Asian Therapists in Chicago
Culturally Attuned Therapy for Asian, South Asian, & Asian American Clients
At Balanced Awakening, we understand how meaningful it can be to find a therapist who shares or deeply understands your cultural background. Our team includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, South Asian Indian, and multiracial Asian therapists offering therapy in Chicago and virtually across Illinois.
Whether you’re looking for a Chinese therapist, Mandarin-speaking therapist, South Asian or Indian therapist, Japanese American therapist, Korean American therapist, or simply a clinician who understands the complexities of Asian and Asian American identity, we provide culturally sensitive care that honors your heritage, values, relationships, and lived experiences.
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Meet our Asian Therapists in Chicago
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Chuying (Selestia) Lin, MPhilEd
Chuying (Selestia) grew up in Shenzhen, China, and provides therapy in both English and Mandarin. Having moved to the United States as an international student, she has navigated cultural differences as she’s lived between cultures. Her experiences have deepened her sensitivity to how culture influences our experiences of identity, society, family, and belonging. She is especially attentive to the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals navigating life across cultures and expectations. As a native Mandarin speaker, she is also learning Cantonese in hopes of supporting more members of the Chinese diaspora.
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![Sasha Mieko Vasilou, LPC Asian Therapist Chicago]()
Sasha Mieko Vasilou, LPC
Sasha is a multiracial therapist of Japanese, Greek, and Irish ancestry based in Chicago. A descendant of the Japanese-American Chicagoland diaspora whose family experienced incarceration during WWII, they bring deep cultural awareness and historical sensitivity to their work, helping clients explore identity, belonging, and intergenerational resilience.
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Denice Spencer, LCPC
Denice is a biracial Korean and White therapist who was born in Seoul, South Korea, and came to the United States as a baby. Having lived in several parts of the country and grown up within a multicultural family, she has firsthand experience with questions of identity, belonging, cultural differences, and navigating more than one cultural background. She also understands some of the challenges that can arise when language and culture differ within families.
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![Nishma Patel, LCPC Asian Therapist Chicago]()
Nishma Patel, LCPC
Nishma is a South Asian Indian therapist based in Chicago. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs to parents who immigrated from India as teenagers, she brings a bicultural perspective to her work — helping clients navigate family expectations, cultural identity, and emotional well-being with empathy and depth.
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Rachel Rood, LCSW
Rachel is a biracial Vietnamese and White therapist in Chicago who offers therapy through a lens of cultural awareness and inclusivity. Her approach honors the complexity of identity and the strength that comes from navigating multiple cultural backgrounds.
Challenges in Finding Asian and South Asian Therapists
According to U.S. Census Bureau data shared by the American Psychological Association, only 3.28% of psychological professionals in 2021 identified as Asian, and just 0.03% as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. This stands in contrast to 80.85% of the workforce identifying as White, highlighting a broader underrepresentation of clinicians from minority backgrounds.
Given the diversity across Asian and AAPI communities, many clients face structural barriers when seeking culturally aligned care. In Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, Cathy Park Hong (2020) described her struggle to find a therapist who shared her Korean heritage—discovering only one possible match in her insurance network across New York City. Her experience resonates with many who long for therapy that reflects their cultural reality.
Several factors contribute to this shortage, including limited access to educational and financial resources (Africa & Carrasco, 2011) and societal pressures from the “model minority” myth (Lu, 2024; Omadeke, 2021). These systemic barriers not only affect the pipeline of future therapists but also make it harder for Asian, South Asian, and AAPI clients to find care that feels culturally safe and emotionally resonant.
Representation and the Multiracial Experience
At Balanced Awakening, we honor the fluid and multifaceted nature of racial and cultural identity. Many of our clients and therapists identify as multiracial, biracial, Asian American, immigrant, or bicultural, bringing different experiences of belonging, family dynamics, culture, and identity development.
We recognize that feeling seen and understood is foundational to healing. For clients who identify as mixed or bicultural, therapy can be a powerful space for exploring identity, self-acceptance, and connection. Our clinicians bring both lived and learned experience to support this journey.
Barriers to Therapy in Asian and Asian American Communities
Cultural Stigma and Evolving Perceptions
Historically, seeking therapy has carried stigma in many Asian and Asian American communities, where emotional struggles were often minimized or kept private. While these beliefs still exist in some circles, there has been a global shift: more people now see therapy as a proactive, empowering act of self-care.
Cultural Emphasis on Resilience and Self-Reliance
In many Asian families, emotional resilience and self-sufficiency are deeply valued—sometimes to the point of discouraging open expression of pain or vulnerability. At Balanced Awakening, we honor the strength these values represent while affirming that reaching out for help is a powerful act of courage, not weakness.
Impact of the “Model Minority” Myth
The “model minority” stereotype places unrealistic expectations on Asian individuals to be high-achieving and emotionally invulnerable. This can lead to pressure to suppress struggles or maintain a façade of perfection. Our therapists understand how these narratives can silence emotional needs and are committed to creating space where clients can be fully seen and supported.
Bridging Western and Eastern Perspectives
Therapy in the U.S. has largely been shaped by Western frameworks that may not always align with Asian values, family structures, or communication styles. Our therapists bring cultural sensitivity and awareness to these differences, including the ways ideas about independence, family responsibility, achievement, emotional expression, and seeking help can vary across cultures.
For clients navigating life between cultures, therapy can also be a place to explore what you want to carry forward, what you want to question, and what feels authentically yours—without assuming there is one “right” way to balance different parts of your identity.
The Strength of Informal Support Systems
Many clients find strength in community networks, family, spirituality, or cultural traditions. These informal support systems play a powerful role in mental health. At Balanced Awakening, we respect and integrate these strengths into therapy—offering an additional layer of support rather than replacing existing ones.
Benefits of Working with an Asian or South Asian Therapist in Chicago
Working with an Asian therapist can foster a deeper sense of trust and understanding.
Shared awareness of cultural norms, language nuances, and family structures can make therapy feel more natural and validating.
Our Asian therapists understand experiences such as:
Navigating bicultural identity and belonging
Balancing family expectations with personal autonomy
Processing immigrant and intergenerational experiences
Navigating academic pressure, career expectations, perfectionism, and burnout
Exploring racial identity, discrimination, and internalized pressure
Navigating relationships, boundaries, and cultural expectations around family roles
Exploring LGBTQ+ identity within cultural or family contexts
Feeling caught between different cultures, communities, languages, or expectations
Therapy with a culturally attuned clinician can help you move beyond survival and toward thriving—authentically and holistically.
Chinese & Mandarin-Speaking Therapy in Chicago
Finding a therapist who understands your cultural background can make it easier to talk about experiences that don’t always translate neatly across cultures—or languages.
Chuying (Selestia) Lin, M.Phil.Ed, is a Chinese therapist originally from Guangdong, China who offers therapy in both English and Mandarin. Having grown up in China and completed her clinical training in the United States, Selestia brings personal and professional understanding of navigating different cultural contexts.
She especially enjoys working with Asian and Asian American college students, graduate students, emerging adults, and young professionals navigating anxiety, depression, acculturation stress, identity, academic or career pressure, relationships, and major life transitions.
Therapy can be a space to explore how culture, family, expectations, and your own evolving sense of self intersect—while deciding for yourself what healing, connection, and belonging look like.
Works Cited
Cho, E. Y. (2024). Embracing identity, navigating discrimination, historic & contemporary traumas, self-care, and challenges of a second generation Korean-American art therapist (Master’s thesis, School of the Art Institute of Chicago).
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Digital Collections
Rico, B. (2024, May 31). 2020 census shows increase in multiracial population in all age categories.
Census.gov
It’s Okay to Slow Down
When you’re used to pushing toward the next goal, slowing down can feel surprisingly difficult. Selestia shares how therapy can offer space to pause, reconnect with yourself, and explore what you need—not just what’s expected of you by family, culture, school, work, or the people around you.
You Don’t Need to Be Fixed
Therapy doesn’t have to begin with the belief that something is wrong with you. Selestia describes an approach rooted in curiosity, self-understanding, and compassion—creating space to explore your experiences and identity while honoring the relationships, communities, and cultures that have shaped who you are.
Exploring Culture, Identity & the Full Range of You
Sasha welcomes all parts of you into therapy—from grief, anger, and frustration to joy, play, and the interests that make you feel most like yourself. She shares how therapy can also create space to explore your cultural identity and better understand how it shapes the way you experience and move through the world.
Therapy FAQs
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Working with an Asian therapist can offer a sense of cultural resonance and understanding that helps you feel more comfortable opening up. Your therapist may share similar values around family, community, and emotional expression — or simply understand the nuances of being part of the Asian diaspora. At Balanced Awakening, our therapists integrate this awareness into every session with warmth and sensitivity.
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Absolutely. Our team includes a biracial Japanese / Caucasian therapist, and we deeply value intersectional identities. Whether you identify as Asian, South Asian, biracial, or bicultural, our therapists provide a space that honors your full story — where you don’t have to choose one part of your identity over another.
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Yes. Chuying (Selestia) Lin, M.Phil.Ed, is a Chinese therapist originally from Guangdong, China. She works with Asian and Asian American clients navigating concerns including identity, acculturation, anxiety, depression, academic and career pressure, relationships, and life transitions.
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Yes. Selestia provides therapy in both English and Mandarin. She sees clients in person at our Lincoln Park office and via telehealth throughout Illinois.
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Yes. Nishma, one of our clinicians, is a South Asian / Indian therapist in Chicago who provides culturally sensitive therapy for adults navigating anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, and bicultural identity. She understands the intersection of tradition, individuality, and family dynamics that many South Asian clients experience.
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Yes, we provide online therapy for Asian, South Asian, and Asian American clients across Illinois. Virtual sessions allow you to connect with a culturally attuned therapist from the comfort of your own home while maintaining privacy and convenience.
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Our Asian and South Asian therapists support clients with a range of issues, including:
Anxiety, stress, and perfectionism
Family and relationship conflicts
Identity and belonging
Intergenerational and immigrant experiences
Trauma and self-worth
We tailor therapy to each person’s background and values so healing feels authentic and empowering.
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Yes! But with some exceptions. There are 3 situations where, legally and ethically (whether we want to or not) we would have to break your confidentiality. These include if we learn of any potential child or elder abuse from you, we determine that you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or we receive a court order for your medical records. Also, some of our providers are under supervision and regularly consult with their supervisor about their client sessions. Supervisors have the same obligation to client confidentiality.
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Our therapy rate for the first two sessions is $250. After that, 55 minute sessions are $225.
Most of our therapists are in network with United Healthcare/Optum, BCBS PPO and Aetna insurance.
What Our Clients Are Saying
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During our first session Hannah was proactive in creating a plan of action to properly diagnose me and address my concerns. Detailed. Office is beautiful. Love the decor, relaxing ambiance and free tea.
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She was very kind and thorough during intake and the entire office looks like something out of a lifestyle magazine.
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The office is lovely and welcoming, the in-take paperwork helped me prepare for what I wanted to talk about and gave me a starting point.
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Dr. Yang is warm and empathic, and made me feel comfortable from the very beginning.
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Emma has been very supportive through major life changes for me. Her sweet and gentle nature made it easy for me to feel safe to open up to her. I am very grateful for her support and kindness.
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It was my first visit and she made me feel so safe. I opened up right away!
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Start Feeling Better Now
Whether you’re seeking an Asian therapist, Chinese therapist, Mandarin-speaking therapist, South Asian therapist, or simply someone who understands your unique intersection of identities, our team at Balanced Awakening is here to help.