Xiaolu Lu

Hi, I’m Xiaolu, an English- and Mandarin-speaking Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 5+ years of experience. I work with teens, young adults, and adults who may look like they are doing well on the outside but feel overwhelmed by anxiety, overthinking, perfectionism, family pressure, relationship stress, or major life transitions.

I especially enjoy working with clients navigating cultural and family expectations, identity, and the experience of balancing different parts of themselves. As a bilingual therapist, I understand that emotional health is often deeply connected to family, culture, and the environments we grew up in.

My approach is warm, collaborative, and practical. I primarily draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help clients better understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, recognize patterns that may be keeping them stuck, and develop healthier ways of coping with stress and difficult emotions.

I also understand that it can be difficult to put feelings into words. I aim to create a safe and supportive space where clients can explore and express their emotions at their own pace. Together, we can build skills to better identify, communicate, and navigate difficult emotions in ways that feel more comfortable and manageable.

I tailor therapy to each client’s needs and pace, as I believe therapy should be a space where you feel understood while also gaining practical tools and insight that can support meaningful change. Depending on what you are working through, our sessions may include exploring patterns and relationships, practicing coping skills, challenging unhelpful thoughts, and finding more effective ways to respond to difficult situations.

In our first session, my goal is to create a warm and comfortable space where you can share at your own pace. We’ll talk about what brings you to therapy, what has been feeling difficult, and what you hope might be different as a result of our work together.

I may ask about different areas of your life, such as relationships, family, school or work, and past experiences, to help me better understand what you are going through. You do not need to share everything at once or have everything figured out before coming in.

By the end of the session, we’ll begin identifying the patterns, strengths, and concerns that feel most important to you and discuss what our work together might look like moving forward. You do not need to have everything figured out before coming in. My hope is that you leave the first session feeling heard, understood, and with a clearer sense of what we can work on together.