Services
- Individual
- Couples
- Family
About My Clients
Are you tired of bad "dates" with therapists, finding yourself explaining basic parts of your identity and feeling like therapy's going nowhere because of it? Maybe you're kinky, disabled, BIPOC, neurodivergent, queer, non-monogamous, all of the above, or don't subscribe to labels. It's time to alter the narrative towards solidifying, expanding, and affirming those identities instead of breaking down, minimizing, or ignoring them.
My Background and Approach
Yams obtained a dual Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and in Japanese Language, Literature, and Culture from Swarthmore College; and its Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy at Alliant International University with a certificate in Latin American Family Therapy. Yams has several years’ experience facilitating groups imparting DBT skills and stress management techniques, using art and creative writing to amplify nonverbal communication, and helping folks navigate the stages of change as they pertain to substance use and life’s changes. With a developed understanding of intergenerational trauma, he acknowledges we experience unique triggers that can manifest as a myriad of different symptoms–especially for marginalized folks. Various systems outside of ourselves can influence us without our consent, and finding the tools to write our own story anyway is a strength we can nurture.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
Yams is an active part of the BDSM, BIPOC, and disability communities, and their intersections. Within those intersections, he found his people–emotionally evolving and supportive, queer-saturated, embracing differences and also set on growth and education to remain competent. He believes in lifelong learning, the pursuit of creating new meanings to life and family, and building systems that remind him of those values. He believes everyone deserves support to foster and follow their own unique set of values. He knows firsthand how difficult it is to build support systems and find inclusive therapy to help with that process. He endeavors to be a part of the expansion of services for Black and Indigenous kinky, non-monogamous, queer folks and all those along the intersections and byways.