therapy for adult children of refugees & immigrants

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Rita Phetmixay (she/they), MA, LCSW

We’ll first explore whether we are a good therapeutic fit for one another and discuss your goals, needs, and hopes for the therapy process. If it feels like another provider may better support your needs, I’m fortunate to have a trusted network of colleagues and referrals that I can help connect you with!

I offer individual therapy sessions virtually through secure telehealth platforms. Sessions are typically 45 minutes in length and are tailored to support your unique experiences, identities, and therapeutic goals.

Therapy is often a nonlinear process, and healing can involve moments of growth, discomfort, reflection, and setbacks. Together, we can create space to process these experiences with curiosity, compassion, and care while exploring patterns, relationships, emotional responses, and coping strategies that may be impacting your well-being. Depending on your needs and goals, we can discuss a cadence that feels supportive, whether that be weekly, biweekly, monthly, or as needed.

What intentions are bringing you into therapy at this time, and what would you hope to gain or explore through our work together?

As a politicized healing practitioner and licensed therapist with lived experience navigating complex trauma, my intention is to create a space that feels warm, empowering, grounded, and filled with radical hope as we work collaboratively to navigate life’s challenges, deepen self-understanding, and support your healing process.

My therapeutic approach integrates mindfulness, psychosomatic awareness, and culturally grounded care while recognizing how emotional trauma, systemic oppression, and lived experiences can impact both the mind and body. While experiences outside of your control may leave you feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, hopeless, or stuck, therapy can offer space for deep reflection, processing, healing, and meaningful change. Together, we can explore what it means to move toward greater alignment, authenticity, self-compassion, and emotional well-being. It is your turn to be well.

WHAT TO EXPECT 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS

Beginning therapy for the first time can feel vulnerable, unfamiliar, or even intimidating. However, engaging in therapy that is trauma-informed, culturally grounded, and healing-centered can support meaningful growth, self-understanding, and emotional well-being over time. Below are some of the ways therapy may support your healing process.

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  • Greater awareness of how personal and social identities shape the ways we experience and navigate the world (including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, spirituality, and more)

  • Increased self-awareness and insight into patterns, relationships, and emotional experiences

  • Strengthened ability to cope with overwhelming anxiety, depression, and life transitions

  • Expanded understanding of trauma, nervous system responses, and healing processes

  • Improved emotional regulation and self-compassion

  • Greater confidence in decision-making, boundary-setting, and communication

  • Increased self-esteem, self-worth, and authenticity

  • Space to reconnect with personal values, cultural identity, spirituality, and deeper senses of meaning and alignment

  • Support in exploring healing in ways that feel holistic, sustainable, and rooted in your lived experiences

Focus Areas

  • Intergenerational Trauma & Healing

  • Anxiety, Stress, & Emotional Overwhelm

  • Grief, Loss, & Life Transitions

  • Immigrant & Refugee Family Dynamics

  • Boundaries, People-Pleasing, & Codependency

  • Identity Exploration & Self-Esteem

  • Communication & Relationship Challenges

  • Burnout, Rest, & Nervous System Care

  • Cultural Identity, Belonging, & Generational Expectations

  • Healing from Trauma & Complex Trauma

  • Emotional Regulation & Coping Skills

  • First-Generation & Adult Children of Refugee Experiences

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EXPERIENCES & PEOPLE I WORK WITH

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  • Southeast Asian diaspora communities (including Lao, Hmong, Khmu, Iu Mien, Vietnamese, Khmer, and more)

  • QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities

  • Survivors of sexual trauma, interpersonal violence, and gender-based violence

  • Organizers, activists, and community leaders engaged in social justice work

  • High-achieving individuals and young professionals navigating burnout, identity, transitions, and work-life balance

  • College, graduate, and first-generation students navigating growth, belonging, stress, and uncertainty within higher education spaces

  • Adult children of refugees and immigrants navigating work/life balance, intergenerational healing and cultural expectations

  • Individuals exploring identity, self-worth, relationships, boundaries, and emotional wellness

Coaching Testimonials

“With care, compassion, and composure, Rita supported me as a Southeast Asian man to find humility in my own healing from my past wounds and traumas; supporting me in mending and empowering my relationship with self, those closest to me, and the environment I navigate. Rita was like the older sister I never had; a coach empathetic and grounded in her deepest intentions to help me evolve as person, as a man, as a human. Revelations came with each session that challenged me to confront the things I suppressed within myself and there was always shared laughter along the way that kept the journey in healing enjoyable.”

~ An H.

“I feel that Rita Phetmixay is a game changer when it comes to her approach to mental health and healing in the Lao Community. Not only is she extremely well educated in her academic approach, Rita is well grounded in her holistic mannerism. Anyone who comes into contact with Rita's platform will be able to gain insight to their personal growth. She is a strong community leader. Anything that she facilitates will have an element of laughter, healing and abundance.”

~ Joy N., Femtee

“Rita, I value your compassion, love, and emotional intelligence!! Since day one, you have always had powerful dialogues with me about healing, systems of power, higher education, and social justice. Thank you for modeling what vulnerability, self-love, and inner work looks like. Because of you, I continue to be vulnerable, cry, and share my sensitivity while also cultivating the deepest love within myself. I feel blessed to know your authentic self, and always have you support my growth.”

— Stephanie F., Femtee

“Once I met Rita, we instantly clicked! She has been nonstop so supportive, understanding, enlightening, and inspirational! I am so proud of her with all that she has accomplished and all that she will succeed in the future!! She has such a loving soul and spirit, nothing can get in her way. A great representation of numerous, diverse communities. The world should get ready for Rita!”

— Derick S., Collaborator