My interest in wanting to explore mental health work came from my own experience and the experiences of my close ones around mental health. Over the years I felt myself wanting to be more actively involved in work and conversations around well being and identity. I’ve since also been driven by my curiosity to discover and explore different ways of creating safe spaces for individuals and communities and what that can make possible.

I love that my process as a counsellor is constantly evolving. My work allows me to be on multiple journeys with multiple people, to be vulnerable together, be curious and hold space for the different ways in which all of us navigate systems and circumstances. I get to learn and unlearn a lot, simultaneously, everyday which feels stimulating and invigorating. My work also allows me to practice the different ways in which I can create safe spaces where pain, anguish, confusion, humour, warmth, discomfort and safety can all co-exist.

I hope for them to take back a feeling of being understood and seen, with a clear idea of what the counselling process will look like and their rights. I hope for them to leave with tangible hope and a sense of control over what’s to come.

Counselling can be a long journey but each person has the right to walk it at their own pace and choose their own direction. It may look different for different people, and as your co-traveller, it will be my responsibility to take care of your safety and vulnerability while you chart your own path.

A relationship that is founded on trust, communication, collaboration and mutual understanding. I understand that while this may be a professional relationship, the nature of the work that we do is so, so personal for the both of us and I would like our relationship to have room for that contradiction to exist with care and communication.

One of my most significant (un)learnings from my clients has been to step aside from the language and theories taught to me during my training and pay close attention to how my clients are making sense of their lives and their choices. It has helped me acknowledge their expertise alongside my own in the therapy room.

I value my ability to be able to create and hold a safe space for people. I like that I am flexible, open to letting go of my ‘expert’ position and acknowledge what I don’t know and am curious about my client’s stories. I also appreciate my ability to let my client into my thinking process while I connect dots and make sense of their stories.

I enjoy listening to different kinds of music, playing instruments and singing out loud. On other occasions I watch shows and films, try to read, take long naps, get on long video calls with my loved ones and experiment with food recipes.

I prefer to draw from different theoretical approaches in my work as per the needs of my clients and what we collaborative decide as a lens that adds most value to how they would like to explore their concerns. My stance towards therapy is strengths based, rights based and takes into account the context that my clients come from when they’re exploring concerns with me in therapy.

Drawing from my own experiences while holding the stories of my queer and trans clients front and center has been the crux of my work as a queer affirmative practitioner. I recently completed the certificate course on Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice by Mariwala Health Initiative and continue to hold myself accountable through readings and supervision.