Hi, my name is Yanyan Lu. I am here to share my story with you.

Living an Authentic Life

I have always been fascinated by the complexity of the human mind. So, about 23 years ago, when I visited the library for the first time as a freshman computer science major at Tsinghua University, instead of grabbing a C++ book, I grabbed a book called Abnormal Psychology. Despite where my passion was, I pursued something different due to my family’s expectations. During my 15 years of a software engineering career, I never felt completely fulfilled. I want to help others and make a positive impact on the world. Eventually, I switched my career from a staff software engineer at LinkedIn to a psychotherapist, which has been my dream for a long time. During this journey, I learned that living authentically is the key to a happy life. I reconnected with my authentic self after switching my career. Your authentic self is already and always with you. Listening, respecting, and expressing it, however, is something that requires practice and commitment, especially if we have been doing what we’re told – by our parents, friends, and society – for our whole lives. Especially now, as we see AI solving more and more complex problems, it will replace a lot of the work we previously thought we had to do. So, we must make living authentically a priority in our lives.

Building Community

I lived in China until I was 24. Moving to the US was my first exposure to American culture and its diverse ethnicities. Over the years, I experienced many culture shocks, from not knowing how to order a sandwich at Subway to the first-time hearing that I was not responsible for my parents’ happiness. After becoming a therapist, I was exposed to various subcultures. It was eye-opening for me to learn about my clients’ struggles, whether as minorities or as immigrants. I was inspired by their spirit to work hard and to make a better life despite all the obstacles. I aim to leverage my multicultural background to support my future clients and contribute to the diverse Bay Area community.

我的名字叫卢琰琰。我在这里与你分享我的故事。

找到真实的自己

我一直对人类思维的复杂性感到着迷。所以，大约23年前，当我作为清华计算机系的新生第一次去图书馆时，我没有借关于C++的书，而是借了一本名为《心理学导论》的书。尽管我的热情是心理咨询，但由于家人的期望，我选择了计算机专业，成为了一名软件工程师。在从事工程师的10多年里，虽然工作有很好的回报，但是我一直没有寻找到内心的平静和满足。冥冥之中我感觉到我的使命是要使用我疗愈的能量，帮助他人从创伤中康复，转变并过上充实的人生。终于，我从LinkedIn的软件工程师转行成了一名心理咨询师，实现了我长期以来的梦想。 转换职业后，我找到了真实的自我。真实的自我始终与你同在。然而，倾听、尊重和表达真实的自我需要勇气和练习。尤其是如果我们一生都在按照父母、朋友和社会的要求行事，真实的自我是被压抑的，这会引发各种身心的问题。当下随着人工智能取代越来越多传统的工作，活出真实的自我就显得尤其的重要。

为社区服务

我在中国出生长大。24岁移民美国之后，我经历了许多文化冲击，从不知道如何在Subway买三明治，到第一次听说我不需要按照父母的要求生活。成为一名心理咨询师后，我接触到了各种美国的移民文化，从亚裔到西裔。当我了解到我的客户作为少数族裔或移民所面临的种种困难，我深深感到我可以帮助他们。他们的奋斗精神激励着我，尽管面临重重困难，他们仍努力工作，追求更好的生活。我希望利用我的多元文化背景来支持未来的客户，并为多元化的湾区社群做出贡献。