About Cai

I approach counseling with empathy and acceptance through an intersectional lens. I support clients through specific, short-term goals as well as long-term processing of trauma/past experiences and the impact on the present using their existing strengths and interests. The therapeutic relationship itself is an effective avenue of healing and as such I value communication and openness in therapy.

I believe that the systems we interact with throughout our lives can impact our emotional experience; mental health challenges are often a result of the adaptive measures based on an individual’s strengths, which they use to cope with unhealthy/oppressive/hurtful environments.

With an interest in equity and social justice, I have training and experience in the following areas: bystander intervention and antiracism, working with people with disabilities/chronic illnesses, trauma-oriented care, neurodiversity, LGBT2SQIAP+ affirming care, fat liberation, and body neutrality. I received a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2011 and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Adler University in Chicago in 2023.