Therapy is a place to speak your truth.
Therapy is for speaking your most candid, honest truth and to name what you want most from your life. To slow down, put the phone and other distractions away, in order to contemplate more deeply about your place in the world.
You are invited to let your guard down and address the unspoken hurts you have been living with for years, even decades. Whether you are a couple or an individual, therapy may help you make sense of the chaos inside and address its underlying causes.
Are you struggling with your family? Healing the pain of family conflict and estrangement is my specialty.
Most of my 15+ years of clinical experience has been working with primarily with teens and adults who struggle in their complicated relationship with family members, especially parents who are felt to be too controlling, critical, anxious, angry, passive aggressive, manipulative, codependent, or overbearing. If these relationships don’t change their pattern, you may have become estranged from one another. I aim to create a judgement-free space to come into one’s own; to work through all of the complicated feelings and unconscious dynamics that prevent you from moving forward in life. As you develop your separate position and perspective, therapy may also help you figure out what kind of future you’d like to have.
The way we were parented leaves a huge imprint on our lives. I’ve seen how parent-child conflicts can create problems in one’s ability to feel confident and secure. You might feel deeply misunderstood, having never been seen for who you are as a unique person, instead divided into different, opposing parts. Perhaps you feel both pride and shame for your family and culture. You wish to not care what others think, yet tormented by feelings of guilt and fears of loss. You sometimes hear yourself saying to your own child or partner the same harsh and critical words you heard growing up. This is often the signal to seek professional help so you can break the cycle.
The journey won’t be an easy one, but you know you’re ready when keeping the status quo is worse.
I am a seasoned Asian American therapist who values multicultural and LGBTQ perspectives. I invite you to schedule a consultation with me to discuss what you are wanting to get out of therapy.
Therapy Services
individual therapy
Psychodynamic, exploratory therapy that addresses root causes of symptoms
Asian American cultural identity, immigrant parenting,
Parenting and Perinatal Mental Health
Trans and LGBTQ competent
couples & Family therapy
Navigating cultural differences
Codependency and conflict
Parenting challenges
Sex and intimacy
Repair from Betrayal and Infidelity
groups & workshops
Occasionally I offer group therapy and workshops to expand the possibilities of healing within a communal space. I also offer custom-designed workshops by request. To get notified about upcoming events, please sign up for my mailing list.
What to Expect
Step 1: Schedule a consultation
In a brief, free of charge 15-20 minute phone call, we will discuss what you are looking for and if it makes sense, schedule an intake session. If I am not the best fit for you, I can send you referrals to other therapists who may be better suited for what you’re looking for.
Step 2: Preliminary Intake Sessions
Within the span of 1-3 introductory sessions, I will take the time to get to know you and your reasons for seeking therapy. An optimal therapeutic relationship requires a good amount of trust and openness, and therefore these preliminary sessions are needed to determine the right “fit” between us and whether you will likely benefit from therapy with me.
Step 3: Therapy Begins
After we determine that we can work together, we will set a regular weekly time to meet. You are encouraged to arrive to sessions without anything planned, speak freely, allowing your thoughts to arise spontaneously. As we’re getting started I will welcome your questions and explain what I’m doing as we go, as the process of therapy can feel a bit strange if you are new to it. Therapy is a unique experience for each and every person.
My office is located in Sacramento’s Midtown neighborhood, very close to the lightrail.
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom
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About Nicole Shieh, LMFT
Professional Experience
Nicole Hsiang Shieh is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Sacramento, California with 13+ years of clinical experience working with individuals and couples of diverse sociocultural backgrounds, as well as those identifying as LGBTQ. In particular, she helps Asian American children of immigrants navigate cultural identity, family dynamics, and intergenerational trauma. Her approach combines psychoanalytic training from Access Institute (2014) with a Masters in Counseling Psychology from CIIS (2012) and sociological foundations from Wesleyan University (2005).
Nicole’s clinical journey through Asian Community Mental Health Services, Roosevelt Middle School, and San Francisco State University Counseling Center has deepened her expertise in addressing the unique challenges faced by bicultural youth and young adults. Nicole has presented extensively on API mental health, including workshops on "Beyond the Stigma" and "The Mental Health Impact of Anti-Asian Violence."
As a supervisor at CIIS clinics and former Adjunct Professor, Nicole is committed to training culturally responsive, critical thinking, psychodynamic clinicians.