What We Treat

Imagine your body is like a house, your anxiety is the safety alarm that guards the house. Ideally, the alarm serves its function and only goes off when danger is detected. However, as we go through life and pain, our “safety alarms” could become overly sensitive and go off at the smallest things (e.g. a loud sound), or for no reason at all.

With us, you will be gently guided to identify and understand your own “alarm system”, and how it may become “malfunctioned.” Your anxiety will be calmed once you truly understand it. We will together find your anchor in all the chaos, and update your “alarm system” to its healthy state.

Depression is like a big dark cloud. It does not always equal sadness, rather, it is closer to a feeling of numbness or lack of energy. You may be depressed when you find yourself not enjoying things you used to enjoy for quite a while.

Nobody gets depressed for no reason. Your depression is your body’s way of telling you an important message. At Yiwen Fan & Associates Psychotherapy, we will support you to listen to this message. Once your depression’s message is heard and action is taken to address it, it will dissipate.

Every adult has gone through adolescence, but not everyone remembers what it was like, especially after we become parents. Adolescence could be one of the most confusing, terrifying and lonely time periods in one’s life. Parents naturally want to support their children during this difficult time, and many find themselves frustrated and hurt. The teens may be going through a very tough time, but don’t know how to ask for help.

Therapy could be a great way to relieve both the parent and the teen. The teen client benefit from therapy in having a safe space to understand and express themselves, and the parent may learn healthy communication skills and in turn have a better chance of truly bonding with their child. Therapy could be the key to turning a vicious cycle to a positive one.

Before becoming a therapist, Yiwen worked as a school counselor in an international high school for 3 years. Understanding/supporting teens and their parents is one of the foundations of our work. Whether you are an insightful teen looking for emotional support, or a parent who is at her wits' end, we are here for you.

“Boys don’t cry.” “Be a man!” Many men are taught by society since childhood that it is shameful to feel vulnerable and express deep emotions. Instead, being “tough” is encouraged and rewarded. In reality, this “toughness” can harm a person’s mental well-being and relationships.

Here at Yiwen Fan & Associates Psychotherapy, we are aware that it often takes incredible courage (and real strength) for a man to seek therapeutic help. Whether it’s your first time trying to open up or you already feel very comfortable sharing, we are here to support you to further explore and be more free.

All therapists at Yiwen Fan & Associates Psychotherapy have personal experiences living in multiple countries and cultures. We are familiar with the struggles and joy in this journey.

Whether you are an international student who is overwhelmed by your surroundings, or a LGBTQ+ person who is traumatized by society, or an immigrant young professional who doesn’t feel any sense of belonging, we see you. We will work with you to turn the pain and fear to positive emotional assets.

How to live happily with the person I care about? An ancient question of humanity.

In relationships, we tend to focus on the other person: their needs, their faults, their weaknesses, etc. However, the key to having a healthy relationship is to look within your own heart. How do you love? How would you want to be loved?

We only take the amount of love we believe we deserve. Childhood wounds often make people feel not worthy of love. The good news is that this belief can be changed, or updated. Let’s work together to see the wounds, and gradually experience the healing.

We provide mental health evaluations and written reports for VAWA, U VISA, Asylum and Hardship Waiver cases. Evaluations can be conducted in Mandarin.

This service is only provided by Yiwen Fan, who was trained by immigration case evaluation expert Dr. Mariela Shibley in 2020.