Dr. Judy Yuen

Most of the people I work with have been told — or have told themselves — that they should be able to handle this. They're healthcare professionals, leaders, or both. They know what stress is. They've managed harder things. Therapy felt like something for other people, until something shifted. I work with people at that turning point. Sixteen years in healthcare, as a clinician and a leader, means I understand what it actually feels like to carry the weight of high-stakes work — the complexity, the responsibility, and the very specific kind of exhaustion that doesn't go away with a long weekend. I practice virtually throughout California and take Aetna, Cigna, and BlueCross BlueShield. You don't have to arrive with the right words or a clear agenda. That's what the first session is for.

My work is grounded in evidence-based approaches — ACT, CBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and somatic work — with mindfulness woven throughout. I match the approach to the person in front of me, not the other way around. I'm direct and warm. I'll ask pointed questions when that's what the work calls for, and I'll slow down when something needs space. I don't use jargon for its own sake, and I'm not neutral to the point of uselessness. My goal is to be genuinely useful in the time we have together. I have particular depth in trauma, burnout, identity transitions, and the kind of stress that comes with roles where you're always the person responsible. If you're managing compassion fatigue, navigating a career inflection point, or processing something that happened on your watch, this is work I know well.

The first session is a conversation — not an intake form read aloud, and not a test. We'll talk about what brought you in, what you're hoping to get out of this, and what's gotten in the way before, if anything. I'll ask questions. Some will be about history, some about what's happening right now. You can answer as much or as little as you're ready to. By the end, we'll have a sense of where we're headed and whether we're a good fit. Most clients leave feeling like something shifted — not because of what I said, but because they finally had the space to say the thing they hadn't said out loud yet. That's usually where the work begins.