Queer Asian Therapist
in San Francisco Bay Area and Online in California
Queer Therapist, Asian Therapist, Trauma Therapist in San Francisco
Dr. Jessica Vechakul, LMFT, MPH, PhD
Trauma therapist, Asian therapist, queer therapist in San Francisco
Who I am and how I can help
I'm Jess, and I'm a psychotherapist. I love supporting people in their journeys of self-discovery.
I am Asian-American (Thai-Chinese), queer, POC, femme, gender non-binary (pronouns: she or they), child of immigrant parents, introvert
Throughout my life, hardships led me to seek healing in various forms. The insights and skills I gained in my own healing journey enable me to support others. My expertise stem from challenges I've worked through or experiences helping other people.
I help people who long for a deeper connection to themselves or others but feel stuck between being true to themselves and being who they "should" be. Sometimes, this means conforming to the norm or hiding a part of yourself.
Therapy can be a space to reflect on how things got this way and how to create the life you want.
I know from my own path to wholeness, that it can feel overwhelming, isolating, or frustrating. I believe that we all have an inner compass and an innate ability to heal and grow. Sometimes we lose our way, and it's hard to move forward. I can walk along this path with you, and we can explore together what is most important to you and the direction you want to go.
If you're feeling like something has to change but don't know where to start, please schedule a free consultation, and we can talk about how I might be helpful to you.
My Commitments
I strive to create a respectful, non-judgmental space where all parts of you feel welcome.
Inviting you to share what is most alive for you, I will listen carefully and seek to understand.
I am committed to challenging oppression by naming and unpacking systemic and institutional inequities.
I take responsibility for doing my work and being mindful of how the similarities and differences in our culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, or spirituality can impact our work together.
Trauma therapist, Asian therapist, queer therapist in San Francisco
Specialized Training
Internal Family Systems – A way for you to get to know the parts of you that are longing to be seen, heard, and understood. Cultivating a loving compassionate relationship with yourself.
Brainspotting, a healing modality that integrates the natural healing power of the brain and body with mindfulness and relational attunement.
Emotionally Focused Therapy – an attachment-based approach for individual therapy and couples therapy. Queer Asian trauma therapist in San Francisco
Depth Hypnosis and Spiritual Counseling in Buddhist and shamanic belief systems, Foundation of the Sacred Stream – how I learned a modality with ancient roots and how to integrate these indigenous healing traditions with modern life
Hypnotherapy, Foundation of the Sacred Stream – how I learned to help people connect to their inner sources of wisdom, nurturing, protection, and groundedness.
The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, The Couples Institute
Psychotherapy Experience
Center for Mindful Psychotherapy – where I provide mindfulness-based individual therapy and relationship counseling
Women’s Therapy Center – where I practiced a social justice and relational approach to therapy
Pacific Center for Human Growth – where I proudly served the LGBTQ community and advocated for racial equity
SFSU Psychology Clinic – where I supported undergraduate and graduate students
Edgewood Center for Children and Families – where I led groups in which teens could use music, art, or play to express what is harder to say in words
Progress Foundation – where I helped people coping with severe mental or emotional difficulties live more cooperatively with peers and connect to social services
Education
MS, Clinical Psychology, SFSU – where I gained a foundation in psychological theories and approaches
PhD, Design Thinking and Mechanical Engineering, UC Berkeley – when I researched ways to work collaboratively with community members to create culturally-sensitive services and products for humanitarian efforts
MPH, Public Health, UC Berkeley – where I learned how policies and systems affect community health and well-being
MS, Mechanical Engineering, MIT – when I dedicated myself to being of service and lived in Zambia designing bicycle ambulances
BS, Mechanical Engineering, MIT – where I learned to analyze and solve complex problems and celebrate my nerdiness
Design and Engineering Experience
Design for Social Impact – how consulting worldwide helped me cultivate humility in getting to know people and different ways of living and viewing the world
IDEO.org – when I worked on multidisciplinary teams and designed solutions for poverty alleviation
Gobee Group – when I worked with community members to design and launch public health programs for women’s empowerment, self-care for parents, and access to fruits and vegetables
International Development Innovation Network – when I became more conscious of the ways in which privilege is influenced by identity and context