Han Ren, Ph.D

It’s almost here!! Bringing this book to life has been one of the most challenging and vulnerable experiences of my life. I often (half) joked that I’d rather write three dissertations than another book because of how much of myself I poured into these pages. And. If these words help even one person feel seen, less alone, and not too much, it will have been worth it. THE HYPHENATED LIFE comes out on June 16th! Pre-order now wherever books are sold.

Hi! It’s been years (!!) since my last intro post, I’m loooong overdue. Thank you for bearing witness to my digital evolution, it’s an honor/privilege/responsibility to be in parasocial relationship with you. I’m Han, some of my personal identities include: 1.5 generation Chinese-American immigrant, mostly-cis-woman, elder millennial, neurodivergent (ADHD, complex trauma), queer, polyamorous, partnered, mother, currently mostly-able-bodied. I’m Dr. Han Ren, some of my professional positionalities include: licensed psychologist, group private practice co-leader (@pivotpsychologyatx ), public speaker (TEDx, Upswell, keynotes, corporate & universities), content creator (Headspace, Healthline, Violet), former special educator, gestating author. I’m a lifelong (un)learner and practitioner of liberation psychology, antiracist/anti-oppressive mental health, and trauma-conscious care. I’m obsessed with helping people of the global majority, especially children of immigrants, take up space and become who they are. Which means I’m just as invested in educating people with privilege and power on how to be safer. My relationship to this space is always shifting and I’m currently posting mostly announcements, stories, reposts, and amplifying liberatory voices, as I deep-dive into writing my first book. Looking to collab? I’m still available for speaking, media outreach, custom content creation, and brand deals w/products that I genuinely align with. I’m not accepting new therapy clients, but have an awesome team who is. As always, thank you for sharing your attention and joining me here. I hope you’ll stay awhile! ❤️‍🔥🌈✨🤸‍♀️

There is so. much. grief. right now. Collective, ambiguous, anticipatory, disenfranchised grief. The weight is crushing. When we try to bypass grief, it comes out as anxiety, overcontrol, irritability, performance. We are a society that rushes through grief with limited timeboxed rituals and platitudes, and only for certain types of recognized loss. We rush not only in an attempt to soothe, but to quiet the discomforting effects of bearing witness to such raw emotion. If the past decade has taught us anything, it’s that the unprecedented will keep happening, absurdity will be celebrated, and nobody is coming to save us. So let’s get to know grief and learn how to feel and metabolize it so we can keep moving, keep loving, keep supporting each other. Let that wail out. Weep. Scream. Writhe. Dance. Fuck. Run. Rage. Shake. Crumble. Then get up and do it again, a little bit lighter this time. Get acquainted with your own grief so you can learn how to be a container for others too. We’re all we have.

Don’t take advice from the internet 😅

For those of us who live in the space between our identities and positionalities, without the ease and alignment of congruence privilege, having the language to describe this in-between can feel like relief and resonance. I wrote THE HYPHENATED LIFE to help us find this language. It comes out 6.16.26 and is available for preorder anywhere books are sold. Use promo code “Han15” when you preorder on bookshop.org for 15% off and a signed bookplate. Every book you purchase from them supports local independent bookstores. AND if you submit your preorder receipt, you’ll get access to an exclusive fireside chat with me 💁🏻‍♀️ Y’all know where to find my 🔗!

Apparently Hollywood was allergic to creating multi-dimensional Asian characters when we were growing up 🫠 #asianrepresentation #millennials

Kicking off The Hyphenated Life book tour in Austin, TX! Join me in conversation with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin 7p on Wednesday June 17, at BookPeople. Save the date, and RSVP now via my 🔗 I’m thrilled to be traveling to a few additional cities this summer including SF and NYC! Full tour stops TBA. I can’t wait to meet y’all in person!!

Depression treatment is not one-size-fits-all. This is especially true for culturally diverse clients.​ Today, on National TMS Day, it’s a good reminder that there are multiple treatment options available when traditional approaches haven’t provided enough relief. ​ Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-drug treatment for depression,​ available for ages 15+ and covered by most insurance. Real-world data show that​ 83% of patients with NeuroStar TMS experienced meaningful symptom improvement.*​ ​ Comment “TMS” to learn more and find a provider near you at NeuroStar.com. ​ ​ #NeuroStarPartner #ad #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MHAM2026 #NationalTMSDay MentalHealthMatters LetsTalkTMS @NeuroStarAdvancedTMS ​ ​ * Sackeim HA, et al. J Affect Disord. 2020;277:65–74.

My one and only beautiful precious life these days… 🫶🏽🫶🏽 This is it; This is it, This is it.

Mahjong was a staple in my household growing up. We played every weekend, it was connective tissue for my multi-generational family and the only game we played together. I’ve had mixed feelings seeing its popularity explode recently, and played mostly by non-Asian young people. I was happy to contribute to this @huffpostlife article on the mental health benefits of Mahjong, and relieved that the author started with my quote about honoring the cultural roots of the game. Read the full article here: /entry/mahjong-mental-health-benefits_l_69f8e94de4b0f658833cfe99

which is which though 🧐😂

This is a call for nuance, not a hot take. Hate patriarchy, not men. Hate ⚪️ supremacy, not European Americans