# Sandra Huang Therapy — Full Site Content

> Hsiao-Chu Sandra Huang, LPCC, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor offering online therapy for individuals and couples throughout California. She provides services in English and Mandarin Chinese.

## Services

- **Individual Therapy** ($150/session): For adults ages 17–65 dealing with anxiety, depression, life transitions, identity exploration, relationship patterns, and personal growth.
- **Couples Therapy** ($200/session): Helping partners improve communication, resolve conflict, and deepen emotional connection.
- **Akashic Record Reading**: A spiritual healing practice Sandra is certified in, offered as a complementary tool separate from clinical therapy. Never required or expected.
- **Mindfulness Coaching**: Grounding techniques, breathwork, body-based practices, and somatic awareness.

## Credentials and Background

- **License**: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), California #21011
- **Education**: M.S., University of Pittsburgh (2018)
- **Certifications**: Certified Akashic Record Reading Healer
- **Clinical Experience**: Psychiatric hospitals, domestic violence shelters, community mental health centers, and private practice
- **Population**: Adults ages 17–65 from diverse cultural, professional, and international backgrounds
- **Languages**: English and Mandarin Chinese
- **Approach**: Sandra brings a multicultural lens to all her work and especially supports clients navigating identity, relationships, life transitions, and patterns that feel hard to break

## Therapeutic Approaches

Sandra integrates multiple evidence-based and holistic modalities:

- **Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)**: Identifying and reshaping thought patterns that drive distress
- **Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)**: Connecting with values to guide behavior, even amid difficult emotions
- **Somatic Therapy**: Body-based awareness and regulation techniques
- **Narrative Therapy**: Reauthoring personal stories to reclaim agency
- **Mindfulness-Based Approaches**: Present-moment awareness, breathwork, grounding techniques

## Locations

- **Online** — Telehealth throughout California

## Session Details

- Sessions are 50 minutes
- Most clients start with weekly sessions
- Frequency can shift to biweekly or monthly as progress is made
- Online sessions throughout California (phone and video)
- Homework may be assigned between sessions (journaling prompts, grounding techniques, new responses to try)

## Fees and Payment

- Individual sessions: $150
- Couples sessions: $200
- Sliding scale available based on financial need
- Payment due at time of session
- Accepted: Credit cards, HSA/FSA, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle

## Insurance

- **In-network**: Aetna, Molina, Cigna, Magellan, Carelon Behavioral Health
- **Out-of-network**: Sandra provides a superbill (a receipt with insurance codes) that you submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement

## Cancellation Policy

24 hours notice required for cancellations or reschedules. Late cancellations or no-shows may be charged the full session fee, with exceptions for emergencies.

## Contact

- **Phone**: (408) 549-8645
- **Email**: therapy@sandrahuang.com
- **Free 15-minute consultation**: A brief phone call to discuss what brings you to therapy, ask questions, and see if Sandra's approach is a good fit. No pressure.
- [Schedule a consultation](https://sandrahuang.com/contact)

## Pages

- [Home](https://sandrahuang.com/)
- [FAQ](https://sandrahuang.com/faq)
- [Contact](https://sandrahuang.com/contact)
- [Blog](https://sandrahuang.com/blog)

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## Frequently Asked Questions

### New to Therapy

**How do I know if I need therapy?**
You don't need a diagnosis or crisis to benefit from therapy. Many of my clients come in feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or simply wanting to understand themselves better. If you're asking this question, that curiosity is often a sign you're ready.

**What's the difference between a therapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist?**
A therapist (like me, an LPCC) provides talk therapy and helps you work through emotions, patterns, and life challenges. A psychologist often focuses on assessment and may provide therapy. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medication. Many people work with a therapist and psychiatrist together.

**Is everything I share confidential?**
Yes, with a few legal exceptions. I'm required to break confidentiality only if there's imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable adult, or a court order. We'll discuss this in detail during our first session.

**What if I don't know what to talk about?**
That's completely normal. You don't need to arrive with an agenda. Sometimes the most meaningful sessions start with "I don't know where to begin." I'll help guide the conversation.

**How long does therapy usually last?**
It depends on your goals. Some clients find clarity in a few months; others choose longer-term work to address deeper patterns. We'll check in regularly about what's working and when you feel ready to transition out.

**How will I know if therapy is working?**
Progress often shows up in small ways first — you might notice you're reacting differently to situations, feeling less stuck, or understanding yourself with more compassion. We'll talk about your goals early on so we can track what matters to you.

**What if I don't feel a connection with my therapist?**
Fit matters. If something doesn't feel right, I encourage you to share that with me — it's useful information, not a failure. And if we're truly not the right match, I'll help you find someone who is.

**What is your clinical background and experience?**
I hold an M.S. from the University of Pittsburgh (2018) and am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC, California #21011). I'm also a Certified Akashic Record Reading Healer. My clinical experience spans psychiatric hospitals, domestic violence shelters, community mental health centers, and private practice. I work with adults ages 17 to 65 from diverse cultural, professional, and international backgrounds, and I bring a multicultural lens to all my work. I especially support clients navigating identity, relationships, life transitions, and patterns that feel hard to break. I offer therapy in both English and Mandarin Chinese.

### Understanding Your Mind

**What is the "window of tolerance"?**
Your window of tolerance is the zone where you can handle stress and stay relatively grounded. When you're pushed outside this window, you might feel either overwhelmed and anxious (hyperarousal) or shut down and numb (hypoarousal). The good news: with support and self-care, your window can expand over time.

**What does hyperarousal feel like?**
When your nervous system is in overdrive, you might experience restlessness, irritability, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, a pounding heart, or the urge to fight or flee. It's your body's alarm system working overtime.

**What does hypoarousal feel like?**
This is the opposite — a state of shutdown. You might feel low energy, unmotivated, foggy, disconnected from your body, or emotionally flat. Some people describe it as "going through the motions" or feeling like they're watching life from behind glass.

**What's the difference between goals and values?**
Goals are specific outcomes — getting a promotion, finishing a degree, finding a partner. They have endpoints and often depend on external factors. Values are how you want to show up in life regardless of outcomes — with courage, kindness, creativity, or integrity. Unlike goals, values don't have a finish line. They guide your direction even when circumstances are beyond your control. Many people accomplish their goals yet feel empty because they've lost touch with their values. Therapy can help reconnect the two.

**What's actually within my control?**
Less than we think — and more than we realize. You can't control your initial emotions, other people's behavior, or what life throws at you. But you can control how you respond, what actions you take, and the values you live by. Learning to focus energy on what's actually in your hands is one of the most freeing shifts you can make.

**Is healing from therapy a straight line?**
No. Most people expect steady improvement, but real healing has ups and downs. You might have a breakthrough one week and feel like you've regressed the next. This is normal — not a sign that therapy isn't working. Over time, the overall trend moves toward growth, even when individual days feel hard.

**What can I do when I feel overwhelmed or anxious?**
Grounding techniques can help bring you back to the present moment. Some options include meditation, journaling, connecting with nature, breathwork, movement like yoga or walking, or simply doing something that brings you peace. Even a few minutes can help regulate your nervous system.

**How can I calm my mind and feel safer in my body?**
Building a sense of inner safety takes practice. Try diaphragmatic (belly) breathing to activate your calming nervous system. Write down the people and things that make you feel safe. Practice the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: notice 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste. Body-based practices like meditation, drawing, or yoga can also help you feel more settled.

### Sessions and Scheduling

**What happens in the free 15-minute consultation?**
It's a brief phone call where we both get a sense of fit. You can share what's bringing you to therapy, ask me questions, and see if my approach resonates. There's no pressure — it's just a conversation.

**How do I prepare for my first real session?**
Just show up as you are. You don't need to have your thoughts organized or know exactly what you want to work on. If you have intake paperwork, I'll send that ahead of time.

**Do you offer online sessions?**
Yes, most of my clients work with me online.

**Do you assign homework between sessions?**
Sometimes, if it would be helpful. This might be journaling prompts, trying a new response in a difficult situation, or practicing a grounding technique. It's never busywork — only things that extend our session work into your daily life.

**What is Akashic record reading?**
This is a spiritual practice I'm trained in, separate from clinical therapy. It's not part of standard sessions, but some clients are curious about exploring it as a complementary tool. We can discuss if it's something you're interested in — it's never required or expected.

**How often do we meet? How flexible is the meeting cadence and frequency?**
Most clients start weekly. As you progress, we might shift to biweekly or monthly. We'll decide together based on what serves you best.

### Fees and Insurance

**How much does it cost? What is the price for individual and couple?**
Individual sessions: $150. Couples sessions: $200. Sliding scale available based on financial need.

**Do you take insurance?**
I'm in-network with Aetna, Molina, Cigna, Magellan, and Carelon Behavioral Health. For other insurance, I can provide a superbill you can submit for potential out-of-network reimbursement.

**What's a superbill?**
It's a receipt with the codes your insurance needs to process a claim. You pay me directly, then submit the superbill to your insurance for possible reimbursement. I can walk you through this process.

**When is payment due? What payment methods or platforms do you accept?**
Payment is due at the time of each session. I accept credit cards, HSA/FSA, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.

**What's your cancellation policy?**
I ask for 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. Late cancellations or no-shows may be charged the full session fee, with exceptions for emergencies.