I can only explain this through one of the thoughts I had about what strengthens a client-therapist relationship. And it is:

“The capacity of the client to hear the hard truth and still love the therapist enough to come back to them”

My only hope is that I can build a relationship so strong with my clients that they can know in their bones that I am 100% committing to helping them achieve the self and life they want.

My biggest learning from my clients is how to be brave.

Brave in a way to look at the self, brave in a way to ask for help, brave in a way to find resources and brave in a way which keeps them going.

My approach in therapy is depth focused and insight oriented. I incorporate parts work as well as somatic tools while working with clients. I focus on bringing awareness to the body-mind connection to process difficult emotions. The space I offer is queer-friendly, sex and body positive, anti-caste oppressive and non-capitalistic.

What ALL of this means is:

1. We spend time understanding what your deeper concern is. This can reveal to us where your issues might come from eg. past experiences, school, family, community, different identities etc.
2. Once we find out what is really happening with you, we try to resolve the difficult emotions that may be associated with your experience eg. shame, guilt, grief, anger.
3. While resolving, you will also understand what it means for you now to know all of this. How does ‘the knowing’ change the present?
4. We decide the way forward: How do you plan to support yourself going forward? What beliefs are not working for you? How will you connect to your authentic self to live an aligned life?

To understand my approach more, I want to share two mottos I have as a therapist:

1. Curiosity over judgement: Approaching everything with curiosity and trying to let go of any judgment we have towards our own self.
2. Wholeness not perfection: Embracing every part of ourself (‘good’ and ‘bad’) makes us whole. Running after perfection can keep us stuck.