I came across the profession in one of the novels I was reading when I was a teenager and it just clicked. It was a place where I was not only allowed, but expected to care and be empathetic. A place where these attributes would play an important role in helping and bringing about change for myself and others.

• Being such a close witness to humanity
• Being trusted with one’s vulnerabilities
• Seeing people show up for themselves
• The resilience in my clients

• This is a space free of judgement
• The feeling of being heard
• Positive regard for themselves
• Hope

Come as you are. You are welcome, even if you don’t think you belong.

Your decision to be here is the first step you took towards showing up for yourself. And that’s awesome! Therapy can be different for everyone and sometimes things can get harder before they get better but you decide the pace for yourself.

It would be a relationship of trust, mutual accountability, and safety. I trust that my clients are the experts of their lives therefore the therapy space is client led.

• The importance of showing up for yourself
• Healing does not happen in isolation
• The importance of community
• Hardship is unavoidable but we can persevere with support and the right tools

• Authenticity
• Curiosity
• Compassion
• Eager learner
• A willingness to take a stance outside of the therapy space

I find a lot of joy in dancing. I am a trained Salsa and Bachata dancer. I have recently started seeing the benefits of gym on my physical and mental wellbeing. Other than that, I enjoy engaging in art, reading novels, and spending time with my friends.

I believe constant unlearning and relearning is the key to moving forward. I see the process of therapy as a journey where the client leads the counsellor through their world and together, we find ways to reach desired goals. I believe individuals have multitudes and they all serve some purpose for the client. Understanding these parts and their needs is crucial for growth. And a lot of what we face impacts our body. Working with the body in ensuring acknowledgment and safety is another area I focus on in my work with my clients.

Lots of curiosity and avoiding assumptions. This is important because two individuals with the exact same labels can have completely different experiences. And it is important to bring these individual factors into therapy because they can otherwise go unheard and unacknowledged.

Therefore, I regularly engage with information and narratives from the queer community to be more understanding of diverse experiences that take a back seat because of the prevalent heteronormative narratives available. I attend webinars and workshops that discuss queering therapy. I also believe in advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights outside the therapy room. One thing I have made a point of doing is being curious with clients about their experiences but also doing my own readings and homework so that the burden of explaining doesn’t fall on the clients.