Lu is experienced working with diverse adolescents, college and graduate students, and other young adults with challenges related to anxiety, acute stress, OCD, depression, trauma, grief and loss, substance use, eating disorders and body image concerns. Additional areas of focus include interpersonal interactions, social anxiety, and intimate relationships, family and intergenerational conflicts, gender and sexuality, and personality and identity development.

She supports clients in addressing issues involving school and work, social comparisons and expectations, perfectionism and self-doubt, as well as stressors and impacts of life uncertainties and transitions. In addition, she has special training and interest in exploring and understanding multicultural and LGBTQ+ identities and themes and helping her clients develop their coping, adjustment, and growth capacities.

Lu provides individual, group, couple, and family therapy, and can provide therapy in English and Mandarin. Engaging, warm, and collaborative, Lu combines a strength-based, personal development, person-in-environment orientation with psychoeducation, problem-solving, action-focused support. She works with clients in learning how to utilize mindfulness, self-care, social support, and other strategies for managing stress, anxiety, mood, and emotions. Her approach integrates psychodynamic, relational-cultural and trauma-informed frameworks with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI).

Lu is experienced working in outpatient service and school environments providing assessments, counseling, case management, crisis intervention, supervision, program development, education, and outreach. Her experience includes developing custom outpatient therapy plans, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, schools, and families.

Lu earned her Master’s in Social Work from University of Chicago, Master’s in Psychology from New York University, and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.