JUNIPER WONG, LICSW
Therapist + Relationship & Intimacy Coach
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
- Anais Nin
Welcome! I'm Juniper.
Empowering empaths, intense feelers, & creatives to become the brightest, boldest, most unapologetic version of themselves.
If you yearn to...
- Take decisive action to resolve issues of shame, inauthenticity, or low self-worth
- Discover the core of your self-love & relationship struggles
- Face & integrate your shadow parts instead of avoiding or repressing
- Heal generational and individual trauma
- Find & express your authentic voice
- Understand & make sense of intense emotions or self-sabotaging behaviors
- Stop being triggered by old wounds
- End people-pleasing
- Transform self-criticism or self-hatred into self-love
- Create deeper intimate connections with others & yourself
- Communicate with yourself & others truthfully, directly & healthily
Then I invite you to work with me!
Book a free 30 minute discovery call below
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About Juniper
The Professional Story:
I’m a Chinese American licensed clinical social worker + therapist & intimacy coach. I started my career as a high school English teacher in underfunded urban high schools during the 2008 recession - and got laid off due to budget cuts three times! After six years, I decided to leave the education field to pursue a Masters degree in Social Work. After graduation, I became a program associate mobilizing youth in California to engage in grassroots social justice advocacy with the Movement Strategy Center.
In 2017, I pivoted to clinical social work at a high intensity mental health agency that provided youth & families in crisis with 24/7 therapeutic support. I collaborated closely with juvenile detention staff, hospital psychiatric units, schools, and community organizations in supporting the safety & treatment of clients undergoing severe mental health issues. In 2019, I was promoted to supervisor, managing teams of clinicians, peer specialists, and care coordinators to deliver holistic care and wraparound services to youth & families in crisis.
In 2021, I started my own practice as a therapist and relationship + intimacy coach. In 2022, I expanded to speaking engagements addressing different topics at the intersection of mental health and Asian American identity. I bring an eclectic approach of personal lived experience, creative arts, somatics, internal family systems, practical actionable skills, & humor to my therapy & coaching practices. I was born & raised in sunny Los Angeles, California, & currently live in rainy Vancouver, WA with my husband & cat, Narwhal.
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The Long Story:
Growing up, I always wondered what was "wrong with me" and thought I was just "bad at relationships". In retrospect, I was simply experiencing the push/pull of disorganized attachment, unhealed generational trauma and the complexities of being a woman of color born to immigrant Chinese parents. My parents came to the US to escape poverty & in many ways found success. However, they didn’t understand how to nourish their own inner, emotional lives or the emotions of their children. I grew up in a household ruled by fear, rigidity + control.
I was a highly sensitive, socially anxious, awkward teen & young adult. Turns out I was neurodivergent and had no idea! I had undiagnosed ADHD & felt like the black sheep of the family. I longed to connect but literally had no idea how to connect. Much of what I learned about relationships in young adulthood was through self-help books - I literally bought a book in college called Flirting 101 because I intellectually understood flirting as a concept but I couldn’t do it in real life (and if you’re wondering, yes, it did help).
In my early 20s, I discovered that I had complex PTSD. I came to realize that the root of my depression, anxiety, bulimia and self-hatred was years of unhealed trauma. The icing on top of this layered mental health cake was spiritual confusion & shame fostered through attending evangelical Christian churches for over a decade. I craved creative self-expression and freedom, but felt trapped in my body, locked away from my voice. I started to explore reconnecting with my authentic voice & learning to re-establish safety within my body.
In 2021, I got married to my husband. At the time, we didn't know he is autistic and I was in deep denial of my own bisexuality. Since then, we've both "come out" which has been challenging for our relationship but also deepened our connection with ourselves + each other in new, scary, & beautiful ways. I'm committed to exploring new paradigms of love that challenge heteronormative, traditional norms.
The past 20 years have been a journey of learning, healing, growing, & transforming mentally, emotionally, physiologically, & spiritually. It hasn't been easy. At times, it has been painful, at times it's felt hopeless but my own lived experience with mental health struggles has given me the ability to resonate with clients on an emotional & spiritual level.
I love the life I’ve created, I've built an incredible support network that fosters creative & spiritual growth, and I’m excited to partner with you as you create a life you love.
Praise for Juniper
Testimonials
(Some Initials are used to protect client confidentiality)
Juniper takes a bright and different approach, and I believe that sets her apart from others in her field. Having worked with her for the last 8 months, I will say that I have been impressed. I have noticed a drastic improvement in my relationship with myself, and she has helped me find other perspectives on many other situations and emotions. Juniper has been one of the best sources of mental health help I've found in my life, especially compared to previous counselors.
- Jihan Al-Baqsami
From my first session with Juniper, I felt so seen in all the facets of who I am. Talking to Jun is like talking to an older sister or a mentor who has survived and now thrives. My family has also noticed that I’m far less anxious on a day to day since I’ve started my sessions with her.
I also love how much laughter there is as well. Jun is funny as hell and the sessions are so much fun - even if I end up crying at some point. I’ve worked with other therapists before and it made me realize that I feel a lot more human talking to her. 100/10 would recommend Jen!
Juniper makes our sessions feel so warm & welcoming. I don't feel like she's assessing me to tell me what's wrong with me, but more that she's truly trying to understand me. At times with other professionals, I've felt like a patient and not a person. Juniper really made me feel seen as a person and that's already made a huge impact. I don't feel self-conscious when I'm talking to her, and I've seen improvement already in the short time we've been working together.