I am a bicultural and a bilingual therapist of color. I enjoy working with people of color and LGBTQ individuals. My focus areas include depression, anxiety, trauma, eating disorders and relationship concerns. I offer couples therapy for couples who have grown distant to re-establish a safe and secure attachment bond. I work from a Health at Every Size approach, which means that I value self-acceptance, body diversity, mindful and intuitive eating, healthy lifestyle habits, and joyful movement.
I was born in China and grew up in both my country of origin and Sacramento, CA. My immigrant, bi-cultural, and bilingual backgrounds are important parts of my multiple intersecting identities. Being a highly sensitive person, growing up across cultures with an interracial family, and struggling through my own mental health concerns sparked my interest in and curiosity about psychology. I wanted to know how people overcome challenges, heal their pain, and ultimately transform through adversity.
I received my bachelor’s degree from Smith College, where I majored in psychology and minored in studio art. Smith was where I found my passion for social justice and my voice as an advocate. I received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 2016 from the University of Oregon. My research focused on multicultural identities and resilience. I completed my APA accredited internship at the University of Oregon Counseling and Testing Center. I completed my postdoctoral residency at Strong Integrated Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon. I have extensive clinical experience in residential treatment, private practice, university counseling center, community mental health, and primary care settings. I moved to Seattle in 2017 to open my private practice.
In my free time, I love to spend time with friends, explore nature, travel to new places, and make delicious food.
I was born in China and grew up in both my country of origin and Sacramento, CA. My immigrant, bi-cultural, and bilingual backgrounds are important parts of my multiple intersecting identities. Being a highly sensitive person, growing up across cultures with an interracial family, and struggling through my own mental health concerns sparked my interest in and curiosity about psychology. I wanted to know how people overcome challenges, heal their pain, and ultimately transform through adversity.
I received my bachelor’s degree from Smith College, where I majored in psychology and minored in studio art. Smith was where I found my passion for social justice and my voice as an advocate. I received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 2016 from the University of Oregon. My research focused on multicultural identities and resilience. I completed my APA accredited internship at the University of Oregon Counseling and Testing Center. I completed my postdoctoral residency at Strong Integrated Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon. I have extensive clinical experience in residential treatment, private practice, university counseling center, community mental health, and primary care settings. I moved to Seattle in 2017 to open my private practice.
In my free time, I love to spend time with friends, explore nature, travel to new places, and make delicious food.
Specialties
Some of my specialties in research and multicultural counseling are focused on individuals who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latinx, American Indian and Alaska Native, international students, and immigrants. See below for some of my selected research and publications. These specialties are informed by my personal experiences as a Chinese immigrant and professional experiences a therapist of color. Some of the issues that impact these communities include cultural adjustment, language barriers, socioeconomic status, immigration status, multicultural identity development, experiences of racism and oppression, cross cultural communication, generation gap, stigma against mental health care, access to culturally relevant care, interracial relationships, internalized oppression, colorism, intergenerational trauma, imposter syndrome, model minority myth, stereotype threat, racial trauma, religion, and the current political climate within the U.S. and globally.
I also specialize in treating the following issues and concerns: perfectionsim, burn out, relationship and interpersonal issues, depression, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, eating disorders, body image concerns, self-esteem, work and/or academic stress, family of origin issues, women's issues, grief & loss, life transitions, racial identity, sexual orientation and sexual identity, gender identity, spirituality, multicultural issues, impact of cultural bias and oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia)
Selected Presentations
- Chain, J., Wilkins., K., & Izmarian, A. (January 2017). Feminist multicultural dissertation process. Roundtable presented at the National Multicultural Conference and Summit, Portland, OR.
- Hall, G. C. N., Chain, J., Sun, S., DeGarmo, D., & Fong, M. (July 2016). Discrimination, social connectedness, and mental health among Chinese international students. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Division 45 Research Conference, Stanford, CA.
- Morse, B., Caban, A., Chain, J., Lin, M., & Rowan, S. (April 2016). Culturally informed trauma response to Title IX: The University of Oregon’s Interpersonal Violence Team model. Workshop presented at the Pacific Northwest Best Practices Conference on Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response, Portland, OR.
- Chain, J., Wang, G., Zane, N., & Okazaki, S. (August 2014). Unpacking power and privilege within the Asian American identity. Symposium presented at the Asian American Psychological Convention, Washington, D.C.
Selected Publications
- Sun, X., Hall, G.C.N., DeGarmo, D.S., Chain, J., & Fong, M.C. (2020). A longitudinal investigation of discrimination and mental health in Chinese international students: The role of social connectedness. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1-17. doi: 10.1177/0022022120979625
- Featured in The Seattle Times article: Szczypinski, S. (2019, September 25). Why it’s so hard to stay happy at work — and what Seattle therapists say you can do about it. The Seattle Times. Retrieved from https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/careers/why-its-so-hard-to-stay-happy-at-work
- Hewitt, A. A., Watson, L. B., DeBlaere, C., Dispenza, F., Guzmán, C. E., Cadenas, G., Tran, A. G. T. T., Chain, J., & Ferdinand, L. (2017). Leadership development in counseling psychology: Voices of leadership academy alumni. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(7), 992–1016. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017740429
- Chain, J., Shapiro, V.B., LeBuffe, M.A., Bryson, A.M., & The American Indian and Alaska Native Advisory Committee (2017). Academic achievement of American Indian and Alaska Native students: Does social emotional competence reduce the impact of poverty? American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 24(1), 1-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.5820/aian.2401.2017.1
- Chain, J. (2016). A multilevel analysis of student, family, and school factors associated with Latino/a parental involvement in the middle school learning environment (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.
- Hall, G. C. N., Martinez, Jr., C. R. Tuan, M., McMahon, T. R., & Chain, J. (2011). Toward ethnocultural diversification of higher education. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(3), 243-251. doi: 10.1037/a0024036
Professional Affiliations
- American Psychological Association
- Washington State Psychological Association
- Washington Mental Health Counselors Association