Dr Diana Hu

Diana Hu, Psy.D.

Licensed Psychologist, Founder

Rates:

Initial/intake therapy appointment: $240
Standard 50-53 minute therapy appointments: $200

Insurances Accepted:

Premera, Regence, BlueCross BlueShield, Lyra EAP

Specialties:

  • First- and second-generation
    Asian-Americans

  • High achieving professionals

  • ADHD-ers

  • Relationship anxiety

  • Returning to therapy

Work with Dr. Hu

My clients ask..

Why do I struggle with anxiety and shame?

Context matters. We’ve learned from all of our experiences directly (and indirectly) what to expect, how to think about ourselves, and how to relate to others. Those experiences might have taught you not to say no to others, believe it’s selfish to have wants, or think you’d be a failure if something didn’t get done the “right” way. These lessons have been ingrained through repetition or a high impact moment, and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

While some of you may have just read that and thought, “well shoot, I guess if that’s true, then I’m done for,” don’t despair.

The good news is that we continue to learn throughout our lives, integrating new experiences and new information.

When you have a positive experience where you believed you would fail or be judged, it changes what you might expect in the future. We call that a “corrective emotional experience.” And that’s what I set you up to find.

How do you help?

My role is to help you create those new experiences, and integrate that new information into your unique understanding of the world.

We can do that by:

  • changing the way your mind automatically interprets experiences;

  • tracing patterns back to address root causes;

  • increasing your skills in managing the feelings that come with discomfort (a.k.a. distress tolerance);

  • connecting you with the reasons why this change is important and valuable for yourself.

I’m here because I know things can be better, and that you can create that change.

What do sessions look like with you?

What we talk about often changes from session to session; I always open up each session to what you’d like to focus on. This is because anything we talk about will eventually connect to the bigger picture of you. It’s all a jumble of yarn, and there’s no way to disentangle one aspect of you to talk about separately from the rest.

You can expect that I’ll reflect what you say, making sure we’re on the same page. I like to find the wins and point them out. On the other hand, I’m not afraid to gently point out when a client is self-sabotaging.

  • My therapeutic style is integrative and places the needs of the client at the center; I don't work from one treatment modality, because client needs are unique.

    I draw from evidence-based methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I also work relationally using Interpersonal Process Therapy.

    More importantly, I want to understand what is going on in someone's internal experience, and what they find challenging. Then, we can talk about why those challenges are difficult, and we can explore how to address them.

    • Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, The Wright Institute

    • Trained in university counseling centers and community mental health, serving primarily young adults struggling with anxiety, depression, anxiety development,
      and relationship or family concerns.

    • Doctoral Internship: Wichita State University, part of the Wichita Collaborative Psychology Internship Program

    • Dissertation: The Effects of Social Support and Acculturation on Disordered Eating and Body Dissatisfaction in Chinese-American women

    • B.S. in Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle

  • WA State Clinical Psychologist, Lic. PY61086931
    Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) Lic. APIT 15388

    I supervise doctoral students providing individual therapy at The Affirmative Collective (TAC), ensuring that the work they do is evidence-based, culturally-responsive, and ethically-sound.

    I serve as an editor and clinical consultant for Therapy Notebooks, a collection of self-guided journals that utilize research and evidence-based approaches to address a variety of mental health concerns. I have worked on all current publications, which include the following:

    • The Anti-Anxiety Notebook

    • The Field Guide for Depression

    • The Therapy Journal

    • The After-Trauma Notebook

    • The Anti-Insomnia Notebook

    • The Build-A-Habit Guide

    I provided clinical consultation to The Calendula Project in reviewing informative posts and infographics for clinical accuracy before public dissemination. This initiative helps to destigmatize and share information about mental health with teens and young adults.

    I am a member of the following professional organizations:

  • I enjoy practicing yoga and making ceramics. However, I spend more of my time watching TV shows — dramas and reality shows mostly. I spend the majority of my time, though, hanging with my pets and trying to fulfill all of their cuddle demands.