Ivy Chim, LMSW

Specialties: relationships, anxiety, trauma, sexual abuse, racial identity, couples, LGBTQ+.

Rates: $205 · individual session | $255 · couples session

“I believe connection heals. We all experience moments of disconnection, aloneness, grief, pain and suffering. We all long for relationships that feel so safe that allow us to just be - with all parts of ourselves - seen, heard, accepted, and loved. A nurturing relationship provides a safe space for us to be present with our feelings and all parts of us to emerge. When our pain is held and witnessed, it starts to transform and heal. I’m here to walk alongside you. Together, we can help you slow down and learn to trust yourself. I’m here to listen with curiosity and compassion, to support you to do deep healing work and transformation. I’m here to guide you and your partner to transform frustration to growth, conflicts to connection.”

Q & A

How do you describe your counseling style?

The foundation of my work is co-creating a safe and secure therapeutic relationship with you! When we feel safe, we feel liberated to express all parts of ourselves. When we feel seen, we can summon the courage to dive deep and move towards our emotional experiences. I bring warmth and attuned presence into our work together, to help you slow down and make space to listen to yourself deeply. So you can build awareness to your body, expand capacity to feel and contain emotions, gain clarity and experiential insights, and reconnect with your intuition. These moment-to-moment embodied experiences allow transformation and healing to happen.

Have you been in therapy yourself?

Yes! Therapy has a profound impact on becoming the therapist I am today. My AEDP therapist has helped me regain a felt sense of safety and connection with my body, emotions and integrating different parts of me. As a career changer and trauma survivor, I experienced first hand the transformative healing power of being seen and held. At that moment, I knew it was my calling to share this gift.

What books have made the biggest impact on your life?

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
It’s Not Always Depression by Hilary Jacobs Hendel
The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller
Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix & Helen LaKelly Hunt
Dancing With Life by Phillip Moffitt