Welcome!
Over the last decade, I have been deeply committed to supporting and affirming LGBTQIA+ folks. This commitment deepened when my son came out as trans and I came out as a late-in-life lesbian. This alone, of course, does not make me an expert; however, I am using most of my required continuing education to learn about gender-affirming care. Here is some of the education I have gained in my graduate degree focusing on gender-affirming care.
“Gender in All Its Splendor” with Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, 2023
Gender Affirming Mental Health Symposium, 5.5 CEs, 2022
Consult with Sand Chang, PhD
www.sandchang.com
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with training in expressive arts practice, mindfulness, and embodied social justice, I look forward to supporting you in your journey of healing and transformation.
Who am I?
I grew up in the U.S. South, where I attended The University of the South and earned a degree in Theater Arts with a minor in Education. After graduation, I moved to New York City, where I taught theater in four of the five boroughs and did a little acting along the way. After years of parent meetings that seemed a lot like therapy, I turned to a career in psychology. In 2011, I graduated from Santa Clara University (where I have also been an adjunct faculty member) with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and became a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Since becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), I have combined my passion for expressive arts with my experiences in individual, group, and family therapy by completing a two-year, 400-hour Person-Centered Expressive Arts facilitation training, which was created by Natalie Rogers. Most recently, I have focused more deeply on integrating mindfulness and embodiment into my therapeutic and group facilitation practices. I have supported this work through trainings and certifications in embodied social justice (The Embody Lab, 75 hours) and mindfulness facilitation (MNDFL, 75 hours).
What do I offer? / How might we work together?
As an LMFT trained and practiced in mindfulness and expressive arts, I rely on a variety of creative interventions and modalities to support you in beginning or continuing your healing process. As an educator, therapist, and mindfulness-based practitioner, I approach client and group work with a humanist and client-centered focus. While I draw on a vast range of experience, I will not give you frequent advice or tell you what to do. What I will seek to do is support you as you explore and discover ways to live your life more fully and freely.
Who do I work with?
I welcome a range of clients with a focus on parents, teens, and individuals seeking support with relationship issues. I am particularly welcoming of queer and gender non-conforming clients.
When working with parents, I emphasize connection before correction. I encourage focusing on forms of positive discipline that emphasize celebrating successes and limiting the use of the punishment/reward paradigm.
I meet teenagers where they are at to help them feel more comfortable with who they are becoming. I create a confidential space where I can help teen clients grapple with existential crises and the bombardment of messages and images they face on a daily basis. When I work with children under ten I use play therapy similar to this article.
Many individuals have tried therapy to address challenging relationships in your life, with spouses, partners, and so on. When working with individuals, I tend to emphasize longer-term work aimed at healing the hidden deeper wounds and reclaiming parts of yourself that you may have left behind long ago.
Regardless of where you find yourself or which of the above groups you are a part of, I am happy to explore whether or not we would be a good fit for working together.
Request a FREE Consultation or Appointment
Please follow this link to schedule a complimentary 20-minute call during which we can address your questions, concerns, and needs related to therapy.
Last but not least: If you feel that you may be of harm to yourself or someone else, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
There is hope. I look forward to meeting you soon.