Dr. Panicha McGuire, LMFT, RPT™

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She/Her/Hers

Hello, and welcome to Living Lotus Therapy! My name is Dr. Panicha, and I’m the founder of this practice. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Registered Play Therapist™ in California. I’m passionate about working with individuals of all ages, supporting them in transforming their lives, embracing who they are, and navigating the challenges of a world that often wasn’t built with them in mind.

In addition to being a therapist, I’m also an educator, activist, and advocate for those who have been harmed or marginalized by systems of power. I am especially committed to supporting people who have been disenfranchised by ableism, medical gatekeeping, and compliance-based models of care. My work is grounded in a liberation-oriented and a neurodiversity-affirming approach that honors the whole person, not just their “symptoms” or behaviors.

My journey into the field began with a deep curiosity about human connection, identity, and the stories we carry. I earned my undergraduate degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from UC Irvine in 2013, where I also worked as a Behavior Interventionist using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with autistic individuals. Over time, I became increasingly disillusioned with the limitations and harms of ABA practices—particularly how they encourage masking, prioritize compliance over autonomy and authenticity, and frame the individual as the problem rather than recognizing the systemic dynamics within the family and broader environment.

Motivated to address deeper systemic issues, I went on to earn my Master’s and Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy at Alliant International University. This path expanded my understanding of relational systems, cultural context, and intergenerational healing. It also strengthened my commitment to working in ways that challenge the status quo and center lived experience.

Who I Am as a Therapist

I come to this work not only as a trained professional but also as someone with lived experience navigating the complexities of identity and neurodivergence. I was late diagnosed as AuDHD, and I grew up as a 1.5 generation Southeast Asian American with a twice-exceptional (2e), gifted, and PDA profile. I’m also queer. These parts of me shape how I practice, how I hold space, how I listen, and how I advocate.

Because I’ve lived through the tension of being misunderstood or missed entirely by systems that weren’t designed for people like me, I carry both deep care and a strong commitment to the people I work with. I know how much it matters to be seen not as a set of problems, but as a whole, complex human being. My practice is grounded in the belief that healing isn’t about fixing people. It’s about creating space for their truth, their needs, and their full expression.

I also believe therapy can be a liberatory practice. While I honor each individual’s experience, I care deeply about how we, as a collective, can move toward something better—a world with more room to breathe, more freedom to be, and more safety to exist outside the boxes we’ve been forced into.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Doctor Who:

“I’ll be a story in your head. But that’s OK: we’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” -The 11th Doctor (Matt Smith)

That’s what I hope for my clients—that their stories are honored. That the work we do together helps them see that their lived experiences matter. And that they get to shape their story with intention, meaning, and self-compassion.

P.S. I have a tattoo of this quote written in Gallifreyan.

Culturally Responsive, Identity-Affirming Care

In the field of psychology and mental health care, we confront a historical landscape. It has often been shaped by colonial, hegemonic practices. This legacy has perpetuated systems of oppression that particularly affect marginalized communities. At Living Lotus Therapy, I am committed to dismantling these foundations. I am fostering an environment where decolonized mental health care is a reality, not just an ideal. My practice stands on the principles of justice and liberation for all, especially those with marginalized identities, bodies, and abilities.

As mental health professionals, we must acknowledge how we have been complicit in upholding systems of oppression. We need to start healing our internalized prejudices, -isms, and -phobias. This is a continuous process of learning, unlearning, and relearning. It is a commitment to personal transformation and collective transformation. This leads to broader societal change.

At Living Lotus Therapy, I am dedicated to decolonizing and de-stigmatizing mental health care. This means shifting away from traditional hegemonic practices to embrace models of collective care and liberation. I strive to create a space for neurodivergent, disabled, LGBTQIA2S+ communities of color. They can find equitable access to care that truly reflects their lived experiences and identities. This includes the intersections within these communities.

I acknowledge that I am not perfect. The journey of dismantling the deep-seated systems of oppression within our field is continuous. The education and frameworks that many therapists, including myself, were initially taught are steeped in these very systems. Thus, unlearning and relearning is a lifelong commitment.

What is a Liberation-Oriented Framework?

A liberation-oriented framework in therapy is an approach that prioritizes dismantling oppressive systems, centering clients’ autonomy, and validating lived experiences, particularly for those from historically marginalized communities. It recognizes that mental health is deeply influenced by systemic structures such as capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy, ableism, and cisheteropatriarchy. Rather than pathologizing individuals for struggling within these systems, a liberation-oriented approach seeks to empower them to reclaim agency, resist oppressive narratives, and engage in collective healing.

In the context of neurodiversity-affirming therapy, it means actively challenging the medical model of disability, which often frames neurodivergence (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia) as deficits to be fixed rather than natural variations of human cognition. Instead of compliance-based interventions or normalization of techniques (e.g., ABA for autism, behavioral interventions for ADHD, exposure therapy for OCD), a liberation-focused approach embraces neurodivergence as an identity and helps clients develop self-compassion, self-advocacy, and accommodations that fit their needs.

Who I Am Outside of Therapy

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, I moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of five. My academic journey eventually brought me to San Diego for graduate school, and I now call it home. I share my life with two lovable dogs: ObiWan, named after the Jedi, and Nala, inspired by The Lion King. They bring joy, comfort, and plenty of personality to my daily routine.

Outside of therapy, I enjoy playing video games, gardening, traveling, and spending time with the people I love. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing because being together is what matters most. My partner and I occasionally cosplay at conventions, and I find a lot of joy in good storytelling, whether it’s through games, shows, or meaningful conversations. With over 50 plants, I’ve also embraced my role as a proud plant parent.

I try to live with curiosity, creativity, and care, always finding ways to stay connected to what feels meaningful.

Community Work

I serve as the Media Marketing Strategist and Coordinator for Rise Up Humanity (RUH), where I combine my clinical expertise with my passion for advocacy. I am deeply committed to supporting families fleeing war and conflict, and I use my skills in videography and social media management to create impactful content and manage online outreach. Through these efforts, I help raise awareness about the challenges faced by refugees, amplify their voices, and educate the public on the importance of supporting displaced families. My advocacy work is rooted in a strong belief in social justice, and I see storytelling and community engagement as powerful tools to drive meaningful change. I remain devoted to improving mental health awareness and supporting marginalized communities, both through my volunteer efforts and my professional practice.

In addition to my work with RUH, I actively participate in grassroots organizing spaces focused on anti-oppression, gender equity, and economic justice. This includes community-based mutual aid efforts, political education, and movement building that centers the voices of historically marginalized communities.

My advocacy work is rooted in a strong belief in social justice, and I see storytelling and community engagement as powerful tools to drive meaningful change. I remain devoted to improving mental health awareness and supporting marginalized communities, both through my volunteer efforts and my professional practice.

The Meaning Behind the Lotus

The name Living Lotus was born from both personal memory and cultural meaning. Growing up in Echo Park in Los Angeles, I attended the annual Lotus Festival every summer. I watched the lotus flowers bloom year after year in Echo Park Lake, even when the water was murky and polluted. That image stayed with me. It was a symbol of resilience, transformation, and beauty rooted in complexity.

The lotus has long represented rebirth across many cultures, especially in Southeast Asia. For me, it also represents survival in difficult conditions, healing that isn’t linear, and growth that happens in spite of, not in the absence of, pain.

Echo Park itself has changed drastically since the 1990s. Like many neighborhoods, it has been deeply impacted by gentrification. That loss (the displacement of families, culture, and history) runs alongside the beauty I still remember. Naming my practice Living Lotus is also a way of honoring that past, and holding space for the grief and complexity that comes with change.

At Living Lotus Therapy, I hope to offer a space where you can reclaim your own story. Whether you’re navigating identity, trauma, anxiety, grief, or simply trying to make sense of life, my goal is to support you in growing something meaningful wherever you are starting from.