Victoria Lai, AMFT

 
asian american therapist with houndstooth shirt and jeans smiling with transamerica building and foilage in the background
 

She/Her

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About Me

Sharing your personal life with a therapist can be scary. Victoria is someone who has been in the client’s chair at different stages of life, and gets how terrifying it can be vulnerable. In addition, she also knows so much beauty and healing can emerge! Victoria invites you to come as open as you can be, and in the moments it feels like too much, she’ll be there to hold the heaviness alongside you. With Victoria, you’ll practice what it’s like to give your nervous system a break and show your body what safety feels like (usually very uncomfortable at first, but Victoria will ride through the emotions with you).

As a therapist, Victoria finds fulfillment supporting clients with working on identity development, anxiety, depression, relational issues, and childhood trauma.

Victoria’s clients are often of various body sizes, first/second generation-American in their migrant families, the first to go to college, BIPOC, multi-racial, queer if not questioning, and/or the eldest "caretaker" of the family. Wherever you come from and however you identify, Victoria’s hope is to provide a safe and welcoming space for you to simply be.

Victoria draws from psychodynamic theory, feminist/multicultural theory, somatics, Internal Family Systems (IFS or parts work), relational, and the here-and-now perspective, while tailoring methods accordingly to fit your needs. At the core of her work, she believes what happens in the therapeutic relationship can reflect dynamics in your outside world. 

Victoria’s role isn’t to offer advice or tell you what to do. Instead, she’ll be there to help you explore, understand, and find your own way forward. 

Through Victoria’s approach, you can expect to gain insight into your inter/intra-personal patterns, develop a stronger sense of self and connection to your emotions, and live a life that feels more fulfilling and authentic to you. Creating the space to make this happen is an incredible gift Victoria is honored to provide. When you're ready, Victoria would be honored to support your journey toward lasting growth and self-discovery.

Services and Treatment Approach

  • Individual, Couples and Family Therapy

  • Video Telehealth available in California

  • Sliding Scale slots offered

Victoria provides attentive, relational, and empowering psychotherapy to adults and older teens who are seeking support with anxiety, depression, racial and gender identity, life transitions (e.g., school, career, parenthood), and childhood trauma. Victoria also provides therapy to romantic partners and families who express desires to work on communication and connection issues. Victoria’s approach utilizes psychodynamic therapy, relational therapy, feminist/multicultural therapy, somatic therapy and Internal Family Systems.

Currently accepting new clients ages 16+ - Click Schedule Now link to schedule or contact at:

victoria@respiretherapy.org ● (415) 340-2591

 

Education, Training, and Certifications

Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT # 138508

California Board of Behavioral Sciences

Supervised by Cora Keene, LMFT #104572

Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology in Community Mental Health

California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA

Professional Affiliations

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), member