Jan Marvin Ligan, LMSW

he | his | siya

psychotherapy

Hi! My name is Marvin (he/him/siya—a gender-neutral pronoun from Filipino culture, referring to the person you’re speaking about). I am a gay, queer, Filipino-American Licensed Master Social Work (LMSW). 

Culture is very important to me. As a third culture kid (TCK) and son of immigrants, I grappled with belonging and identity as a child. I was never quite Filipino enough for other Filipinos and on face value, never quite American enough for those around me. Being marginalized was common for me. Despite this, my spirit grew to be more resilient, perceptive, and even quite fond of differences in others. While each of us comes from different backgrounds and experiences we share many of the same struggles imposed on us by the world at large. We didn’t ask to be shaped by these enduring institutions, policies, and/or beliefs, yet whether we’re aware of it or not, these influences have heavily shaped our realities. 

Your reality is where our work begins. I aspire to provide a safe, person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive environment for you to be your authentic self. With mutual trust, we’ll work together to understand your dominant discourses/core beliefs and find a healthy way forward—one that empowers you and helps you move through your challenges. 

I work with clients navigating identity (including sexual orientation and gender identity), family/cultural expectations, power dynamics, life transitions, executive functioning challenges (related to anxiety or ADHD), and grief—to name a few. My therapeutic approach is blended in nature. I integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Restructuring, Dialectal Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Psychodynamic, and etc. to meet your varied needs. In other words—your treatment plan is unique to you!

For those wondering about credentials, I completed a postgraduate degree at Columbia University—a Master’s of Science in Social Work (MSSW). I may have a Columbia degree but I acknowledge that there are still many things I do not know and may have a great deal to learn from you—my future client!

Interested in learning more? Schedule a brief, free 15-minute virtual consultation!