s really hurting underneath — not just the symptoms on the surface.
A lot of people come in carrying hurts they never had space to name —
criticism that still echoes years later
moments where you felt invisible or dismissed
childhood roles you never got to outgrow
relationships that taught you to shrink, stay quiet, or overperform
Those hurts don’t disappear just because you’ve learned to function. They show up in your anxiety, your stress, your burnout, your relationships — even the way you talk to yourself.
In therapy with me, we get real — gently and honestly. We slow everything down so you can actually feel what’s going on instead of powering through it. We focus on safety first, so you’re never pushed past what feels okay.
I use my intuition to help us notice what’s underneath the surface — the parts of you that shut down, overthink, overperform, or try to keep you safe. We don’t fight those parts. We get curious about them.
You don’t need to be perfect or have the right words. You get to go at your own pace.. Come exactly as you are — and together, we can do the deeper, more challenging work that creates real change..
Who I Help:
You might be holding it together on the outside — work, relationships, responsibilities — but inside, it feels like something’s missing. If that’s you, we might be a good fit.
AAPI & bicultural adults carrying family pressure, guilt, and unspoken expectations
Christians — from churchgoers to deconstructing believers — looking for faith-respecting therapy
Men who don’t talk about emotions, but know something’s off (or their partner does)
Tech and Finance Professionals — who feel burned out, disconnected, or like they’re just going through the motions
People pleasers and perfectionists stuck in cycles of overthinking, resentment, or self-doubt
Ready to Take the Next Step?
You don’t have to keep pushing through alone. The patterns won’t magically change — but with support, they can.
Feel relaxed after work and actually enjoy dinner with your partner instead of zoning out.
Visit your parents without that knot of dread in your stomach.
Say no to a demand without hours of guilt afterwards.
Wake up on a Saturday excited to spend the day however you choose — without the constant buzz of anxiety in the background
That’s what’s possible here.
Here’s what clients often tell me after working together:
“I stopped apologizing for everything and actually started asking for what I need — without guilt.”
“I visit my parents and don’t completely shut down. I can hold boundaries and still feel like myself.”
“I don’t wake up dreading the day anymore. I actually feel like I have room to breathe.”
If you’re ready to step out of autopilot and survival mode and finally step into a life that actually feels like yours, let’s talk.
Why Therapy — And Why It’s Different From Everything Else You’ve Tried
You’ve Probably Already Tried Everything Self‑help books, coaching, journaling, podcasts, venting to friends — maybe even a few insurance‑based therapy sessions. And you’re still here. Because those things help… until they don’t.
Why Those Fixes Don’t Last
They only scratch the surface
They give advice but don’t get into the deeper patterns
They help you function, but not actually heal.
Insurance‑based therapists are often overloaded, rushed, or focused only on symptom management.
When you’re high‑functioning, it’s easy for therapists (and everyone else) to get fooled by the façade — the job, the achievements, the calm exterior. Most generalists treat the anxiety, stress, or burnout… but miss the survival mode underneath.
What Real Therapy With a Specialist Does Instead
Real therapy — with the right therapist — goes deeper
It helps you:
Understand the patterns that keep you stuck.
Make sense of the parts of your story that feel messy or confusing.
Face the things you’ve avoided because they’re painful or overwhelming.
Have a guide and a partner — not just a listener — who sits with you in the hard moments and helps you work through them.
What I’m Actually Here to Do:
I’m not here to patch you up or get you “functional” again. I’m here to help you change your life.
Break generational and cultural cycles that keep repeating.
Understand how your past shaped your present — so it stops running your life.
Build emotional skills to show up differently in relationships, work, and within yourself.
Stop surviving your life — and start actually living it.