Therapy for QTIBIPOC, Neurodivergent & ENM Communities
Nokdu Therapy offers mental health services from an anti-oppression lens. We center BIPOC, LGBTQ+, poly, and neurodivergent communities living in Los Angeles. We welcome adults, teens, couples, polycules, & families.
Therapy is Political
We offer a space where your whole self can feel held and seen in therapy.
Nokdu sprouts thrive within the harshest of conditions. They find sustenance and multiply with exuberance even during times of scarcity. In turn, they bring nourishment back to the larger ecosystem.
Nokdu Therapy was founded to serve QTIBIPOC, BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, polyamorous, and neurodivergent communities who have historically been pathologized, criminalized, and harmed by mainstream mental health systems. It's critical that you find a therapist who will be intentional in creating a safe space for you to connect and find healing. And finding a therapist who shares your identities and values shouldn't be so challenging. We hope to help fill that gap.
Our therapists bring lived experience alongside rigorous training & expertise. We work from a trauma-informed, anti-oppression lens that recognizes your struggles don't exist in a vacuum. They develop within the context of relationships, community, culture, and systems. You won't have to justify yourself at Nokdu.
Book a Free ConsultationYou Deserve a Therapist Who Gets It
We center communities whose identities and experiences are not reflected by the service providers we mostly see in the mental health systems. You shouldn't have to educate your therapist about your own life.
BIPOC & QTIBIPOC
Our team understands the intersectional impacts of racism, colonialism, and xenophobia without requiring you to justify your experiences. We can support you in exploring imposter syndrome, navigating the current sociopolitical climate, and the pain of witnessing and bearing racial violence and genocide.
What We Work Through Together
Whether you arrive in therapy knowing exactly what you want to work on, or whether you come needing help putting words to your experiences, our therapists are here to support. Nokdu Therapy's team is rigorously trained in a wide array of areas to support you on multiple fronts. Here are some areas we are specialized in:
Acute, complex, intergenerational, & racialized trauma.
Chronic anxiety, perfectionism, panic attacks, & emotion dysregulation.
Low motivation, disconnection, grief, fatigue, and the exhaustion of surviving oppressive systems.
Neurodivergence-affirming ADHD therapy & therapy for autistic communities for adults and teens. Executive function, shame spirals, & masking.
Racial identity, gender, sexuality, disability, citizenship status, & neurodivergence.
Including ambiguous grief, anticipatory grief, community loss, and collective harm.
Somatic, Skills-based, & an Anti-Oppression Lens
Nokdu therapists draw upon a wide range of evidence-based top-down and bottom-up methods. While we don't subscribe to the gatekeeping and appropriation perpetuated by evidence-based institutions, we try to take back what is ours, and focus on aspects we find useful to our communities to be in service to you.
Top-down approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) & Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can offer skills to help you immediately in the present moment, as well as to make sense of what is happening when you feel distressed. Bottom-up, or somatic modalities like EMDR, Brainspotting and IFS are central to engaging in deeper work. Our deepest wounds live in the body, and do not always follow logic. Our team can help you process what talk therapy alone can't always reach. Especially for QTIBIPOC folks who carry intergenerational trauma in our very DNA.
Everything we do is integrated with an anti-oppression lens. Your therapist understands the psychological impacts that systems of oppression have had on our communities. You won't have to justify your experiences.
Things We Hear Often
Many people arrive at Nokdu after years of having to translate themselves for their therapist, or feeling like their struggles were too complicated or too political to name plainly. If any of these resonate, you're in the right place.
"I've been to therapy before, but I felt like I was paying my therapist to educate them."
"I'm the one who takes care of everyone else. I don't know how to ask for help."
"My anxiety is keeping me from living my life. I need help carrying it differently."
"I've been considered as the one that's unwell all my life. I need a therapist who won't make me feel like I'm the only problem."
"My nervous system feels raw from witnessing everything happening in the world. It doesn't feel normal to see videos of genocide and ICE kidnappings on my feed and act like everything's fine."
Therapy Across Greater Los Angeles
Nokdu Therapy offers telehealth therapy to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, QTIBIPOC, and neurodivergent clients anywhere in California. While we are based in Los Angeles, our telehealth model means we can support clients throughout the state — from the San Gabriel Valley to Long Beach, from the Eastside to the Westside, and everywhere in between. Telehealth has been found to significantly increase access to therapy services for folks who might too busy or overwhelmed by in-person sessions. And when your specific needs and requirements already limit who you can see in the therapist pool, telehealth allows you to see the exact therapist you've been looking for even if they are 400 miles away.
While we love to see folks from anywhere in California, our team is deeply invested in the Los Angeles community. We have deep roots in different neighborhoods of greater LA, including Koreatown, West Hollywood, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Highland Park, Historic Filipino Town, Culver City, San Fernando Valley, Inland Empire, and the San Gabriel Valley. Our therapists understand that each block in Los Angeles has a specific historical and sociopolitical context. It's important to acknowledge how different communities experience economic pressures, community relationships, specific demographics, and cycles of gentrification, redevelopment, & displacement. At the same time, we also have shared experiences unique to LA that impact our mental health, including navigating a sprawling, car-centered city, fighting traffic on the 405 and 10 freeways, and experiencing ongoing crises with ICE raids, wildfires, houselessness, and sky-high prices.
If you're looking for a BIPOC therapist in Los Angeles, an LGBTQ+-affirming therapist, QTIBIPOC therapy, somatic trauma therapy, or neurodivergent-affirming therapy in LA, we'd love to connect. All sessions are conducted via telehealth so you can access care from wherever you are most comfortable.
Common Questions About Nokdu Therapy
What is QTIBIPOC affirming therapy?
QTIBIPOC affirming therapy is mental health care that centers the lived experiences of people who are both LGBTQ+ and people of color. It recognizes that racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other systems of oppression have a significant impact on mental health. We see these experiences as interwoven throughout your individual experiences, not something that can be separated and discussed in one session as a side note.
What is somatic therapy and how does it help with trauma?
Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach that engages the nervous system's ability to heal itself. Trauma is held in the body. It can manifest as chronic pain, racing heart, numbness, sudden fear or dread, and burning anger. Somatic approaches like Brainspotting, EMDR, and IFS help process what talk therapy alone can't always reach. This is especially important for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ clients whose nervous systems carry the accumulated weight of systemic harm.
Do you see clients in person or only via telehealth?
We currently only offer telehealth sessions for clients anywhere in Los Angeles and all of California. You'll just need a device and a stable internet connection to get started.
Do I need a referral to start therapy at Nokdu?
No referral needed. You can reach out directly through our contact page, by email (info@nokdutherapy.com), or by phone (213-394-2665). We recommend starting with a free 20–30 minute consultation so we can hear what's bringing you in and confirm we're a good fit before you commit to anything.
Do you accept insurance?
Nokdu Therapy is not in-network with any insurance companies. If you have a PPO plan with out-of-network mental health benefits, we provide a monthly superbill you can submit directly to your insurance for potential reimbursement — many PPO clients receive partial reimbursement this way. We also have a limited number of sliding scale spots and offer a free short-term therapy program, prioritizing QTIBIPOC individuals affected by significant life events or systemic harm. Bring it up during your free consultation and we'll talk through what's available.
What is neurodivergence-affirming therapy?
Neurodivergence-affirming therapy starts from the premise that ADHD, autism, and other neurotypes are not deficits to be cured. Rather than pushing clients to conform to neurotypical standards, we help you understand how your brain works, reduce shame, and build strategies that are actually compatible with your neurotype. For BIPOC and LGBTQ+ clients, this also means acknowledging that late diagnosis is common in communities who have been denied access to services.
Do you offer therapy for children and teens?
Nokdu Therapy offers therapy for adolescents ages 11 and up, as well as family and parent therapy. For younger children (ages 5–10), we recommend finding a therapist who can offer in-person sessions due to developmental needs — telehealth is generally not as effective for that age group. For teens 11 and up, we collaborate directly with the young person to make sure therapy is centered on what they want, not just what parents or schools expect. We specialize in supporting BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent youth navigating identity, anxiety, depression, peer relationships, school stress, and family dynamics.
Come Chat with Us to See if We Vibe
Start with a free 20–30 minute consultation. We'll talk about what's bringing you in, how we work, and whether we're a good fit.