Elise Gi-Ae Gooi (she/her)

MSW, LGSW
Accepting Clients

[ Grounding + bridging for collective healing & liberation ]

Therapist in St Paul, MN
Supervised by Martha Lavin, LICSW

About My Clients

I work primarily within the BIPOC and 2SQTPOC community, with an emphasis on members of the Asian diaspora. I support folx in exploring the highly masked or unstoried parts - both individual and inherited - and gently inviting opportunities to tend, restore, strengthen, and reclaim. I also work with folx engaging in complex and emotionally intensive work (including parenting!), who seek a place of respite to attune to self, release tension, grieve, metabolize harm, and restore to sustain.

My Background and Approach

I am a second generation Korean-American born and raised on the unceded ancestral lands of the Dxʷdəwʔabš (Duwamish Tribe) and now live as a guest upon Mni Sóta Maḳoce, Dakota homeland. My relational approach is built upon 15+ years working with and alongside individuals, families and communities to nurture growth as an educator, coach, trainer, and leader. Becoming a parent in 2014 both broke and broke me open, ushering intergenerational healing and cultural reclamation that continues today. A lifelong learner, I continue to journey along a path towards “Becoming a Good Ancestor” (credit: Layla Saad). A both/and thinker-and-feeler, I integrate spiritual, emotions-focused, narrative, cognitive, cultural, somatic, creative expression & experiential approaches to our work together. I look forward to co-creating a nurturing space that invites compassionate curiosity to honor the depth & breadth of who you are (becoming).

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

Our personal and collective histories matter and the impact of oppression is real. I approach our work with a critical framework, grief-informed attachment lens, and a relational stance. The Asian-American community is expansive and we hold so many experiences. I recognize how the history and impact of systemic oppression and historical trauma has often distanced us - from ourselves and one another - making it difficult to foster a collective community across such a range of experiences. As an able-bodied cis queer East-Asian-American woman, born on stolen land and raised by my biological parents in a Korean immigrant context, I recognize a holding of identities that carry experiences of both privilege and marginalization. I honor and invite ongoing dialogue and nuanced exploration of what is both collective and respective, resonant and distinct.

Insurance Plans Accepted
  • Out of Network
  • Medicaid
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)
  • United Healthcare
  • Medica Health Plans
  • Preferred One
  • Healthpartners
  • UCare
  • Hennepin Health
I offer online counseling in the following states:
I have experience with the following
  • Agnosticism
  • Atheism
  • Buddhism
  • Christianity
  • Islam
  • Taoism
  • Interfaith
  • Multifaith

At A Glance

  • Experience: 3 years of practice
  • Languages: English
  • Rate: $125 - 200/session

Info

Email Elise Gi-Ae
1123 Grand Ave
St Paul, MN 55105

Reach out to Elise Gi-Ae