Frequently Asked Questions
Therapy may be right for you if you have considered “I should probably go to treatment… but I’ll manage this for now. It's not that bad.”
People often assume that individuals attending therapy have “something wrong” with them. In actuality, everyone can benefit from a dedicated space to be authentically themselves and heard.
Therapy is a space for you to journey inwards, process, and better understand your emotions and experiences. Many of my clients have a long history of suppressing their feelings and gritting their teeth, and they struggle to express hardship in their lives. This is commonly due to concern for judgment, shame, or an inability to face their fears.
In therapy, we will make space for you to acknowledge your strengths, alongside patterns of ineffective negative thought spirals or even destructive behavioral patterns. We can get you "unstuck" and moving forward in a direction you can be proud of. My goal as your therapist is to safely challenge you to adopt new practical clinical tools to benefit your long-term mental health. As life inevitably brings bumps in the road, finding your inner light to care for yourself is a necessary investment.
Unless you are actively processing what you learned from your past and how you are doing in the moment, how will you feel content with moving forward? When you have an allocated place to connect and heal, you can feel liberated to build the life you want and deserve.
Therapy is a good fit for you if /
Therapy with Michelle is a good fit for you if:
You are open to seeing a Vietnamese American, First-Gen therapist to learn and practice new skills in a curious, safe, nonjudgmental environment. You are also open to Michelle's personal authenticity, clinical perspective, and professional experience in the social work field. You are open to working with a therapist who can be gentle, directive, humorous, playful, and tactfully transparent.
You or a supportive person in your life has helped you identify a need to understand better the importance of your mental health and the regulation of your emotions and behaviors.
You may be nervous and also ready. You feel motivated and open to new, more beneficial strategies for managing emotions and engaging in relationships.
You are willing to commit to 12-16 consecutive weeks of therapy and make time for sessions, despite your work and personal life demands.
Therapy may not be a suitable fit for you if:
You are having severe symptoms that will require a higher level of care, or are being discharged from hospitalization/IOP/PHP, or are actively struggling with concerns around thoughts or behaviors of harming yourself or others.You are participating out of obligation to someone else with no personal buy-in or interest in improving yourself.You are hesitant to change, suspicious of mental health treatment or strategies, or are not willing to meet your therapist halfway.
Work with Michelle
I appreciate your interest in working with me. Although the website is dense and thorough, I hope it gives you a better understanding of who I am as a therapist and how I could support you.
Whenever you’re ready, click on the button below to book your complimentary consultation call.
How long will it take?
Every client's therapy journey is different. Talk (or mental health) therapy will include sessions with the direct clinician and the client “doing their work” outside of sessions. Like seeing a physical therapist for treatment, you will also be expected to do “homework”, thought exercises, practice tools reviewed in therapy, space/time for self-reflection, and introspection. That said, clients see me for 3-6 months and may even continue to see me for 3-4 years. Depending on the client’s style, schedule, and needs, clients can be in therapy for short, medium, or long periods. During our initial sessions, I can share my clinical recommendations for what I presume to be helpful for them to meet their goals.
Generally, I work with clients weekly, focusing on better understanding their needs and strengthening our therapeutic relationship. We will examine concrete therapeutic goals at the beginning of therapy and review them every quarter. If you are newer to treatment, you may find me asking prompting questions or sharing psychoeducation to assist with your understanding of mental health symptoms or therapy tools. I typically see individuals weekly for 3-4 months (12-16 sessions), and then we gradually space out our therapy sessions as needed, depending on their progress towards treatment goals set. Some clients prefer to see me every 2-3 weeks or months after considering their current needs and symptom stabilization. Because I use a treatment-feedback model, we have an open space for reviewing how you feel about therapy, readiness to update treatment goals, or frequency. Some clients prefer a consistent and available therapist, which is usually discussed beforehand so that I can make potential adaptations to treatment preferences.
Payment: What are your rates? Do you provide SuperBills? Do you have insurance?
Updated October 2025:
The Initial Appointment for a psychiatric Biopsychosocial Assessment is $280, and Return Psychotherapy is $250.
At this time, my practice is not accepting insurance. My fees are set to the industry standard based on my experience and geographic location. I am only accepting private pay clients and clients with Lyra EAP benefits. All sliding-scale fee clients are based on financial needs and are discussed during the consultation. Please contact me regarding your current sliding scale and economic needs.
I am not empaneled or working with any insurance companies. Because I do not accept insurance, my practice and services are considered “out-of-network” for all benefits. However, submitting a superbill for out-of-network care may still be partially reimbursed. A Superbill is a detailed clinical receipt and proof of treatment, and you can submit it to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. It is highly recommended that clients reach out to their respective insurance companies about their copays and out-of-network plans. The Superbill includes information about my licensing credentials and the service type you received, service dates, diagnosis, and billing codes. I provide Superbills monthly.
What should I expect from the therapy consultation call and the initial appointment?
The complimentary consultation video call is a 15-20 minute discussion before agreed-upon therapy treatment. I want to point out that all clients want to get to know their therapist before engaging in further services, and I am happy to accommodate this need. During the consultation call, I like to learn about the client’s goals in therapy, current symptoms, brief mental health history, and their learning style in a therapeutic relationship. A consultation call is not therapy; it is short and solution-focused to review if setting care fits you and my practice. You must complete a consent form as a potential client seeking a consultation.
The initial appointment is a crucial part of therapy. The appointment typically lasts 60 minutes as we review intake paperwork and review any of your questions before the start of our therapeutic relationship. Generally, I take more of a leadership role by asking questions to get to know the client from their past, current needs, and future goals. I complete a comprehensive interview, utilizing a bio-psycho-social intake format to learn about your current symptoms, a timeline of triggers or concerns, and your social, medical, family, and support systems. The thorough assessment helps me understand you, not only with things you may feel challenged with. After the initial visit and follow-up, I will provide a clinical evaluation and recommendations on the direction of therapy. I will also create space to review your treatment goals so therapy can feel digestible and that you are involved in. Before the initial appointment, you must complete all intake forms sent via SimplePractice.
What should I expect from the therapy return sessions?
In the return visits, clients and I typcially review how they are doing, feeling, or thinking. Sometimes, clients are asked to bring up topics, including successes, challenges, or issues for follow-up that have occurred since our last visit. Periodically, clients show up with a list — ready to have a conversation solely focused on 1-2 topics to process and review. If you are newer to therapy, having topics “prepared” can be intimidating, so I aim to have an organic discussion as we work towards processing feelings and reviewing any previously discussed adaptive skills.
I enjoy creating space for my clients to share authentically, whether it be what naturally comes up for them during our time together, reviewing patterns related to their treatment goals, or planning discussion topics. It all begins with a strong rapport, good connection, and trust, so I allow a safe space for clients to show up as they are and provide gentle feedback on how to structure follow-up sessions as needed.
What happens when my treatment goals have been met?
The feedback-informed model involves regular practice for clients and me to review the therapy process. Once goals are completed, it is recommended that clients continue for the “maintenance” phase, where a reduction in the frequency of sessions occurs to assess and determine how the improvements are maintained as frequency lessens. If progress is maintained, a client may move toward completion. If progress hits bumps, sessions will focus on how to manage these bumps. We adapt if goals are completed and clients are ready to move to another critical topic.
Do you offer therapy in-person, virtually, or both?
My practice is a hybrid, virtual, with limited options for in-office. Because I work onsite for Tech companies in the Bay Area, those office settings are solely reserved for clients who are employees. If you're looking for in-person therapy, please don't hesitate to contact me, as my Cupertino office has limited availability.
Do you only work with women, Asian Americans, or BIPOC?
Short answer—No. Mental health illnesses and symptoms do not discriminate, and neither do my services. Although I specialize in the Asian American experience, I welcome clients of all backgrounds. I have supported a large population of men in tech, Caucasian men and women, individuals in their 60s, and more. I highlight my passion for providing culturally sensitive care for individuals of color as a recognition of common barriers to receiving competent mental health treatment. I make it known that I am an anti-racist provider, and my social justice-oriented values will show up in treatment. Simultaneously, I provide mental health services to all populations with the knowledge that managing emotions to keep a mentally healthy mind is essential to all.