Charles in Therapy

Charles was born in Manila, raised in West Oakland, and shaped by a journey that includes skipping grades, rave days, a suicide attempt, paranoid schizophrenia, and two hospitalizations. Today, he’s a therapist serving school-age kids on Medi-Cal, bringing both clinical training and lived experience into the room.

In this conversation, we talk about what psychosis actually feels like, why medication is lifesaving (not shameful), and how immigration, race, and class intersect with mental health. Charles shares candidly about navigating homelessness outreach, burnout, and working in systems that often underpay the very people trying to keep communities afloat.

We also get into the beauty of Filipino culture—food, hospitality, and showing up for each other—as a quiet backbone of the Bay Area, and how love (hi, Jamie!) and community have held Charles through it all.

If you’ve ever felt like your past disqualifies you from helping others, this episode flips that script and shows how surviving can become a powerful tool for service.