Ashley Chen

About

I am a therapist for adults carrying something that has never been properly addressed. Most of my clients are functioning, employed, and outwardly unremarkable, and most of them have spent a long time assuming this was simply their personality rather than a consequence of something. They are usually wrong about that, which is good news. Trauma is very good at disguising itself as character. What looks like being naturally guarded, or naturally poor at sleeping, or naturally unable to relax in company, often turns out to be a learned response with a specific origin and a specific remedy. We separate the two carefully. Discovering that a trait is actually an injury tends to be a relief rather than an insult. I first came to this as a client and had exactly that experience, which is why I do the work I do now. Someone told me it was not my personality. If you have been assuming this is simply how you are, get in touch.