About Deanna Wong, LMFT
She/Her/Hers
Hi there! I am Deanna, a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
I am most passionate about helping young/emerging adults, college students, teens, and families from diverse cultural backgrounds struggling with depression, anxiety, life transitions, and multicultural intergenerational trauma. First and Second Generation Asian American adults born to immigrant families hits close to home! I believe therapy is for you if you are seeking support and personal growth, feeling lost and alone, or even if you have thought about trying therapy and you are unsure if you need it. I aim to help you improve your life and regain control over your mental health.
I am a first-generation Asian American woman, born to immigrant parents.
I grew up around the Los Angeles/San Gabriel Valley area, in a time when talking about mental health was taboo—when seeking help was seen as a weakness, and silent suffering was the norm. I've witnessed the weight of systemic barriers that block marginalized communities from the care and understanding they need. I believe in guiding my clients through vulnerable moments, out of "pretending to be strong," and self-isolation. My passion is to walk alongside those who carry this weight. I know how deeply healing it can be for those who receive guidance because within that lies the incredible possibility of clarity in truly understanding ourselves—embracing our authentic selves, healing the wounds of unmet childhood needs, facing our pain, softening the harsh inner critic, and overcoming feelings like imposter syndrome.
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Moving away from home to pursue my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior at University of California Irvine, and then completing my Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy at Alliant International University, San Diego broadened my perspective on mental health. I have come to see just how important it is for teens and young adults to learn how to manage daily stress and thrive. My education, various experiences with dufferent people, life changes, and my own personal life journey have prepared me to provide mental health support. It allowed me to see that diverse people, regardless of their background and location, face mental health challenges at times, and a little support can make all the difference.
I have been practicing for 10 years. I have gained meaningful experience working with non-profit community mental health agencies. I have also provided school-based therapy across different school districts and enjoy collaborating with many amazing mental health clinicians! My clients come from all walks of life, different ages, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, sexualities, religions, and I have provided therapy in English and Cantonese. If you feel alone in what you're going through, I am here to listen to you and provide you support every step of the way. I encourage you to take advantage of therapy and schedule a free 15 minute call/video consultation with me so we can see how we might work together. Finding the right fit is so important for effective therapy, and I’d love to help you on your journey.
My Approach
My therapy style is warm, affirming, and empowering. You will experience collaboration, encouragement, and compassion. I primarily use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based approaches tailored to your specific needs to empower you to gain tools, new coping skills, and heal your inner child/critic that shows up in everyday situations. We will have a safe, non-judgmental space to help you build insight, access resources, improve meaningful self-reflection, and achieve confidence and personal growth.
What To Expect
I believe everyone needs a personal space to be fully seen, heard, and validated in order to address life's challenges. I create this by being supportive and reflective while empowering you to explore and process your struggles. I may guide you to deconstruct negative views that originated from your difficult experiences or upbringing. Some sessions will involve us diving in deeper to learn how your negative patterns and self thoughts developed. Other sessions will involve a cathartic release or a good cry. Therapy can seem daunting, but I'm here to figure it out with you.
How I Believe Change Happens
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
You will learn to be your own therapist by developing a better understanding on learned core beliefs about yourself and the world, as well as unhelpful, negative thinking patterns and problematic behaviors that can impact your quality of life, relationships, and cause most mental health problems. This will help you gain more successful coping, groundedness in your emotions, and alignment in your sense of self and values.
Family Systems & Trauma-Informed
We may explore intergenerational family patterns, cultural beliefs and values, and process traumatic experiences to help you gain insight into how they have contributed to your beliefs about who you are today. Oftentimes, unhealthy behavioral patterns or maladaptive ways of coping have been passed down through family due to generational issues. I will create an empathic space for you to fully process this.