About Melissa
A Licensed Professional Here to Guide You
At a young age, a relative very close to me was diagnosed with Leukemia (a type of blood cancer). I was with this individual as they received their diagnosis, initiate chemotherapy treatments, enter remission, experience recurrence, admit and discharge from the hospital, and eventually die.
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Unfortunately, many can relate to this story (either being the one going through the medical issues themselves or knowing someone close who has experienced this). Although I realized many people were dealing with loss, there was no mental health professional or therapy services readily accessible to me or my family at that time.
My interest in the lack of resources and mental health services to those experiencing loss or dealing with major chronic or terminal illnesses led me to study the social science of Sociology and eventually to graduate school studying Health and Mental Health in Social Work. Soon after I received my license in clinical social work in California.
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My post-graduate profession began with me providing therapy in hospice and later to working as a hospital medicine social worker providing therapy and resources to those hospitalized for medical issues including but not limited to cancer, addiction, end of life, etc. I also have trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to treat those who have been diagnosed with PTSD (particularly service member veterans).
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As a licensed psychotherapist in the greater Los Angeles area, I am committed to the well-being of all my clients and go above and beyond to cater to their needs.
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I received my Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology degree at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA in 2010.
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I later graduated with my Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) at the University of Southern California (USC) in 2012 with a concentration in Health.
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While at USC, I was given the rare opportunity to intern at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in the Oschin Cancer Center providing direct therapy to those diagnosed with cancer.
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My journey in providing grief therapy helped me to see the major gaps in research allocated towards the AAPI community so I pursued and obtained a Ph.D in Psychology Studies and Counseling from Regent University where I focused on identifying literature and addressing these gaps pertaining to Asian Americans and grief.
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Psychotherapist in the state of California (LCSW 83727) and an LCSW/Psychotherapist in the state of Hawaii (LCSW-4987) and an adjunct professor of Psychology.
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Thank you for letting me share my story with you,
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Melissa