Live.
Live a life.
Feel alive.
Si Meng (孟斯）
MS, LCPC, NCC,
EFIT Level 2 Certified Psychotherapist
Hi. My name is Si Meng (孟斯), a licensed bilingual (English and Mandarin) psychotherapist based in Ellicott City, Maryland. I specialize in RELATIONAL TRAUMA, which is the root of varying psychological symptoms. I’m also a certified Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy Level 2 therapist.
My passion for understanding and freeing the human mind came to fruition after more than a decade of professional and spiritual journey, after traveling across 20+ countries and meeting with people from diverse cultures and social groups. Outside of work, I spend up to 15 hours a week in rock climbing, pottery making, and meditation. They are all wonderful ways that nourish me and help me build connection with myself and others. (Learn more about my training and my counseling styles here.)
My private practice is located in Ellicott City, Maryland. I currently provide both virtual and in-person therapy.
My therapeutic approach combines evidence-based interventions informed by neuroscience, trauma work, and attachment science.
I work with clients who are motivated to free themselves from past traumas. You have an idea of where you want to be, but you realize that it is extremely hard to get there on your own given the lack of inner strengths, skill set or external support. It is not uncommon that we develop "learned helplessness" in repeated experiences of stress. Yet, the secret of "unstuck" is in understanding how human brain learns new things (i.e., moving beyond the past). My work with many clients has proved that a combination of trauma-informed approaches with the focus on creating corrective (emotional, relational, and physical) experiences has been extremely effective in healing traumatized brains.
Mood Disturbances
You may find yourself easily triggered by external and internal stress. As a result, (on the surface) depression, anxiety, anger, and (deep down) shame, fear, insecurity take a toll on you. My work with clients delves into the emotional world and helps you update and strengthen your nervous system so that everyday triggers are “no longer a blow, but a breeze”( citing a previous client of mine).
Life Transitions
Life is full of changes, some are more challenging than others and are not meant to be dealt alone. Grief, loss of a job, getting a job, graduation, becoming a parent, divorce, getting married, moving to a new place, becoming a caretaker of a loved one… In a society where everyone tries to look good and capable, I know—as a therapist—how a compassionate supporter by your side can make a big difference in these moments.
Relationships
Love is never easy. We learn from parents or other people’s modeling, but honestly, we were never taught how to move beyond the power struggles in a relationship to arrive at mutual empowerment. For some, expressing needs and feelings in a caring but firm way seems natural, yet for many, it is as hard as putting together a 5000-piece puzzle! (may be even harder…) In therapy, we will learn not only communication skills but also overcome the emotional and cognitive barriers to implementing them.
Vitality
Yes. That is the name of my practice. Despite the struggles you are in, there must have been a time in your life when you felt “alive”, feeling that you can put all the baggage aside and start to breathe freely, even just for a moment. My goal is to help you experience that feeling more consistently, because my own journey—and many of my previous clients’ journeys—have told me that it is absolutely worth the hard work.
Together, we find light.
Together, we find power within.
Together, we create.
Vitality.