STEPHEN WONG PHD LMFT
Dr. Wong has over 25 years of experience working with individuals and families as a mental health professional. His areas of expertise are depression, anxiety, marital issues, academic issues, spirituality, relationship, and trauma. Using an eclectic approach, he provides support and practical feedback to help clients address personal life challenges effectively. He integrates complementary methodologies and techniques to offer a highly personalized approach tailored to each client. With compassion and understanding, he works with each individual to help them build on their strengths and attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing.
Dr. Wong has assembled an incredible team of therapists who share the same passion for this work and care deeply for his clients. The purpose of his private practice is to transcend his experience and knowledge to his therapists to extend this meaningful work. Dr. Stephen Wong is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in individual, couples, and family therapy and maintains a private practice in Irvine, CA, and Brea, CA. Dr. Wong also holds a California credential in school counseling.
Education
PhD Oregon State University . Counselor Education
MS Cal State University . Marriage Family Therapy/School Counseling
MDiv International Theological Seminary . Theology
BA UCLA . Sociology
License & Certifications
Marriage Family Therapist Licenced (Registration #49913)
California Pupil Personnel Service (PPS) / Child Welfare and Attendance (CWA)
Enlisted as L.A. Superior Court Counselor Referral Therapist
Professional Activities and Memberships
American Psychological Association
California Marriage Family Therapist American Counseling Association
Brian Harpst LMFT
LMFT # 139206
Brian Harpst is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist at Kairos Counseling. He specializes in helping individuals, couples and families uncover and recover from issues and struggles that are holding them back from reaching their full potential. Brian is experienced and skilled in strength-based and solution-focused therapies. When working with clients, he takes a compassionate approach where he seeks to understand and collaborate.
Brian earned a Master of Arts Degree in clinical counseling with emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University (2018). While studying there, he found a passion in developing therapeutic relationships using empathy, curiosity, non-judgement and compassion.
As a narrative therapist, Brian seeks to help clients develop their own voice and speak their own truth. Therapy sessions unfold around clients’ personal experiences and are guided and facilitated by Brian in a thoughtful and intentional manner. Brian helps clients with issues around anxiety, depression, grief and loss, single parenting, problematic substance use, self-confidence, personal identity, interpersonal relationships and communication.
Abigail Hermanus
LMFT # 139489
Abigail Chin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, who graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Social Behavior. She also obtained a Masters of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2020. Abigail has a demonstrated history in conducting family and individual therapy for the past 3 years and has worked closely with children, adolescents, and adults of all ages. She has a particular interest in supporting those with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, behavioral issues, spiritual struggles, intergenerational family conflict, and life transitions.
Abigail is deeply passionate in bringing hope to the community by maintaining compassion and upholding a multicultural posture to elevate each person’s strength and narrative. She utilizes an eclectic approach of therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy and Child-Centered Play Therapy. Abigail’s goal in treatment is to promote a safe space in helping each client find their voice as well as recognize their own autonomy and resilience. She hopes to walk alongside clients to bring meaningful changes in their daily lives, and cultivate healing in their relationships with others.
Rebecca Whitmer
AMFT Registration # 134890*
Rebecca seeks to establish an authentic space in the counseling room where children, adolescents, and families feel safe to seek out solutions and develop hope. She takes joy in working with families and individuals, and has experience working with children and adolescents in the areas of anxiety, depression, neurodevelopmental disorders, and trauma. Rebecca utilizes a variety of theories and interventions tailored to the client, with an emphasis on solutions-focused approaches, narrative, play, and cognitive therapies. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from California Baptist University and is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Timothy Byun
AMFT142126*
Timothy Byun is a dedicated and culturally sensitive therapist committed to fostering a collaborative and empowering therapeutic journey. As a therapist, Timothy approaches his work with a person-centered focus, recognizing and valuing the unique cultural backgrounds and experiences of his clients. Timothy respects the diversity of his clients and creates a safe, non-judgmental space where individuals and families can explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors within the context of their cultural identities. Timothy ensures that clients feel heard, understood, and known to help them explore challenges, identify strengths, and develop effective coping skills and to build their sense of agency and confidence. Whether it is dealing with stress, relationship issues, or personal struggles, Timothy guides clients in developing practical and sustainable coping mechanisms and skills that they can carry forward beyond the therapeutic setting.
Ellie Tamez
AMFT Registration# 129089, California* APCC Registration #11007, California*
Ellie is an associate marriage and family therapist and associate professional clinical counselor. She enjoys working with children, teens, adults, individuals, and couples. She works with a range of presenting problems, including anxiety, social anxiety, depression, anger, relational issues, low self-esteem, and perfectionism. Ellie recognizes that each person’s life journey is unique, so she focuses on creating a safe space for individuals to share what they are experiencing. She believes that therapy is a collaborative effort, and so she works together with each person to help them reach their goals and full potential.
Winnie Yuwei Fleming
AMFT #135026*
Winnie's calling and passion is to strengthen families, one relationship at a time, starting with the relationship with oneself. Winnie provides a warm space for her clients to address their past, examine the present, and envision the future.
Winnie engages the therapy room from an authentic, compassionate, and empathetic stance, with attunement, curiosity, and humor. Using an eclectic approach built upon attachment theory, she integrates strategies and interventions from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Experiential Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Winnie is a fully trained practitioner in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and leverages this evidence-based practice especially in treatment of severe trauma.
Winnie utilizes principles from Gottman's Methods when working with couples and pairs the insight with Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and other attachment-based modalities. She is also a Prepare and Enriched Certified facilitator. Winnie transforms the diverse elements in couples, whether rooted in cultural backgrounds, family upbringings, or personalities, and turns them into fuel to reach clients' common goals.
Anne Qin
AMFT Registration #135832*
Meet Anne, a passionate mental health therapist with experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and certification in Restoration Therapy. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University, Northridge and completed her Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary. As a therapist, Anne strives to create a welcoming, non-judgmental environment where clients feel safe to explore their thoughts and emotions. She believes that everyone's journey is unique, and she meets clients where they are with empathy and understanding.
Known for her warm and authentic approach to therapy, Anne is committed to helping clients achieve their full potential and find lasting fulfillment. Whether you're struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, or other challenges, Anne is here to support you on your journey of healing and growth.
John Carroll
JC AMFT License # 126078*
John is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at Kairos Counseling. John specializes in working with Adolescents and Families to find happiness, and help them to bring a balance to the family structure. His desire is for his clients to gain a better insight into themselves, while working on their well-being. Drawing from his experience of using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with a narrative approach, his clients have the ability to gain a better insight into their issues, giving themselves the opportunity to work through their problems in an environment that promotes personal growth. John has experience working with clients who are navigating through these struggles and takes an authentic, non-judgmental approach towards therapy. He has been an educator and coach for over twenty years, is familiar with the recovery community, and has life experiences that he incorporates into his therapy.
John received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of California at Irvine, his Master’s in Education and Curriculum from the University of Phoenix, and a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pacific Oaks College. For the past three years John has been working for a private practice seeing both individual’s and couples. For the past two years John has spent extensive time working for a private treatment facility in Los Angeles. John continues to be an educator at a local high school.
Wendy Lari
APCC # 15919*
Wendy is an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. She holds a Master of Counseling from Concordia University-Irvine. She earned her Bachelor's degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton. She is passionate about connecting with individuals by developing a collaborative therapeutic relationship through attunement and curiosity. She strives to create a space where her clients feel safe, heard, and understood while working through various issues such as anxiety, depression, anger, and relationship issues. In her therapeutic approach, Wendy draws from different modalities. She uses modalities such as Attachment-based, cognitive-behavioral (CBT), and Person-Centered therapy with a Psychodynamic approach. By integrating these techniques, she tailors her approach to meet each client's unique needs and goals, empowering them to navigate life's challenges with resilience and self-awareness.
Julia Guan
AMFT Registration # 124348*
Julia Guan is a Registered AMFT at Kairos Counseling Inc. She has worked with a diverse range of college students ranging from 17-50 years old. Julia has experience working with individuals who suffer from anxiety, depression, sexual confusion, academic challenges, acculturation, PTSD, and trauma. Another focus for Julia is working with children and minors to be successful in their academic and emotional life. She uses integrative therapy approaches to help clients progress. Julia has a M.A. in Counseling from Palo Alto University, with Marriage, Family, and Child emphasis.
*Supervised by Supervisor(s).