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 youI 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

Let's connect

I offer online sessions Tuesdays to Thursdays 8am-5pm. If our schedules align, I'd be happy to offer you a complimentary 20-minute phone consultation. This would be a chance for us to talk a bit about what you're experiencing, and how I can offer support.

Jess@BerkeleyHolisticTherapy.org

+1 (510) 545-3360