Sixuan Bao, LCSW
Collaborative therapist for life transitions
Continue with Sixuan
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- Client-centered care
- CBT and DBT tools
- English and Mandarin
About Sixuan
Sixuan Bao is a licensed clinical social worker in New York with nine years of professional experience. She centers sessions on the person in front of her and treats each client as the expert on their own life. Her work focuses on helping people move past stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma, and low self-esteem.
She offers straightforward support for practical concerns like career motivation, addictions, sleep and eating difficulties, and coping with life changes. Sixuan also addresses grief, compassion fatigue, and intimacy-related worries. She speaks English and Mandarin and keeps sessions focused on the goals a person brings to therapy.
Her approach draws on client-centered methods to build trust and on cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior strategies to help with thinking patterns and emotion regulation. She also uses existential and Jungian ideas when exploring meaning, values, and long-term identity shifts. This mix aims to match tools to the problem at hand rather than use one fixed method.
People often come to her when facing transitions typical of midlife or other major life shifts. She works with those coping with depression, bipolar symptoms, or challenging attachment and communication patterns. Her style is collaborative and goal-oriented, with space for reflection and practical skill-building.
To begin, she encourages a simple first step: reach out, share what feels most urgent, and set small goals together. That initial work focuses on clear next steps and manageable changes rather than overwhelming plans.
She offers straightforward support for practical concerns like career motivation, addictions, sleep and eating difficulties, and coping with life changes. Sixuan also addresses grief, compassion fatigue, and intimacy-related worries. She speaks English and Mandarin and keeps sessions focused on the goals a person brings to therapy.
Her approach draws on client-centered methods to build trust and on cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior strategies to help with thinking patterns and emotion regulation. She also uses existential and Jungian ideas when exploring meaning, values, and long-term identity shifts. This mix aims to match tools to the problem at hand rather than use one fixed method.
People often come to her when facing transitions typical of midlife or other major life shifts. She works with those coping with depression, bipolar symptoms, or challenging attachment and communication patterns. Her style is collaborative and goal-oriented, with space for reflection and practical skill-building.
To begin, she encourages a simple first step: reach out, share what feels most urgent, and set small goals together. That initial work focuses on clear next steps and manageable changes rather than overwhelming plans.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemBipolar disorderDepressionCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBody imageCancerCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily problemsFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Existential TherapyJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy
Experience
9+ years
Credentials
New York
Languages
English, Mandarin
How her approaches shape online therapy
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and reflecting so the client feels heard and understood; it helps when someone wants a collaborative space to sort their priorities and values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thinking patterns and offers concrete skills to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, and midlife decision-making. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, teaches emotion regulation and distress-tolerance skills to manage intense feelings and improve relationships.Finding the right fit is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about what feels most important and try different techniques together. That collaborative process helps shape which methods are used and how sessions progress over time.
Session formats are not specified in the provided biography, so confirm current online options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy day, shorten commute time, and allow quick check-ins during life transitions. It also makes it possible to continue work from different locations and to combine reflective conversation with skills practice between meetings.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Sixuan commonly address?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, career concerns, addictions, grief, self-esteem, depression and many midlife-related changes.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She practices a collaborative, person-focused approach that centers the client's perspective while using practical techniques to manage thoughts and emotions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has nine years of professional experience working with a range of concerns across community and clinical settings.
What credential and region does she hold?
She is a licensed clinical social worker, LCSW, licensed in New York.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Mandarin.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions charged?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.