Alison Chan, AMFT #151824 

My name is Alison (She/her), I am a registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #151824) in California. I earned my Master's degree in Counseling Psychology at Sofia University, where I studied Transpersonal Psychology, a holistic approach to healing that focuses on the whole-person experience. This background informs my work by looking beyond the everyday ego to explore the full potential of human consciousness, identity, and your own deep inner wisdom. I work with adults and teens in individual and couples therapy.

I integrate evidence-based and somatic modalities, including EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS Parts Work, and Hypnotherapy. My clinical style is relational, collaborative, and grounded in compassion. In our work together, I offer a safe, nonjudgmental space where you can slow down, listen to your body, and reconnect with yourself. We will work through difficult emotions at your own pace, along with building self-awareness, managing symptoms, and learning to hold space for what arises. I am honored to support you in transforming pain into growth, deepening your relationships, and improving your overall quality of life. 

Areas of Focus & Specialities

If you've been feeling anxious, disconnected, or caught in patterns that no longer serve you, you don’t have to navigate it alone. My clinical experience supporting clients who often carry a great deal of responsibility while appearing capable on the outside, but are navigating significant stress on the inside. I specialize in helping clients manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, complex trauma, life transitions, and relationship challenges. With my previous practicum at the Pacific Center for Human Growth, I had experience working with the LGBTQIA+ community exploring identity and alternative relationships. Originally from Hong Kong, I offer sessions in Cantonese and Mandarin as a 1.5-generation immigrant. I bring a bicultural perspective to my practice and support the Asian American population, multiculturalism, and intergenerational healing.

Anxiety: Anxiety looks like an internal alarm that won't turn off, trapping you in a persistent loop of thoughts and a constant anticipation of dread. The symptoms can feel overwhelming and manifest physically as a racing heart, muscle tension, shallow breathing, restlessness, and an inability to eat or sleep. Therapy provides a space to uncover the root causes, helping you calm your nervous system and regain a sense of balance.

Depression: Depression often feels like carrying an invisible weight that slows down your entire world; it goes beyond sadness and lack of motivation. It can show up as emotional numbness or a sense of hopelessness that isolates you from the people and passions that once brought you joy, and disrupts your sleep, appetite, and focus. Therapy offers a gentle, safe space to lift these heavy layers and slowly reconnect with your inner light.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Complex Trauma (CPTSD): PTSD often occurs after a single, overwhelming event like a serious accident or sudden loss, while Complex PTSD (CPTSD) arises from prolonged, repetitive experiences like chronic emotional abuse or domestic violence. Both conditions trap the nervous system in a survival mode, manifesting symptoms with flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance. While PTSD impacts your sense of physical and emotional safety, CPTSD can also fracture your sense of identity and develop emotional dysregulation, inner critic, fawning, and difficulty building trusting relationships. Healing these wounds cannot be rushed; I prioritize stabilization and safety, beginning with somatic grounding and mindfulness. Once you feel anchored, we integrate EMDR, hypnotherapy, and IFS Parts Work to reprocess past experiences, untangle long-held knots, and help you reclaim your life. 

Therapeutic Approaches

I practice an integrative approach designed to support the connection between mind, body, and inner experience. To help clients recover from trauma, manage symptoms, and build post-traumatic growth, I utilize a blend of evidence-based approaches based on your unique needs. By addressing the subconscious mind and the physical body, we can unlock deeper layers of healing and change that traditional talk therapy might be missing: 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Used to gently process and release trauma stored in the nervous system, helping to reprocess distressing memories so they no longer disrupt your present life. This structure approach allows your brain to naturally unwind painful memories, shifting from active emotional triggers into neutral past events. 

Brainspotting: Utilize specific points in your visual field to access and process trauma, emotional distress, and physical tension where stored within the subcortical layers of the brain. By focusing your gaze on these neurological “spots,” we locate where a memory is held, allowing for an intuitive and profound release of tension.

Somatic Therapy: A “bottom up” approach incorporating body-centered awareness and grounding practice to track physical sensation, regulate the dysregulated nervous system, and safely release trapped survival energy. Instead of just talking about your stress, we learn to tune in to your body’s language, helping you to connect with the areas where you hold stress and emotions.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Parts Work: Helps you connect, understand, and harmonize the different parts of yourself, especially those carrying pain, self-doubt, or defensive patterns. This process allows you to detach and unburden yourself of difficult emotions and to integrate your inner experiences to achieve greater clarity and self-leadership.  

Hypnotherapy: Supports exploration of the subconscious mind, helping you access inner resources and reconnect with a sense of purpose and alignment. By guiding you into a relaxed and receptive state, we can soften old conditioning and build new neural pathways for meaningful, lasting change.

Reestablishing Safety & Processing Emotions

Therapy with me is not about "fixing" or pushing through. It is a relational and collaborative process in which we slow down, listen inwardly, and create a safe space to explore your experiences. To help you reestablish a sense of safety and process complex emotions, we focus on building resources with concrete, actionable coping skills. Informed by my background as a yoga instructor, I introduce mindfulness, embodiment, and breathwork to help you regulate your nervous system. Together, we practice grounding skills, build self-awareness, and develop tools for setting boundaries and cultivating self-compassion. We always move at a pace that feels respectful, supportive, and sustainable.

My goal is to help you access your inner wisdom, develop lasting skills for personal growth, deepen your relationships with yourself and others, manage challenges, and improve your overall quality of life.I offer a complimentary 20-minute consultation to discuss your unique needs and explore how we can work together to achieve your therapeutic goals. This initial meeting is an opportunity for us to connect, and for you to ask any questions you may have about the therapeutic process.

Individual therapy sessions are 50 minutes/$140 per session and couples sessions are 50 minutes/$160 per session. 

Email: Alisonchantherapy@gmail.com

 Phone #: (925) 403-1629