Filipino Americans

We were those 80s through early 90s kids who knew how life was like before smart phones. We were independent kids who took care of ourselves while our parents worked. Now we’re Filipino American (Fil-Am) adults who are doing our best to hold it all together. You’re going through some changes in your life like trying to level up in your career, adjust to parenting, or maybe settle down with your partner.

On top of everything, you’ve been ignoring signs of anxiety and/or depression: worrying about every single thing, the inevitable overwhelm, trouble sleeping, feeling unmotivated like you just want to stay in bed all day, or feeling nervous. You mask your feelings so your family doesn’t worry about you. But you can’t do everything on your own! You tried asking your family for advice and support but they just tell you to stop thinking about it, stop crying, focus on your career, settle down, or even compare you to your cousin. It really doesn’t help. You also avoid answering intrusive questions about your career or love life at family parties so you won’t be the next tsis-mis (gossip).

You turn to your friends for non-judgmental support but that didn’t go as planned. They’re not able to be 100% objective and you don’t want to burden them with your problems. They likely have their own problems to deal with. When you turn to them for support, they suggest doing an activity like going out, playing video games, or going shopping to get your mind off your problems. It can, temporarily, but your feelings and problems will still be there.

Our parents, titos, titas, ninongs, ninangs, lolas, lolos, cousins, and friends have good intentions but you want more. More privacy, objectivity, and less judgement. You need a trained and experienced mental health professional you can vibe with. Someone who has the education and lived experience to help guide you. Not someone who’s going to tell you what to do.

Are you ready to make lasting changes but have no idea where to start? I’ll help you understand why you do the things you do. We can understand the root of your behaviors. We’ll also work on managing emotions and learning how to communicate effectively. These are skills that you can learn and practice. You’ll be able to set up healthy boundaries with family in a respectful way. You’ll be able to cope with stressors without letting anxiety spiral out of control. Let’s set up a free no-pressure 15-minute consultation call where I explain what to expect and you can ask me questions about the therapeutic process.