About Grace Ou, LMFT, Counselor in Los Angeles
Counseling in Los Angeles
Grace Ou, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Specializing in Anxiety, Couples Therapy, Asian American Context, and Christian Counseling in Los Angeles, California.
You’ve been stuck in a place for a while now. You have already tried figuring this out on your own. It feels like the same old patterns keep repeating themselves, whether it’s the conversations with loved ones or the conversations that constantly are in your head. The pressures of work, family, and personal life are becoming unmanageable, and you need a place to figure this out.
I am here to help and create this place for you.
My name is Grace Ou, and I am a licensed marriage and family therapist (MFC#107667) serving the great Los Angeles area for 11 years. I pursued my master’s degree in Marital and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary after first being in marital counseling myself. I was inspired to share what I learned from my therapy experience with others that could benefit from understanding stuck negative cycles and breaking free from them!
I identify as an Asian American woman and so much of my culture and this identity shapes my work with clients. I am familiar with the experience of being overlooked, overworked, over achieving and taking over responsibility for things that are not mine. I understand how intricately family values and voices are entwined with how we understand and see ourselves.
My training and consultation in Restoration Therapy, with Dr. Terry Hargrave, Dr. Miyoung Yoon-Hammer, and Migum Gweon, specifically works with bringing awareness of our unhelpful cycles while providing active practice to shift into places of truth that inspire new ways of acting within ourselves and with others.
I am also certified in Havening Techniques, from Center for Havening Research and Training Inc., that uses neuroscience and psychology to target memories in the brain of past events through the power of self touch. (And I know that might sound weird, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!)
My specialities include working with anxiety, couples, an Asian American cultural context, and Christian counseling.
Why I Do This Work
I love the work that I get to do with clients. After working with dozens of Asian Americans navigating family pressure, perfectionism and faith, I realize that there is a real need to break negative cycles in this population. It has been so hopeful to see my clients move out of stuckness into freedom and possibility. My clients’ “stuck” is sometimes in their mindset and how they view themselves and the unrealistic expectations for how they think they ought to be living their life. Other times their “stuck” is in a certain relationship like in marriage, parenting, with a colleague, or person from their family. I see my clients move from constant negative interactions to hope and confidence in their next steps.
Getting to sit with people, hear their stories, and help them make changes in their lives is an honor and incredibly fulfilling for me. Sometimes, clients come and get what they need in 10 sessions or less. These clients are gung ho about practicing new tools and applying them in their lives. Other times, clients come with more uncertainty and need more time to build trust and rapport with me through sharing their stories and feeling safe and understood. In these cases, it’s energizing to me to see people make consistent small shifts in their day to day mindset that become a catalyst for bigger and more long lasting change.
To schedule your free 15-minute consultation with Grace for counseling in Los Angeles click here: Schedule a Consult. Let’s get you moving from that stuck place to living in free and new ways!
Frequently Asked Questions About Counseling in Los Angeles
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Great question! If you’re feeling stuck and unable to get yourself out of this situation that’s bothering you, it’s worth it to call for a consultation. It’s likely that you’ve been trying hard on your own for a while, and during our consultation call, we can identify the things going on in your life that therapy can help with.
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To me, counseling and therapy is very related. I am comfortable with my clients referring to the services that I provide as either. There is a small technical difference in how I would distinguish therapy vs. counseling. This distinction is that therapy is provided by a psychotherapist who has a specialized masters degree with supervised, state-governed board approved training. Counseling can be a general word used to describe receiving wise or helpful counsel from another individual.
(Note: There are licensed counselors who receive a degree and supervised training that can offer their services as therapy and counseling. This is where it can get confusing. I want to help others using my degree and specialized training, and you can call it whatever fits better for you.)
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During the first session many things happen. There is house-keeping in reviewing your consent for treatment, getting super clear about your specific goals for our sessions, and then I’ll be asking a lot of questions to get to know your back story and the context of your life.
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My recommendation is to come to weekly sessions. This frequency helps us to build momentum in getting to know each other and to actively understand and work on your goals. I don’t believe that counseling is something that you need to do forever, so I want to help you heal quickly, meet your goals, and head back into the world with what you’ve learned!
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This is a great question, and to be honest, it will be different for each person. There are some clients who meet with me, get what they need, and are ready to graduate in 3 months. For others, they feel more ready in 6-9 months. I also work with clients who appreciate the ongoing weekly support that I have been seeing for years. We can chat more about this question during our consultation phone call, and I usually can better gauge the duration of our work a few sessions in.
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My rate for a 45 minute session is $200.
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Sessions may be covered by insurance. Certain PPO plans will reimburse for the sessions that we have. If you’re hoping to use insurance, I recommend contacting your provider and getting clear with them about the requirements of your health plan and the process of getting reimbursements.
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I provide online therapy services to clients residing in the state of California.
For clients living in the greater Los Angeles area, I have found that this option allows for flexibility for many of my clients’ schedules. Not having to commute and drive to an office allows clients who are working from home or couples with children to meet from home without needing to take time off or arrange childcare.
My clients rest assured in knowing that all sessions are conducted via HIPAA-compliant video platform. Client privacy is protected under California and federal law.
