Welcome and nice to meet you! I am a licensed psychologist with over 25+ years of experience. I provide compassionate, warm, and collaborative therapy to guide you through your thoughts and emotions towards healing, self-appreciation, and personal/relational empowerment. I work with individuals (adults, adolescents), couples, and families.
I have worked with people on a very wide range of mental health issues over the past 25+ years. My core passion lies in helping individuals dealing with body image distress and eating disorders, as well as addressing common mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
We human beings are complex and our mental health concerns cannot be separate from the interpersonal context (e.g., family of origin, romantic relationships), environmental factors (e.g., sociocultural climates, discrimination), and significant life events (e.g., trauma, loss, career transitions) that shape our lives. Therefore, in my work with people on their mental health difficulties (e.g., eating disorders, OCD, anxiety, depression), it is common that we also address issues related to family, interpersonal relationships, trauma/PTSD, and critical life events.
I completed my doctoral training at the University of Missouri-Columbia and my internship at the University of Florida. Before moving to the United States, I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling (with a concentration in mental health counseling) at National Taiwan Normal University.
I have considerable experiences working with adults, adolescents, and couples/families. I have worked in different practice settings, including community mental health agencies, middle/high schools, and college counseling centers. Besides clinical practice, I am a tenured Full Professor of Counseling Psychology at a University in San Francisco and I train aspiring therapists.
My therapy style is warm and collaborative. I work with individuals to build on their strengths, grow self-understanding, address core struggles, and achieve greater freedom and fulfillment in their lives. I offer a compassionate and safe space where healing, experiential learning, hope, insight, and new growth occur. I work with you to create long-lasting changes to enhance your self-confidence and life commitments (e.g., relationships, career/school).
I use evidence-based practices (e.g., Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Psychodynamic Therapy, Multicultural psychology) grounded in culturally responsive and trauma-informed principles. I value each person’s uniqueness, and I tailor my therapy approaches to meet the unique and specific needs of each client.
I am fluent in English, Mandarin, and Taiwanese dialects. As an immigrant from Taiwan who has lived in the U.S. for far more than two decades, my personal experience, along with my clinical and research work, provide me with in-depth understanding of cross-cultural issues.
As an elected fellow of the Society of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association, my work on minority mental health among BIPOC communities has been recognized for its importance. My work on eating disorders among Asian/Asian American women has also received recognitions from the American Psychological Association (e.g., the Psychotherapy with Women Award by the Society for the Psychology of Women). My recent book, Body Image and the Asian Experience, is the first known comprehensive book on the topic area of body image and eating disorders among Asians, Asian Americans, and Asian diasporas across the globe.
My solid background in previous full-time practice and then in academia, illustrates my strengths and passions in both research and practice. My career path has been an embodiment of the scientist-practitioner model set forth by the American Psychological Association. A unique niche and gift of mine is in delivering and tailoring evidence-based and empirically informed practices to working with diverse populations, particularly people whose identities have been marginalized by dominant sociocultural-political forces (e.g., immigrants, BIPOCs, women, LGBT individuals and couples/families). I look forward to the possibilities of supporting you in your journey toward achieving your mental health goals!
Contat Dr. Hsiu-Lan Cheng, PhD
Phone: (949) 229-1314
Email: hcheng.ic@soulidaritytherapy.com
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