7 Highly Recommended Los Angeles Asian American Therapists
Breathe. Your story is welcome here. We get you.
Welcome to Yellow Chair Collective, a group therapy practice specializing in Asian American mental health.
We understand the unique experiences and daily struggles that many Asian and Asian Americans navigate—including cultural expectations, immigration stressors, identity, belonging, and intergenerational trauma.
Our therapists come from diverse backgrounds. Some are first- or second-generation Asian Americans, while others have grown up in multicultural or multiracial families. No matter where you’re starting from, we meet you with understanding and care.
You’re not alone—and you don’t have to carry it all by yourself.
Our culturally responsive therapists are mindful of the balance you need—honoring both the shared experiences many Asian Americans face and the uniqueness of your individual story.
If you’re looking for a therapist who truly understands the Asian American experience, you’ve found the right place.
Book a session
Why trust us?
We’re not just trained in Asian American mental health—we live it. Our therapists bring both professional expertise and personal understanding of what it means to navigate multiple identities, family dynamics, and cultural expectations. We know that your mental health can’t be separated from your cultural experience, and we’ve spent years developing approaches that honor both your individual needs and your cultural background. With us, you’ll never have to choose between honoring your heritage and healing yourself.
How we selected
Each therapist featured here reflects the range and depth of care we offer at Yellow Chair Collective. We chose these therapists to represent the breadth of expertise. They bring a variety of specialties, from anxiety, ADHD, and trauma to couples therapy and LGBTQ+ affirming care. They use evidence-based approaches tailored to the needs of different populations, including teens, adults, couples, and families. We selected clinicians with diverse therapeutic styles and focus areas so you can find someone who aligns with your unique needs and goals. Don’t see a match on this page? Meet our other therapists here.
Dalena Thai, MA
Recommended for teen therapy & identity exploration
Good fit for:
- Teens navigating anxiety, identity, or emotional overwhelm
- Asian American teens & children of immigrants
- LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy
- Teens struggling with emotional regulation or self-esteem
- Young people with family, school, or relationship stress
Key logistics:
- Specializes in therapy for Asian Americans ✓
- Clientele:Â Teens, adults, & couples
- Location:Â California
- Virtual therapy?: Yes
As a Vietnamese American therapist and child of immigrants, Dalena understands what it feels like to grow up between cultures, carrying expectations while having little space to talk about your mental health. She offers a space where teens can feel seen without having to explain or minimize their experiences.
Dalena supports teens who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure about who they are. Whether you are facing anxiety, school pressure, identity struggles, or family tension, she meets you with warmth and care.
If you have been carrying a lot on your own or feel like no one really gets it, therapy with Dalena can be a place to breathe, feel understood, and start finding your way forward.
Book with Dalena
Emma Lin, MS
Recommended for ADHD/autism/neurodivergence
Good fit for:
- Anxiety, stress, burnout, & perfectionism
- LGBTQIA+ identity exploration
- Neurodivergent clients (ADHD, Autism, etc.)
Key logistics:
- Specializes in therapy for Asian Americans ✓
- Clientele: Teens, adults, couples, & families
- Location:Â California
- Virtual therapy?: Yes
Emma offers a deeply affirming space for neurodivergent individuals who have felt out of place in a world that wasn’t built for their brains. Whether you’re navigating ADHD, autism, or sensory overwhelm, Emma helps you work with your brain, not against it.
Her warm, relational approach centers safety, authenticity, and collaboration. You won’t be asked to mask or fit into boxes. Instead, you’ll explore what healing and self-understanding can look like on your own terms.
As a queer and culturally affirming therapist, Emma also holds space for those unpacking identity, belonging, and the weight of internalized expectations. Therapy with Emma is slow, intentional, and deeply human — a place to feel seen, unlearn shame, and move toward the life you want with clarity and care.
Book with Ema
Prakrti “Pixie” Polowy, MA
Recommended for couples
Good fit for:
- Interracial relationships
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Discernment Therapy
Key logistics:
- Specializes in therapy for Asian Americans ✓
- Clientele: Adults, couples, & families
- Location:Â California
- Virtual therapy?: Yes
Pixie brings warmth, empathy, and cultural insight to her work with couples navigating disconnection, miscommunication, or conflict. With lived experience in a 20+ year intercultural marriage, she understands the unique dynamics that arise when different cultural identities and life stories meet in partnership.
Whether you’re rebuilding trust, struggling to communicate, contemplating separation, or simply feeling stuck in the same patterns, Pixie offers a safe, collaborative space where both partners feel heard. She draws from the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and trauma-informed approaches to help couples reconnect, strengthen their emotional bond, and move forward with greater empathy and intention.
Pixie believes that healthy relationships are built—not found—and she’s here to support you in doing the work, together.
Book with Pixie
Barbara Hong, MA
Recommended for Asian American family therapy
Good fit for:
- Adolescents
- Parenting issues
- Life adjustments & transitions
Key logistics:
- Specializes in therapy for Asian Americans ✓
- Clientele:Â Teens, adults, & families
- Location:Â California
- Virtual therapy?: Yes
Barbara helps families move through cycles of disconnection and shame to find more trust, clarity, and compassion. With a trauma-informed and culturally attuned lens, she supports families, especially within Asian American contexts, in navigating intergenerational tension, communication breakdowns, and identity struggles.
Whether you’re facing ongoing conflict or adjusting to life transitions, Barbara offers a collaborative space where healing and reconnection can unfold together.
Book with Barbara
Kony Das, MSW
Recommended for eating disorders & body image
Good fit for:
- Neurodivergence, including ADHD & autism
- Teens & families
- Anxiety, stress, & burnout
Key logistics:
- Specializes in therapy for Asian Americans ✓
- Clientele:Â Teens, adults, & families
- Location:Â California
- Virtual therapy?: Yes
With a background in neuroscience and psychobiology, Kony helps clients make sense of how the brain and body respond to stress—especially when those responses show up through food, body image, or emotional overwhelm. Drawing from her experience in residential eating disorder treatment, she offers an evidence-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach that supports sustainable healing, not just symptom management.
Kony creates a judgment-free, awkwardness-normalized space where clients can explore who they are beyond rigid rules, shame, or societal expectations. Whether you’re navigating disordered eating, shifting identities, or feeling stuck in unhelpful cycles, she’ll meet you with curiosity, compassion, and humor—working with you to build a more authentic, connected relationship with your body and self.
Book with Kony
Jack Lam, LCSW
Recommended LGBTQIA+ therapy
Good fit for:
- LGBTQIA+ therapy
- Anxiety, depression, & trauma
- Therapy for individuals navigating non-traditional relationships, Non-Monogamy, & Polyamory
Key logistics:
- Specializes in therapy for Asian Americans ✓
- Clientele: Teens & adults
- Location:Â California
- Virtual therapy?: Yes
As a genderqueer, non-binary therapist, Jack brings both lived and clinical experience to their work. They specialize in creating brave, affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+ clients to explore identity, heal from discrimination, and grow into their most authentic selves. With a deep understanding of intersectionality, Jack supports clients navigating multiple marginalized identities, including those in the Asian American and non-monogamous communities.
Book with Jack
David Yim, DSW, LCSW
Recommended for men’s issues
Good fit for:
- Asian American men
- Depression, anxiety, & stress
- Individual therapy for relationship issues
Key logistics:
- Specializes in therapy for Asian Americans ✓
- Clientele: Adults
- Location:Â California
- Virtual therapy?: Yes
With over 20 years of experience, David understands the quiet burdens many Asian American men carry—from unspoken family expectations to the challenge of showing up emotionally in relationships. He offers a grounded, judgment-free space where vulnerability is seen as strength. Drawing from both clinical skill and lived experience, David helps clients unpack stress, strengthen connections, and navigate life with more clarity and confidence.
Book with David
Frequently asked questions
At Yellow Chair Collective, we commonly help Asian Americans with the following issues:
- Mental health stigma
- Intergenerational trauma
- Racial trauma
- Family dynamic issues
- Cultural grief
- Cultural & language barriers
- Bicultural, multicultural, & interracial marriages & relationships
- Multicultural & multiracial Asian identity
- ADHD, autism, & navigating neurodivergence
- Exploring intersecting identities
- And more!
At Yellow Chair Collective, we can provide mental health services and therapy in the following languages:
- Mandarin
- Korean
- Cantonese
- Vietnamese
- Japanese
- Malay
- Hindi
- Urdu
- Farsi
- Spanish
- And growing!
Your first appointment will be an intake session where your therapist will get to know you better—what you’re going through, your goals, and what you hope to gain from therapy. From there, you’ll collaborate on a plan that’s tailored to your needs.
In the early sessions, we’ll focus on building a strong therapeutic connection, then move into learning practical coping skills while exploring deeper emotional patterns and life experiences. Many people begin feeling some relief in the first few sessions, while meaningful and lasting change often takes more time. Most clients benefit from weekly sessions.
Your first appointment will be an intake session where your therapist will get to know you better—what you’re going through, your goals, and what you hope to gain from therapy. From there, you’ll collaborate on a plan that’s tailored to your needs.
In the early sessions, we’ll focus on building a strong therapeutic connection, then move into learning practical coping skills while exploring deeper emotional patterns and life experiences. Many people begin feeling some relief in the first few sessions, while meaningful and lasting change often takes more time. Most clients benefit from weekly sessions.
If cultural understanding matters to you and you’re looking for a therapist who gets the Asian American experience on a personal and professional level, you’re in the right place.
We’re a good fit for people who want therapy that goes deeper than just surface-level symptom management—therapy that honors your identity, family dynamics, and lived experience. If you’re looking for a warm, collaborative space where you can be fully yourself without needing to explain everything, you’ll likely feel at home here.
Getting started is simple—just fill out this quick online form, and let us know if you have a specific therapist in mind or would like help finding a good match. You can request to work with a particular therapist, or ask to help us match you with someone who we think might be a good fit. From there, our care coordination team will be in touch either by phone or email to get you set up with an appointment.
Getting Started with YCC Asian American Therapy in Los Angeles, CA or New York City, NY
The YCC Asian American therapist who sits across from you resonates with your journey and hardship. Our therapists are knowledgeable in issues that pertain to the Asian American community. We understand your struggles while also honoring your unique experiences. We are with you in solidarity as mental health professionals. Also, as fellow Asian Americans who have experienced our own struggles. If you’re ready to get started with one of our therapists, please follow these steps. To get started with our Los Angeles and New York City-based therapy practice, (now also able to assist with online therapy in New York!), follow the steps below:
- Request an appointment using the prompt below or our contact form.
- Begin meeting with a culturally sensitive therapist.
- Begin your journey of understanding your Asian American identity.
Schedule your first session with us today!
