It’s possible for you to feel less in-between, stuck, and isolated.
Chris Datiles, Queer Filipino American Therapist in Los Angeles, California
Meet Chris Datiles —
Queer, Trans, and BIPOC Affirming Therapist in Los Angeles
I specialize in helping adults and couples feel less confused and self-critical as they navigate change and loss.
As a queer Filipino American therapist in my late 30s, I know how refreshing it can feel to have a space where you don’t have to perform, pretend, or be perfect. Therapy with me is exactly that, a space where you can show up unapologetically as yourself and transform the beliefs and behaviors that keep you feeling small and alone.
Our work together will lead you to integrate new narratives about yourself, heal from trauma, and implement sustainable practices that help you experience your own sense of freedom, curiosity, and confidence.
I grew up in Hawaii and the SF Bay Area, and have spent the past 20 years in San Diego and Los Angeles. I know the challenges that come with feeling anchored in a sense of self as you shift through major life transitions. Over the years I’ve found myself coming back to poetry, fiber arts, and ceramics — practices that help me care for myself while I continue to care for others. I’ll guide you back to what helps you slow down and feel grounded so you can feel more connected to yourself, your relationships, and your creativity.
My clients want more room to slow down, rest, and breathe.
They are learning how to live with loss, grieving a loved one, pet, community, or culture.
They identify as queer, trans, and bipoc, navigating the impacts of homophobia, transphobia, and racial trauma at work, school, and in their relationships.
They are organizers, educators, and fellow health professionals who care deeply about the communities they serve and are feeling on the edge of burnout.
They are poets, writers, and creatives, who feel stuck and aren’t where they imagined themselves to be.
They are couples who are going through a major loss or transition and no longer feel connected to each other.
Therapy with me is intentional, compassionate, and curious about how family, culture, and systems have influenced one’s life. Throughout our time together, my clients are able to:
Slow down and pause so that they can care for themselves as they care for others
Feel a sense of security and trust in their relationships so they can communicate their thoughts, emotions, and needs.
Reconnect with their sense of self and creativity
My Approach —
Therapy that honors all of you
At the core of my work is honoring your lived experiences and all the different parts of you. I believe therapy is most effective when suffering and trauma is understood in the context of the different structures and systems that influence your life, so that I can understand your unique experience and collaborate with you to approach therapy in a way that fits your specific needs. My methods include the following:
IFS Therapy
What would it look like to have less inner-conflict, an understanding of why you’re stuck in the same patterns, and implementing practices to help you experience more self-compassion and self trust? Through IFS Therapy I help you build a sense of internal harmony so that you can work with overwhelming emotions and memories in real time.
Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction
Grief can shatter your sense of safety, purpose, and the way you see and experience the world. I help you reconstruct what life looks like; one that includes making sense of and honoring your loss, and discovering what brings meaning to life in the present moment.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy is an approach for understanding how your body expresses and internalizes painful experiences, emotions, and memories. I guide you through somatic exercises to help you be in relationship with your body and nervous system, such that you can navigate states of activation, shutdown, and fight/flight.
The Gottman Method for Couples Therapy
In any relationship, over time and intensity, there can be conflict and change. With the Gottman Method, I help couples rebuild a sense of empathy and trust so that they feel an increase in intimacy, emotional support, and understanding in their relationship.
Education and Training
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California Licensed Processional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) #13266
MS Multicultural Community Counseling and Social Justice Education, San Diego State University
BA Ethnic Studies, UC San Diego
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 1
Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 & 2
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Providing psychotherapy to adults and couples since 2014
Higher ed student affairs professional in cultural centers and LGBTQIA+ centers
