Jennifer Chain

I was born in China and grew up in both my country of origin and Sacramento, CA. My immigrant and bi-cultural backgrounds are important parts of my intersecting identities. I identify as a highly sensitive person. Growing up across cultures with an interracial family and struggling through my own mental health concerns sparked my curiosity about psychology. The word psychology comes from the word psyche and the suffix ology, which means “the study of the soul/life.” I felt called to deeply understand people’s souls and the meaning of life. Specifically, I wanted to understand how people overcame challenges, healed their pain, and ultimately transformed through adversity. 

Before college, I served a year in AmeriCorps as a preschool teacher in Brockton, MA. I worked with children from diverse and immigrant backgrounds focusing on self-directed learning and literacy. I received my bachelor’s degree from Smith College, a women’s liberal arts college in Northampton, MA. There, I majored in psychology and minored in studio art. Smith was where I found my passion for social justice and my voice as an advocate. I received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 2016 from the University of Oregon. My research focused on multicultural identities and resilience. I completed my APA accredited internship at the University of Oregon Counseling and Testing Center. Afterward, I completed my postdoctoral residency at Strong Integrated Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon. I have extensive clinical experience in residential treatment, private practice, university counseling centers, community mental health, and primary care settings. I moved to Seattle in 2017 to open my private practice.

​In my free time, I love to spend time with friends, explore nature, travel to new places, and make delicious food.

• Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Externship
• Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Core Skills

• Chain, J., Huh, G., & Jin, J., (October 2021). “I want to be a clinician.” Career taboo, stigma, and shame from the perspectives of AAPI psychologists in private practice. Difficult dialogue prensented at the Asian American Psychological Association National Convention.
• Chain, J. (June 2020). The stress and challenges of returning to optometric practice during a pandemic. Webinar presented for the Optometric Physicians of Washington.
• Chain, J., Wilkins., K., & Izmarian, A. (January 2017). Feminist multicultural dissertation process. Roundtable presented at the National Multicultural Conference and Summit, Portland, OR.
• Hall, G. C. N., Chain, J., Sun, S., DeGarmo, D., & Fong, M. (July 2016). Discrimination, social connectedness, and mental health among Chinese international students. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Division 45 Research Conference, Stanford, CA.
• Morse, B., Caban, A., Chain, J., Lin, M., & Rowan, S. (April 2016). Culturally informed trauma response to Title IX: The University of Oregon’s Interpersonal Violence Team model. Workshop presented at the Pacific Northwest Best Practices Conference on Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response, Portland, OR.
• Chain, J., Wang, G., Zane, N., & Okazaki, S. (August 2014). Unpacking power and privilege within the Asian American identity. Symposium presented at the Asian American Psychological Convention, Washington, D.C. ​​​

• Sun, X., Hall, G.C.N., DeGarmo, D.S., Chain, J., & Fong, M.C. (2020). A longitudinal investigation of discrimination and mental health in Chinese international students: The role of social connectedness. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1-17. doi: 10.1177/0022022120979625​
• Hewitt, A. A., Watson, L. B., DeBlaere, C., Dispenza, F., Guzmán, C. E., Cadenas, G., Tran, A. G. T. T., Chain, J., & Ferdinand, L. (2017). Leadership development in counseling psychology: Voices of leadership academy alumni. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(7), 992–1016. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017740429
• Chain, J., Shapiro, V.B., LeBuffe, M.A., Bryson, A.M., & The American Indian and Alaska Native Advisory Committee (2017). Academic achievement of American Indian and Alaska Native students: Does social emotional competence reduce the impact of poverty? American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 24(1), 1-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.5820/aian.2401.2017.1
• Chain, J. (2016). A multilevel analysis of student, family, and school factors associated with Latino/a parental involvement in the middle school learning environment (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. ​​​
• Hall, G. C. N., Martinez, Jr., C. R. Tuan, M., McMahon, T. R., & Chain, J. (2011). Toward ethnocultural diversification of higher education. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(3), 243-251. doi: 10.1037/a0024036

• American Psychological Association
• Asian American Psychological Association
• Washington State Psychological Association 
• ​Washington Mental Health Counselors Association 

I am not paneled with any insurance company. My clients attend therapy on an out-of-network basis or pay for sessions out of pocket. If you would like to use your out-of-network benefits, please contact your insurance company prior to our first meeting. Ask what the out-of-network reimbursement would be for outpatient in-person or online psychotherapy. The specific amount of this reimbursement depends on your plan. I will provide you with the statements your insurance requires.

​You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

• You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
• Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
• If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
• Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.