A bit about my approach…

Relationships are at the center of my work. Starting with the two most prominent relationships in the room- the one between therapist and client, and the one that clients hold with themselves. And of course, when working with couples, that relationship comes front and center.

How we show up to therapy often sheds light on how we show up in the world. Therapy provides clients with an opportunity to become more aware of themselves by better understanding how they support or block their needs being met and what interrupts their authentic expression. By deepening our awareness of what patterns currently exist, we begin to see opportunities to break the script and choose differently. To change a system that’s been in place for a while, though, we have to understand how this system has served you. So, awareness first. Change second.

I operate from the belief that each of us are the experts of our own experience, so the choices that emerge from sessions are entirely up to the client to make. As a therapist, I do not take on the role of fortune teller or professional advice giver. Instead, I offer my full presence, unconditional support, and love.

Techniques and Theory

Mind/body connection and working from the here-and-now is foundational to my practice. I hold a psychodynamic perspective and utilizes techniques rooted in Mindfulness, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Therapy, and some Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I don’t shy away from bringing humor, play and creativity into the therapy process and enjoy interweaving experiential and creative therapies like Jungian Sandtray Therapy.

A bit about me…

Credentials & Training

LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of New York

Certified Gestalt Psychotherapist— 3 year post-graduate training at the Gestalt Center in NYC.

I earned a B.A. in Psychology from Skidmore College and Masters in Mental Health Counseling at CUNY Hunter. My clinical experience began in residential treatment for substance abuse with Veteran populations before transitioning to private practice. I was fortunate enough to spend 5 years at Intuitive Healing Psychotherapy, a group practice located in the heart of NYC where I got to work alongside some of the most inspiring therapists I know and dove head first into clinical supervising. Spring 2024 was the start of my own practice, Sienna Chu Psychotherapy, where I now see clients virtually with an option for in-person sessions beginning in June at my Rhinebeck office.

Personal

I grew up in the green mountains of Vermont in a Chinese and Italian household. I’ve lived and taught in Northern China, motorbiked 1,000 miles through Vietnam, backpacked through New Zealand’s South Island, and landed in New York City where I stayed for over a decade. After 10 years of earning my title as a New Yorker, I relocated to the beautiful Hudson Valley and currently reside in Rhinebeck, New York. When not in the office, you’ll find me in the kitchen chopping and cooking (my family’s chosen therapy), packing up pounds of freshly roasted coffee with my partner (family business), watercoloring, birding, or planning my next motorbike trip through Asia.