Jaclyn Yuki Schlanger

My name is Jaclyn Yuki Schlanger, and I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working for a private practice in Irvine, California.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and am of half Asian and half European American heritage.

Coming from a mixed race and cultural background has given me a personal understanding of growing up in America with varying identities and traditions. This has enabled me to be highly adept at working with clients of varied ethnic backgrounds and cultural climates.

I also have a passion for working with women who may seek guidance and a deeper understanding of their personal identity.
My Journey

I chose to become a therapist as a result of my personal life journey. My past experiences working with children, growing up as a mixed race woman and the various struggles I’ve had to overcome throughout my life have all inspired me to take the steps necessary to get to where I am today.

Before discovering my path towards becoming a therapist, I worked with children for over a decade and found a love for teaching art. Although I loved my time as a teacher, after several years I felt that there was more I wanted to do. I felt an urge to not only work with children, but adults as well. I reflected on my life and realized that I had personal experience growing up as a mixed race woman in America, and found that a lot of people I met who were of similar backgrounds had a difficult time identifying how they were accepted and what their worth was in society.

Not only did I find that my particular background played a role in my ability to empathize with people from other cultures, I also began to realize that the many traumas I’ve encountered in my life have also helped me to understand others on a deeper level. I have survived house fires, family deaths, medical illnesses and un-healthy relationships. I learned the importance of self care, and how vital it is to have a personal therapist helping to navigate the many obstacles of life. As I sought help through therapy, I found myself growing stronger in my personal identity and becoming an advocate for women, children, and human beings in need. I uncovered a passion for helping others on my personal path towards healing, similar to the way I was helped through my own struggles. I then decided to go to graduate school to attain a Master’s of Science degree in counseling, with a focus on Marriage and Family Therapy, and here I am today.