When Weii Yie (@therapywithwy) made the shift from corporate HR into full-time therapy, it wasn’t just a career change; it was a deliberate step toward building work that felt meaningful and sustainable.
In this interview, Weii Yie shares her journey into full-time therapy, the unique way she works with clients, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
Hi Weii Yie! Could you share about your career journey and what first led you to become a therapist and eventually take the leap into full-time therapy?
Hi Milie, yes of course. I started my career in the field of Talent Acquisition and HR, and I did that for a couple of years.
The shortened version of what led me to become a therapist is that:
1. My own experience as a therapy client helped me work through personal struggles
2. My positive experience with a career counsellor in university inspired me greatly
As for the leap into full-time therapy, that came after some serious deliberation. I’ve known since the beginning that I want to do therapy full-time but it’s not easy. It’s not uncommon for many therapists to work multiple jobs to financially provide for themselves.
I was working two jobs after graduation for some time as well – a corporate 9-to-6 on weekdays and providing therapy on weekends. At one point, things at my office job no longer aligned with me so I decided to take a leap into doing therapy full-time.
I wasn’t sure if it would work out and I was half-prepared to go back into corporate work, but it’s been more than two years since I made the decision to go into full-time therapy. It was and remains the right decision because I love the work that I do now.
For those new to your work, could you walk us through the services you currently offer? And what do you think makes your approach as a trauma therapist unique?
I provide individual therapy or trauma therapy. I am trauma-informed, queer-affirming and neurodivergent-affirming.
My client demographic is usually made up of mostly millennial and Gen Z women and some men. I have a good split between locals or expats in Malaysia.
In terms of approach, I focus a lot on the mind-body connection. I educate clients on the importance of emotions, the body, the nervous system, and reconnecting with yourself. Then I walk with them in their journey of getting in touch with their feelings, staying with feelings, knowing what their emotional capacity is like, and identifying survival mechanisms.
Another thing I can think of is that I don’t apply a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, which means I use a blend of different therapeutic approaches (e.g. ACT, EMDR, emotion-focused, somatic work, parts work).
I see what makes sense for the client because every client is different and the context of their situation is important.
I occasionally send resources or relatable posts to clients (and sometimes it’s lovely when clients send their own relatable posts to me). I also allow clients to email me in-between sessions, which I have learned is not something a lot of therapists offer.
Just to be clear, I don’t offer email therapy. It’s just that it can be very comforting knowing that your therapist is open to receiving updates between sessions. Usually, I do my best to reply or if I’m really busy, I will at least acknowledge that I’ve read it.
What is your therapy process typically like, from the first session to building long-term trust? How do you think your approach might differ from other therapists?
I’ve gotten very used to having a little bit of structure in my first session since my practicum days so even now I will briefly go through the informed consent with them, set some expectations, and tell them a little bit about what therapy with me might look like. After that, we go from there. Though this might sound a bit ambiguous, therapy is a nuanced process.
The most important thing in therapy is not so much about the approach, but the therapist-client fit.
It’s actually still a misconception that if a therapist has lots of training or uses a certain theoretical approach, they are better or more qualified.
Does the training help? Sure.
But the therapist-client relationship is more helpful at influencing therapy outcomes. Sometimes there are cases where the client might not click with me or my approach in therapy. That’s perfectly fine. Or if we do connect well but the client is finding it hard to ease into the work, I might ask them what they would need to feel more comfortable.
What I can also share is that I’m not a quick-fix therapist. I’m not a solution-focused therapist. I’m not a solely ‘let’s fix this mindset and you’ll see results’ therapist (not saying mindset isn’t important but again, I like to consider how and where emotions come in). I’m not a ‘you should be over this by now’ therapist.
While I can respect that my approach to therapy isn’t for everyone, I can also say that I’m here for the long haul for those who do want that!
What does a typical workday look like for you as a full-time therapist? How do you balance sessions, admin, and making space for rest?
My workday is quite straightforward – if I have clients scheduled, I go into the office. If I don’t, I’m off. I have a maximum/fixed number of sessions per day so I try to honor that.
I’m thankful that my center has two amazing client coordinators/admins so a lot of the admin work is taken off my plate.
I do love my work but sometimes it can get overwhelming if I’m not mindful of my energy and pacing.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I am still learning how to make space for rest.
Just like my clients, I am learning how and when to rest. Maybe what I can say for now is that I do my best to honor my rest days and take off the therapist hat.
You’ve been open about being a therapy-goer yourself. How has that shaped the way you connect with clients or hold space for them?
Oh yes, I’ve been a therapy-goer even before becoming a therapist. My experience as a client is invaluable in my work because I know I am right there with my clients – a messy human being trying to do their best. And as a therapist, I get to witness and create safety for this messiness.
Wherever I find the opportunity, I also like to emphasize that therapists going to their own therapy is important and absolutely necessary.
People, including clients, ask me all the time, How do you hold space for so many people and so many ‘problems’? (I prefer to view these “problems” as life experiences or patterns that make sense once you get to know the person)
One of the ways is by being a regular therapy client myself! That’s my time and my space.
I take care of myself, so that I have capacity for my clients.
Is there a particular client moment, project (like your podcast!), or personal breakthrough that made you think, “This is why I do what I do”?
It usually comes in the little moments.
Like when I get to witness small but impactful shifts in a client. Big changes can feel great but I think we need to give more credit to tiny changes – those add up and can become really significant given enough repetitions or time!
Or like when I talk to peers or meet folks in the industry who share the same values and/or new perspectives that help me grow as a person or therapist.
Or when I attend a training and apply what I’ve learned and see the beautiful shifts in my clients.
It’s always very heartening to hear from clients that I’ve helped them in some way (though I do always remind them that it’s a two-way therapist-client relationship so they deserve just as much credit for all their growth and changes).
Congratulations on your first full year in private practice! What’s one unexpected challenge you’ve had to navigate, and how did you move through it?
I think the unexpected challenge has to be my capacity!
I expected myself to be able to see more clients in a day but then I realized, oops nope can’t do it.
It was frustrating, to say the least, but I know that if I try to squeeze in more sessions than my limit, it’s a fast track to burnout.
Like I mentioned above, I move through this by trying to honor my capacity and find ways to rest and recharge!
You’ve spoken candidly about self-doubt and comparison on social media. How do you manage those internal struggles while building a practice rooted in empathy and authenticity?
By reminding myself that self-doubt and comparison are very normal human experiences. And part of my journey in practicing empathy and authenticity is sharing these experiences instead of hiding or pretending these struggles don’t exist.
If I shame myself for having these feelings, that’s a one-way ticket to feeling miserable and helpless.
How I deal with those internal struggles is by coming back to what’s important to me, which is doing meaningful work as a therapist and acknowledging it. And also by staying curious about where the feelings are coming from.
Therapy helps, too. 😊
Looking at the bigger picture, what are some of the ongoing challenges you’ve faced as a full-time therapist, emotionally, logistically, or even financially, and how have you learned to navigate them?
The ongoing challenges are pretty much what anyone in the service industry would face. It’s always that thing of ‘oh, I’m not seeing as many clients this month, am I going to be okay financially?’ or ‘why haven’t I gotten any new enquiries this month, I must be doing something wrong’. I’ve laughed and lamented about this with friends and peers who are in the service line. It’s an emotional rollercoaster so be ready to ride it!
Loneliness was a challenge for a while. I used to work weekends at a private practice that operated out of a coworking space, which meant that I would rarely run into other therapists when I was in. Of course, I could always text if I needed support or anything but it’s not the same as being able to have spontaneous interactions or peer supervision.
As for financially, because my monthly income fluctuates, I’ve had to be extra vigilant in budgeting my expenses and managing my savings. Financial literacy is something I’m interested in and am trying to learn more about. Maybe I can learn a thing or two from your content 😉
I enjoy seeing clients in-person, so logistically no complaints there!
If you’re comfortable sharing, how has the journey been in terms of profitability and sustainability so far?
In many master’s programs, they’ll tell you that being a therapist isn’t a lucrative career and in the beginning, I can definitely see how this can be true. Unfortunately, many therapists leave the field because of the difficulty securing a full-time position and/or earning a sustainable income.
It was a struggle for me to even think about doing therapy full-time in the beginning so I had to keep my full-time corporate job for a while.
When I finally took the leap into full-time therapy, I also had to get a part-time job to keep me afloat. It definitely took some time to get to earning a comfortable income. Also, as I mentioned in the previous question, my income does fluctuate and that’s something I’ve had to learn to accept.
If you’re someone who thrives on knowing you’re going to get a steady paycheck, this work may be challenging in this aspect.
Will the money ever be as good as if I’d stayed in corporate work and climbed the ladder? I don’t know yet but I do know a handful of therapists who are earning more-than-decent incomes so there is hope yet.
What’s next for you? Where do you see your practice heading in the next 5 years?
I am looking forward to completing advanced EMDR training.
My goals as a therapist are simple: to continue to offer quality care to clients and maintain a sustainable income.
I am also looking into doing more self-marketing and growing my online presence. With more reach, I hope to break stigmas on therapy and also show people what trauma-trained therapy can look like. I don’t know what the plan for these things look like yet but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
What advice would you give to newer Malaysian therapists who are thinking about going full-time independently or with a private practice like you did?
Have savings. They don’t tell you this and this is the biggest pitfall when it comes to therapists trying to go full-time. Build up enough savings so that when you do go full-time, you’ll have enough to sustain you until your client load gets to where you need it to be. Unfortunately, the system is built to favor those who are financially privileged so be prepared.
At the same time, learn how to market yourself. Unfortunately, we don’t learn this in our master’s program (if anyone does, I’d love to know) and can also be a barrier to establishing yourself as an independent therapist.
Practice self-care. Go to therapy. Work on your stuff.
Above all, stay human in all of your work.
For anyone who’s interested in working with you, what’s the best way to get started or reach out for a consultation?
Thank you for asking this!
I have a website I built and launched this year that I’m really proud of. I’d love for you to visit my website to get a better picture of what therapy with me would look like.
Feel free to use the contact page or reach out to me via email or Instagram DMs to book a session or free consultation call.
Final Thoughts
A huge thank you to @therapywithwy for sharing her journey with such openness and depth. Building a full-time therapy practice is no easy path, but Weii Yie’s story shows the impact of combining professional training with empathy, authenticity, and care.
Here are three takeaways we loved from this interview:
- Therapist-client fit matters most. Techniques and theories matter, but trust and connection make the real difference.
- Take care of your limits. Respecting your own capacity helps prevent burnout and keeps you fully present for clients.
- Authenticity builds trust. Sharing struggles like self-doubt and comparison makes therapy more human and approachable.
You can follow her journey on Instagram @therapywithwy or visit her website to learn more about her services and approach.
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