Although my interest in psychology began years ago; when I first started studying it, I didn’t imagine myself to be where I am today - in the seat of a therapist. I thought I’d be closer to academia and the research part of the field. However, it was something one of my professors said in Masters that inspired me to take this path. She told us how all fields of psychology are interconnected, and so we must learn about each. That day I decided not to close a door before I have walked through it; and, today, here I am! While this journey began for me with a mere curiosity, today, it has evolved into something much deeper. Being a therapist has allowed me the unique opportunity to connect with, understand, hold space for and support clients in their journey of meaning making. It has also provided me learnings and deep insight into myself, and how I relate to others. I view therapy as a dialogue between two experts - the client, who is the expert of their lives, and the therapist, who comes in with their expertise in mental health practices. It is this dialogue between the experts that lays the foundation for client change, growth and well-being.

In my observation, many a times we are unable to flourish or do what we want to, because our surrounding environment isn’t conducive or supportive enough. One of the most exciting parts of being a therapist is being able to hold that supportive space for others and gently guide them through their journey of exploration. Working with clients to understand their perspectives and explore new ones is something I find very fulfilling. Seeing them reclaim their autonomy, and become the authors of their our narratives is something I hope to help them achieve. In this journey, bearing witness to their strength, resilience and determination also fills me with a sense of awe, and inspires me to continue with the work I am doing.

At the heart of true therapeutic change lies the therapeutic relationship. I try to design the first session keeping this belief in mind. My hope always remains to balance a sense of safety and openness with structure and clarity. I hope that clients experience the session as a welcoming, non-judgmental place where they can feel safe and voice out their feelings, thoughts and other concerns. At the same time, I also wish for them to have a little more clarity on how they would like to approach their concerns.

I look at the therapeutic relationship as a dialogue between two experts. You know yourself, your needs, wants and feelings the best, I simply assist you in bringing some of that knowledge to light. Whether its in regards to setting therapeutic goals, determining how to get there, or assessing therapeutic progress - its always a collaborative effort where we both actively reflect and collectively determine. Your reflections and feelings inform the therapeutic process and how we engage with it. Any changes needed are made in accordance with the same. One of my personal goal remains to help you become more in tune and aligned with your whole sense of being (mind, body, spirit) so that said reflections become easier and you can move ahead with greater clarity.

One of the biggest learnings I have had from my clients is that we humans have far more capacity than we give ourselves credit for. Clients’ commitment to show up for themselves, day in and day out even when things get difficult reflects a sense of resilience that is truly inspiring. While in the therapy space they may experience a change in perspective, gain insight and learn how to make behavioural changes, it is the their active attempts outside the therapy space where these changes get solidified. This readiness of theirs to extend therapeutic learnings in the life outside is one of the most exciting and heartening things to witness. I consider it a true honor to be able to bear witness to this and be a facilitative companion for them in this journey.

In a session with me you will find a good balance between grounding work, reflections, analogies, pop-culture and meme references and well-intended humor, wherever appropriate. Although therapy can be tough work, I don’t believe it always has to be heavy - making use of pop-culture references, memes and humor allows me to maintain that delicate balance so that things don’t always feel overwhelming. My ability to build healthy connections with clients, and my emphasis on viewing this as a collaborative process between two experts lays the foundation for smooth flowing sessions and opens the space up for candid conversations and feedback. Although I always try to show up for my clients as fully and authentically as possible, I recognize that there may be limits to my professional expertise and that I may not be able to handle all kinds of concerns. Thus, I regularly engage in upscaling myself and being informed about the developments in the mental health arena, so that I can better understand and assist my clients with their concerns.

When I am not working, you will find me indulging in a nice K-Drama, walking in the park, Jiving my heart away or experimenting with new artistic modalities. Spending quality time with friends and family allows me to unwind and regain my energies after a particularly long day.

I am formally trained in CBT, REBT, Client-centered approaches, narrative practices, inner child work, gestalt and trauma-informed care. I adopt an eclectic approach but am rooted primarily in client-centered practices. This means that although I may borrow from different therapeutic modalities from time to time, at the heart of my work lies the belief that the client knows themselves best, is driven to become their best selves, and what they need most in order to achieve this, is unconditional positive regard (judgement-free acceptance) and support. I also view people as stories - all our experiences inform our life’s ’narratives’ or scripts, and we have the autonomy to change the script or theme, when we want and how we want, for we are the authors of our own lives. Given that each client is unique, I try to curate the therapeutic process as per their specific needs. This is where the ’eclectic’ approach comes in - for those clients who work better with structure, I borrow from some of the more structured approaches like CBT and REBT; and make use of homework, for those who prefer a more reflective, introspective, easy-flowing process, I use more client-directed approaches like narrative practices, inner child work, gestalt, among others.

I acknowledge that the challenges faced by those who belong to the community are unique and cannot be equated to that of the ‘general’ population. To better support my clients through these unique challenges, I regularly engage in psycho-educating myself about their challenges, specific needs and how one can best support them. I do this through readings, undertaking formal trainings and by dialoging with those from the community to better understand their perspectives. I also recognize that I may at times unknowingly be operating from a biased stance, and thus, in my professional and personal space, I actively surround myself with those who will point the same out to me and help me correct my path so I can continue being accountable to the process.