"Trauma blocks love and love heals trauma." -Frank Anderson

About Me

My name is Anh Hoang Plasencia (she/her). I’m a wife, mother and a licensed psychotherapist serving the San Francisco Bay Area. I have been counseling for over 13 years and offer in-person and online therapy in California. I love to travel, cook delicious food, and listen to live music. My most recent hobbies consist of impromptu dance parties with my toddler (mostly spinning in circles and bunny hops). I love witty standup comedy, colorful stationary, and crisp morning walks.

Arrive as you are.

What Brought Me To Therapy

Therapy has been a vehicle for me to access my own self-compassion, compassion for my loved ones, and for the greater community. I believe we are all interconnected through our shared human experiences. As a first generation immigrant and a daughter of a single mother and war veteran, therapy has helped me shift perspectives in my family system to heal and strengthen relationships that are very personal to me. I have been a consumer and a provider of counseling services and believe wholeheartedly in the value and practice of it.

Care, don't carry.

My Style & Approach

I work from a relational, experiential and somatic place, where I teach you how to befriend your emotions and nervous system. I help you reconnect with your core self and explore the messages your body is sending you from your current symptoms. I help you understand the ways in which your emotions are actually little nuggets of wisdom. Instead of supressing your emotions, you will learn to allow them to transform and change so you can feel more embodied and at peace with your life.

Strength-Based Therapy

I believe we all inherently carry unique internal strengths necessary to live well. Sometimes it is hard to realize those strengths when we feel overwhelmed, which causes us to lose sight of our ability to move forward in a helpful way. My goal is to help you reconnect with the qualities you already possess. As well as to identify the root causes of your patterns that leave you stuck in an unhelpful cycle and inhibit your ability to heal. Together we will gain awareness of your protectors, patterns, and strengths. You will learn to make a conscious choice to relate to yourself in a differently way in order to live well.

Your healing changes your legacy.

Finding the “right fit”in selecting a therapist involves a great deal of strength and a risk to step beyond your familiar ways of managing your life. I understand it is not a desirable process, and I am privileged to be considered as someone to stand with you on your healing journey.