Thoughtfully Us

Guest Episode: Katie La, LCPC

In Episode 19, we’re joined by the incredible Katie La who is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Supervisor, and advocate for trauma-informed, justice-oriented, and culturally responsive care. Katie shares what she’s loved most about being a therapist and reflects on how her lived experience as a Vietnamese refugee has shaped the way she shows up in the therapy room. We talk about the importance of centering immigrant communities in mental health spaces, embracing decolonized healing practices, and moving beyond individualism toward collective care. Katie also sheds light on the topics she believes the therapy community needs to be talking about more openly such as culturally grounded approaches to body-based modalities like EMDR, brainspotting, polyvagal-informed work, and somatic healing. And because we believe joy matters, especially in hard times, we close by asking Katie where she found a moment of joy this week. This episode is grounding, expansive, and a reminder that healing can be both personal and collective. Follow Katie on social media: @cogrevpllc

Black History Month: The Joy, the Gaps, and the Reality

In this episode, we center Black History Month and reflect on what it has meant and continues to mean for Morgan and Maya as Black mental health providers. Morgan shares important context and statistics around Black representation in the mental health field, access to care, and the ongoing barriers Black communities face when seeking support. Together, we talk about what feels affirming and meaningful about Black History Month, as well as what often feels missing or overlooked, especially within wellness and mental health spaces. Nelly closes by expressing gratitude for Morgan and Maya’s openness, vulnerability, and the labor they carry in sharing these experiences. This conversation is a reminder that honoring Black history also means listening deeply to Black voices in the present.

NYC Series, Part 3

This episode was meant to be a deep dive into the ins and outs of social work school but with everything unfolding in our country right now, it didn’t feel right to move forward as planned. Last week, we took a pause. This week, we’re sharing why. Instead of our original topic, we talk about what it has felt like to exist and work as women of color in a time when so many communities are facing fear, injustice, and uncertainty. We reflect on the emotional labor of holding space for others while being directly impacted ourselves, and the complex dynamics we’ve observed in how people show up. These are all things we faced during our time in social work school as well. This episode is about care, reflection, and acknowledgement.

NYC Series, Part 2

In this episode, we continue our New York series by naming the parts of our experience that were heavy, isolating, and difficult to carry. We reflect on being people of color in a predominantly white graduate program, navigating classroom conversations about race, feeling pressure to educate others, and holding emotional labor that was never formally acknowledged. We talk about the discomfort, the exhaustion, and the moments that shaped how we understand ourselves and our work today. This conversation is rooted in honesty and reflection. We’re sharing our personal experiences and how they impacted us recognizing that these reflections are our own and don’t represent any institution, individual, or program as a whole. This episode is about naming what was hard, honoring what we survived, and creating space for conversations that are often left unspoken. *Disclaimer: We’re sharing our personal experiences from grad school. These reflections are our own and don’t represent any institution, individual, or program as a whole.

NYC Series, Part 1

We’re kicking off the new year, and a brand-new series, by taking you back to where so much of our story began: New York City. In this episode, we reflect on starting graduate school together in NYC, what it was like to uproot our lives, and the parts of New York that felt exciting, energizing, and full of possibility. From the magic of the city to the sense of independence and community we found, this conversation is all about the highs of our New York era. We know we can sometimes be a little evasive when we talk about New York, so we’re intentionally starting here. This episode focuses on the joy, the growth, and the moments that made the city feel special, before we dive into the harder parts in the next episode. Think of this as the honeymoon phase with more to come. **NYC Series Disclaimer: We’re sharing our personal experiences from grad school. These reflections are our own and don’t represent any institution, individual, or program as a whole.