Therapy for children of immigrants at Untangled Threads is telehealth psychotherapy for adults in California and New York who grew up between cultures. One in four U.S. children lives with an immigrant parent (KFF analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey); in California that share is about 45%. Several of our clinicians know this terrain personally: Dr. Angela Horng is a second-generation Taiwanese American, and Christian Homniyom is a second-generation Lao American and the child of refugees.
Clinically reviewed September 16, 2026 · Untangled Threads Psychology
Children of immigrants
In U.S. demographic research, children of immigrants (also called children in immigrant families) are people with at least one foreign-born parent. Most are U.S.-born. This page is written for the adults those children become: first- and second-generation clients who still carry family duty, language-brokering, and the gap between home and the rest of life.
You feel guilt or obligation when you set boundaries with your parents or family.
You are successful on paper but overwhelmed, burned out, or anxious underneath.
You feel like two different people at home and at work or school.
Family expectations and your own wants keep pulling in different directions.
Licensed Psychologist, PhD
Second-generation Taiwanese American; anxiety, trauma, and identity, including the weight of immigrant-family expectations.
Telehealth across California & New York
Book with Dr. Angela Horng (opens Jane scheduling in a new tab)Therapist, LMSW
Second-generation Lao American and child of refugees; identity, belonging, and life transitions for teens and young adults.
Telehealth across New York
Book with Christian Homniyom (opens Jane scheduling in a new tab)Associate Therapist, MPsy
Acculturation and family relationships, including bridging immigrant-generation gaps.
Telehealth, plus in-person sessions in Rochester, NY
Book with Celina Alvarez Marroquin (opens Jane scheduling in a new tab)Not sure who fits? Leave the choice to us: send us a message and we will match you.
Several of our clinicians know this terrain personally. Dr. Angela Horng is a second-generation Taiwanese American raised in an immigrant family with high expectations of success. She earned a B.S. in Psychobiology at UCLA and a Ph.D. from Palo Alto University, with a specialty in Diversity and Community Mental Health, and is licensed in California (#33025) and New York (#026727). Christian Homniyom is a second-generation Lao American and the child of refugees from Laos. He earned his M.S.W. at the University at Buffalo and is an LMSW in New York (#125305). That lived experience sits alongside formal training in trauma-informed, culturally responsive care.
Together we can work on the anxiety, perfectionism, and family-of-origin patterns that often come with the first- and second-generation experience, including intergenerational trauma and acculturation gaps between you and the people you love.
A large national epidemiologic study (NESARC) found lifetime major depressive disorder in 15.28% of first-generation immigrants, 19.14% of second-generation immigrants, and 22.98% of U.S.-born adults (Salas-Wright, Kagotho, and Vaughn, 2014). The second generation is not “fine because they grew up here.” The work often starts where the first generation’s survival strategies meet a life that was supposed to look easier.
Curious about the methods? See our glossary of specialties and approaches.
Close to 20 million U.S. children, or 26%, had an immigrant parent as of 2024. The state share ranges from about 3% in West Virginia to about 45% in California.
KFF analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey (May 19, 2026)
Approximately 18.3 million U.S. children lived with at least one immigrant parent in 2024 (26% of children under 18). 85% of them were U.S.-born.
Lifetime major depressive disorder: 15.28% of first-generation immigrants, 19.14% of second-generation immigrants, 22.98% of U.S.-born adults (NESARC; n = 5,363 first-generation, 4,826 second-generation, 24,461 U.S.-born).
Dr. Angela Horng is licensed in California (#33025) and New York (#026727). Christian Homniyom is an LMSW in New York (#125305). Care is telehealth for clients physically in CA or NY.
“You can’t not consider the issue of immigration as a child well-being issue.”
A free, no-obligation consultation call is the easiest way to find out whether we are the right fit. Telehealth across California & New York, with in-person sessions available in Rochester, NY.
