Kristel Yoneda (She/They/Fancy He)

Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #139294

Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #13825

Supervised by: Ami Koide, Clinical Supervisor (CA Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #136634)

Phone: 714-248-5184

Email: kristel@gatherandgrowoc.com

What is your role at Gather and Grow Oc?

As a dual-licensed therapist (Associate Marriage Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor), my role at Gather and Grow OC is to support clients on their respective journeys to become their most authentic selves.

I work with a wide variety of clients, but specialize in identity work* and how it intersects with things like depression, anxiety, and ADHD.

I also have experience writing letters of support for transition while a trainee at the LGBTQ Center in Orange County, and continue to do so now in private practice.

*Identity Work can mean different things to different people. For me, identity work involves reflecting on the self and how it relates to the world.

school and training history

I graduated with my BA in Religion (note: I’m not religious, although I had a lot of anxiety as a queer kid growing up in the 90s) and a Minor in Sociocultural Anthropology from George Washington University in Washington, DC.

I received my MA in Psychology from California Southern University and completed my traineeship at the LGBTQ Center OC, where I also volunteered to write letters of support for trans clients during my time there and after graduation.

While in grad school, I was a WPATH Student Member and completed the Laura’s House Domestic Violence Advocate Training.

During my time at the LGBTQ Center OC, I was supervised by my mentor, Brooklynn Kendall, whom I also worked under at the Nest Counseling.

INDIVIDUAL FOCUS

Therapy with me looks like a conversation. I believe you are the expert of your own story, and that my responsibility as your therapist is to support you in cultivating tools to help you better navigate the world with the most agency.

As a queer Japanese-American, I believe the authentic self is a hard-earned accomplishment. Clients who connect with me are often similarly invested in identity work and reauthoring their narrative to reflect who they are. Together, we explore how external systems such as capitalism and patriarchy shape how we understand ourselves, navigate the world, and connect with others. I'm a therapist who believes we learn so much about ourselves through the stories we tell and how we tell them.

Clients who are invested in doing identity work for themselves (whether it is understanding who they are or who they are in relation to the world around them, or some combination of those things).

I proudly became a therapist as a second career to my position working in the business sector of the adult industry. My unique professional experience has given me opportunities to work extensively in sex worker communities, both as a community figure and as an educator, teaching performers how to make informed decisions about finding a competent and affirming therapist.

If you’re wondering if we’d be a good fit for each other, I recommend taking a look at the content I post via Sad But Rad Club. Sad But Rad Club is a project I created to destigmatize the ways we understand mental health and wellness.