Meet Sunny.
Hi there,
I’m Sunny (she/her/그녀) and I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#106062) and a Mental Health Specialist endorsed by the California Center for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health. Most importantly, I truly love supporting children and their parents, and all our inner children doing their very best! I feel passionate about seeing children and parents thrive and strengthening their connection with each other.
Becoming a mother of three little ones, each time with traumatic pregnancies and postpartum difficulties, has expanded the depth and breath of learning in my own journey as a parent and a therapist. Through the humbling dark valleys of parenthood, I have learned the importance of wondering well, becoming curious about myself, my children, and my relationship with them.
I received my MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary and my BS in Political Science from UCLA. For the past decade, I’ve received extensive training and gained experience serving children and families dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, engagement with DCFS/Child Protective Services and other behavioral and emotional difficulties. I have deepened my education and training as a fellow in the Napa Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship Program through U.C. Davis. Under the Napa Fellowship, I have received training from the best luminaries of the field including Dr. Kristie Brandt, Dr. Bruce Perry, Dr. Kevin Nugent, Dr. Connie Lillas, and etc.
I strive to hold cultural humility and curiosity, as a Korean-American immigrant who has navigated between different cultures and systems. I recognize the many barriers BIPOC face when looking for a safe space that is affirming and inclusive of one’s lived experiences and their intersecting identities. I am also a Christian therapist, and my faith is very important to me. I believe that our spirituality and faith are a significant part of our lives. However, I warmly welcome those with other faith backgrounds and beliefs. I will follow you and your child’s lead on how to incorporate faith into our sessions. I simply strive to bring my whole authentic self into the therapeutic space and I invite you and your child to experience that.
I am also working really hard to figure out how to balance being a wife, a mother to 3 girls (including a child with special medical needs), a daughter, a sister, a friend, a person of faith, and a sojourner on this journey called life. During my free time, I like to watch my K-dramas, stare at the loads of laundry that need to be folded, explore nature by hiking or camping, or figure out when I can go to Disneyland next. By the way, I once won an award called “Disposition that Best Matches Her Name.”
I hope to wonder together with you to see what would be most helpful for you during this season. I am here to support and empower you through your dark valleys to experience healing and becoming, rediscovering wonder and awe in your relationship with your child.
Infant and Early Childhood
Trauma
Stress & Anxiety
Depression
Grief & Loss
Neurodevelopmental Differences (FASD)
Highly Sensitive Children
Perinatal/Postpartum Challenges for Parents
Parenting Difficulties
Intergenerational Trauma
Life Transitions
Engagement with DCFS and Foster Care System
Early Education Center Individual/Program Consultation & Training
My Clinical Focus.
My Approach & Philosophy.
Our deepest desire is to be seen, heard, and be known, and to feel safe, loved, and empowered. From infancy to adulthood, we learn different ways to communicate these needs with others and learn to cope with the pain when the needs are not met. These moments also physically shape the ways our brains are wired. The way you experience the world, other people, and yourself are shaped by thousands of these moments. It makes sense that we may all need support with better understanding these patterns in our lives - especially when the ways that have worked for us to meet our needs no longer feel effective and pain feels too overwhelming. Both you and your child may be feeling stuck and alone in these struggles.
You know your child best: I want to partner with you and to support you to help create a supportive environment for the success of your child. I believe that healing and growth for children happen within their relationship with caregivers, so your engagement is vital to their wellness. You may not be ready for therapy if you expect me to simply “fix” your child.
Also, I believe that an important aspect of your child’s wellbeing is your own wellness. If you are overwhelmed with personal difficulties that prevent you from being attuned and present with your child, I want to support you in slowing down to care for yourself and help you find additional support.
I approach my work through a reflective, relational, brain-based, and integrative lens. I take a strength based approach, supporting families in identifying areas of strength, and using those strengths to support the areas that may be more vulnerable or need more attention in.
My goal is to provide a safe space to slow down, explore, question, affirm, challenge, and realign ourselves so that we can see, hear, and know the current needs you or your child may have. I believe that this will nurture and renew the sense of awe and wonder we have for each other. Through helpful tools such as play, humor, curiosity, art, psychoeducation, and coaching, you and your child will develop skills necessary to set up your environments for success.
I do not believe in a one size fits all model for therapy, and try my best to meet my clients where they are. Our time will be informed by basics of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health, Perinatal Mental Health, and different tools such as evidence-based therapeutic modalities I am trained in (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Child Parent Psychotherapy, Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Restoration Therapy, Brainspotting, and Mindfulness). My understanding of child development, Contextual Family Systems Theory and Attachment Theory will help me to hold each member and family relationships in mind with compassion, authenticity, and hope for restoration.
“What is shareable is bearable.”
Dr. Dan Siegel
Help is available.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at1-800-273-TALK (8255) for immediate support.
