I never thought I’d write anything like this, but here we are. My name is Ivy Kwong and I am a first-generation Asian American psychotherapist. I support #BlackLivesMatter. In case you’re thinking, “But you’re a therapist and you shouldn’t be bringing up political issues,” I offer the following quote by Aristotle: Human beings are by nature political animals, because nature, which does…

I saw the following image scrolling through my FaceBook feed this morning:

Let’s Demystify The Friend-Making Process If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’re an open, curious human who is interested in developing real and meaningful connections with other humans (either that or you read my article on Vipassana meditation or Avicii and randomly wandered over here —welcome, get comfortable, and FYI we’re talking about adult…

Once upon a time (the mid-90’s) in a faraway land (Rochester Hills, Michigan), there lived an awkward 12-year-old Asian girl with metal braces, bad skin, and a perm that was supposed to be cool but turned her head into the shape of a trapezoid. Artist’s rendering (this is as good…

The first time I heard Avicii was seven years ago. In the shower. I remember feeling the water, then the music. It hit me with a rush, filling up my body with every beat, pulsing inside me to the point where I couldn’t distinguish between the rhythm and my own heartbeat. I began dancing on the slippery wet white porcelain, not caring if I slipped and fell. My body had to MOVE, caution be damned: That’s what inspired music does. It makes you fucking FEEL something. In the din and drudgery of day-to-day life, amidst the struggles and suffering, uncertainty…

Yeah, me neither. But I got what I needed, in the most unexpected way. My father is a traditional Chinese man. He grunts in response to “I love you.” He “doesn’t understand emotions” (his words, not mine) and he processes information like a computer. As a former mechanical engineer and self-taught software developer, he literally thinks in…

As a therapist who has worked with suicidal teenagers, depressed clients, and survivors of sexual assault, and as a survivor myself, I’m joining the ranks of everyone weighing in on the show. 13 Reasons Why is a Netflix series based on a book about a high school sophomore, Hannah Baker…

A friend of mine, Lindsay M. Hawley, passed away by choice on the first day of this year. January 1, 2017. I haven’t been able to stop crying lately and today my thoughts were consumed by her. I have never lost a friend before, and have definitely never lost anyone…