From the outside, you've built a great life. Inside, you're not so sure it's still yours.
Therapy for AAPI women through planning a family, pregnancy, and the early years of motherhood — and everything it stirs up.
You're overwhelmed in a life that, from the outside, you've built well; inside, you're falling apart. The baby cried and you waited a few seconds longer before going in — a quiet protest against a life that no longer paused for you. You're too tired to think, too wired to sleep. Your life reorganized around the baby while your husband's went on unchanged, and that distance is the loneliest part. Every day feels identical — the slow drift, the midnight feeds, the racing thoughts, the waiting to feel like yourself again. You laugh at the right moments, then wonder if you're a good enough mom. You don't have to navigate this alone — together, we can find the way back to the woman beneath it all.
I'm Joann, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist.
Joann Yang, LMFT · CA License #102657 · CAMFT Lifetime Member
As an AAPI woman, I've walked a version of this road myself, but it's the shared understanding that makes the work feel safe.
I've been the person people tell their stories to for as long as I can remember — curious, even as a kid, about what's really underneath. That curiosity grew into my training, and it found its focus here: where my clinical work meets my own experience as an AAPI woman. It's where I do my best work.
I listen closely, because I want to understand your real story — not just what brought you in, but why this season is hurting the way it is. And once we've built trust, I'm the kind of therapist who will gently call you on things: I'll challenge you when I notice you talking yourself out of what you actually want. Think of me as an advocate for the version of you I catch in the glimpses — the one who knows what she needs, even when it's hard to claim.
Those glimpses are what I'm always watching for — the moments your truest self slips through, the part of you that's free. That's who we're working toward: not a different you, but the you who's been there all along.
I help high-achieving AAPI women through the maternal years.
When the drive that built your career meets a season it can't optimize. Wherever you are on the path, the care meets you there:
It all collides with career, marriage, aging parents, and being the "good" daughter — the load you've carried for everyone but yourself.
What it costs.
I'm a private-pay, out-of-network provider. If your insurance includes out-of-network benefits (often PPO plans), I can provide a monthly superbill — a detailed receipt you submit to your plan for possible partial reimbursement. Whether and how much you're reimbursed depends on your specific plan, so it's worth checking your out-of-network mental health benefits.
Questions you might have.
Do you take insurance?
I'm an out-of-network provider, so I don't bill insurance directly. Many clients still use their out-of-network benefits to get reimbursed for part of the fee (see below). Working privately keeps your care confidential and shaped around you — not around what a plan will authorize.
How much does therapy cost without insurance?
Sessions are $300 for individuals and $400 for couples, each 50 minutes. We start with a free 15-minute consult, so you can feel whether we’re the right fit before committing to anything. If you have out-of-network benefits, I can provide a monthly superbill you may be able to submit for partial reimbursement — though reimbursement isn’t guaranteed and depends on your plan.
How does the superbill work?
Each month I can provide a superbill — an itemized receipt — that you submit to your insurance. If your plan includes out-of-network benefits (often PPO plans), they may reimburse a portion. It varies by plan, so it's worth calling your insurer first. Helpful questions to ask them:
- Do I have out-of-network outpatient mental health benefits?
- What's my out-of-network deductible, and how much of it have I met this year?
- Once it's met, what percentage of an out-of-network session do you reimburse?
- Is reimbursement based on what I actually pay, or on your "allowed amount"?
- Are CPT codes 90834, 90837, and 90847 covered, and at what rate?
- Do I need a referral or pre-authorization?
- Is telehealth covered the same as in-person?
- How do I submit a superbill, and what's the filing deadline?
Two to watch: your deductible and the "allowed amount" are where reimbursement is often lower than it first sounds — a plan may reimburse a percentage of its own allowed amount, not your full fee.
Do we meet by telehealth or in person?
I see clients across California by telehealth — including the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego — with in-person sessions available in the Sacramento area. Telehealth means you can do this work from the comfort of your own home — worked in around feedings, naps, and everything else motherhood asks of you, with no commute and no waiting room.
I'm holding everything together — is therapy still for me?
Yes. Many of the women I work with look completely fine from the outside; that's often the loneliest part. You don't need to be in crisis, or to name one clear reason, to deserve support. If something feels off underneath a life that looks right, that's enough to reach out.
Will you understand my family and cultural background?
This is where I do my best work. The "good daughter" role, filial duty, in-law expectations, the weight of intergenerational sacrifice, the guilt of wanting something for yourself — with me, you won't have to explain or defend any of it. As an AAPI woman, I understand these dynamics from the inside, so we can spend our time on you instead of on translation. I won’t assume your experience mirrors mine, though — your story is yours, and my work is to understand it, not to overlay my own.
What happens in the free consult?
It's a relaxed 15-minute call — no pressure and no commitment. You can share a little about what's bringing you in, ask me anything, and we'll both get a feel for whether we're a good fit. If we are, we'll schedule a first session. If I'm not the right fit, I'll do my best to point you somewhere helpful.
Do you work with couples?
Yes, I do. When I work with couples, I tend to work best with partners in the earlier seasons — young professionals dating, planning a family, or moving through pregnancy and the toddler years — while you’re still laying the foundation for the life you want to build together. Using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the work focuses on strengthening the connection between you, so it stays close and steady through the changes ahead. Couples sessions are $400 per 50-minute session.
Telehealth across California, with in-person sessions available in the Sacramento area.
Reaching out can be the hardest step.
Especially when you were raised to hold it together and keep the hard things quiet. You don't need the right words, or to have any of it figured out, to begin.
Book a free 15-minute consultPrefer email? Joannyanglmft@andarapsychotherapy.com
Email isn't always a secure channel, so please don't include sensitive health details — we'll cover those securely once we connect.
When you're ready, reaching out is just one message.