You. Are. Here.

Even if you only ever read this page on my website—even if I never have the privilege of working with you—there’s one thing I want you to understand:

No one is immune to doubt, shame, and/or feeling overwhelmed.

No one.

Not your highly accomplished colleague with the framed diplomas, not your friend with the alphabet soup after their name, not your diligent neighbor who keeps their yard immaculate, not your pastor or your kids' parents or the PTA moms.

No one.

In the words of Joy Harjo, “Everybody has a heartache.”

So if you have a heartache, too? It is just the hard-earned data you are human and have chosen to take risks, stay engaged, do the thing that is not always safe or easy.

Welcome to the club for the broken-hearted… And the brave. This manifesto by Brené Brown reminds us all bravery has its baggage. And it is also where we are also the most alive.

Note: You’re more than your wounds. You’ve been brave enough to pull yourself forward for this long. And there are times to get help - or different help - to keep going.

You are courageous, caring, and kind to so many— and you need to make sure to offer that love to yourself, too. 

But maybe you feel like you don’t deserve it. Or that it’s shameful to ask for help with that or be ‘needy’.

I want you to know: no matter what your story is—you are deserving of love, healing, change, and hope.

Hi, I’m Rebecca Ching, LMFT. 

I’m a 17+ year therapist who’s a nerd Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator + Consultant, Certified EMDR Therapist, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist + iaedp™ Approved Supervisor, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and Certified Hudson Leadership Coach.

Here’s what that means for you.

1. I support people leading in all areas – at work, at home, at school, in their community – who desire to integrate all of their lives without sacrificing their relationships, their health, their bottom line, their core values.
2. If you are daring to love, lead, risk, try, recover, create, heal, get curious, do something different – than difficult emotions will inevitably show up. It is part of the gig. Choosing courage over comfort involves the messy and complex – I also know it is where we feel the most alive.
3. I believe in boundaries both personally and professionally. My clients deserve the best, so I often err on the conservative side of the law and ethics of my profession, not out of fear, but out of the desire to never, ever, do harm. 
4. I am relentlessly and respectfully curious about what is going on in your inner world with the goal to shake up the status quo and challenge the homeostasis that is entrenched in your life.
5. I work very hard to create a safe and brave space for all of my clients.  

I learned early on, no matter how hard you work, how powerful you are, how much money or accolades you have, we all put pants on one leg at a time, and we all desire love and belonging. And we all want to feel like we matter and our efforts make a difference. 

I’m not a blah-blah, stuffy, “so how does that make you feel?” therapist.

(Okay...I’m not above asking cliche questions like the one above, but I’m definitely not a cliched therapist.)

I’m a human, just like you. 

• I grew up in the Midwest and am still very loyal to my Minnesotan roots, including their sports teams (which can be a stressful endeavor). 
• I miss the snow and seasons but  I love San Diego and everything outdoors...and I’m continually bantering with my LA-born husband what the true definition of “cold” really is. 
• When I’m not working and dreaming up the next project, you can find me, said warm-weather-raised husband, and our two kids playing on the beach, eating all the tomatoes at the local farmers market, cooking all the things in our wood-fired pizza oven, or working out with my 1,000+ “friends” on the Peloton app.
• My oldest child is on the autism spectrum which has led me on a brutiful (h/t to Glennon Doyle) journey of love, compassion, and vulnerability. 
• I’m a sucker for the J Crew catalog and all things neutral; blame it on my days living in NYC and Europe.

Thanks for showing up here. I look forward to answering your questions and supporting you—because your heart’s desires are sacred and worthy of respect and honor.

The straight & narrow of Rebecca Ching, LMFT (Formal Bio)

Prior to becoming a therapist and business owner, I worked as an Aide to a United States Senator in Washington, DC, and as an Account Executive for an Issue Advocacy Advertising Firm in New York City. I also worked for Young Life’s International Division as an Area Director in Zürich, Switzerland, and then as their International Staff Coordinator. 

Do you know what all of those jobs have done? They’ve informed my work as a psychotherapist and given me a behind-the-scenes perspective into the many facets of my clients.

I am a writer and regularly speak at professional conferences, schools, churches, businesses, and organizations on topics related to scarcity + abundance mindset connection, self-care, health + wellness, culture & media, trauma-informed leadership, mental health + mindset, perfection, and shame resilience.

I am a founding board member and Past-President of the San Diego chapter of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp™). I have been an adjunct professor and have taught at Bethel Seminary San Diego for their Marital and Family Therapy Department, Azusa Pacific University’s San Diego Regional Center for their Marriage and Family Therapy program, and Point Loma Nazarene University in the Psychology Department.

I have am a mental health contributor (and a proud Kick Starter supporter) to Darling Magazine and love doing professional case consultations with people seeking to get certified in The Daring Way™, Internal Family Systems, EMDR therapy, CEDS (through iaedp™), or need an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and doing business consultations with other business owners seeking to build their own practice with thought and integrity.

Training & Certifications: I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California MFC #44584. I have extensive training in family systems therapy and mind-body approaches which take into account the whole person and the whole body in recovery.  I am a Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist and am a PA with Level 1 + 2 trainings, a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator+Consultant (CDWF-C) (based on the research of Brené Brown), Certified EMDR Therapist+Consultant-in-Training, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) + iaedp™ Approved Supervisor, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and Certified Hudson Leadership Coach. 

Memberships and Affiliations: I am an active member of CAMFT, AAMFT, IAEDP. EMDRIA, The Daring Way™ and affiliated with www.ifs-institute.org