I was. and still am, intrigued by how our minds work, what drives us, how are we all making meaning of our experiences, how are we dealing with the challenges life throws at us every single day, etc. I was keen to hear other peoples’ stories and to perhaps have the chance to work with them to strengthen and/or change some of these stories. I have both seen and experienced for myself how powerful it can be to just have someone empathically listen to and support you, and I’d like to create these spaces for the clients I work with.

The possibility of being part of someone else’s story and growing with them. I have evolved and learnt as much as my clients possibly have.
I also believe that change may not always happen in big ways; it often comes about in the small, “ordinary” things in everyday life and these are the subtle shifts that I look forward to acknowledging and celebrating with my clients.

I hope for them to feel like they were heard and respected, they had the space to share as much or as little as they wanted to, and that they felt safe and comfortable with their therapist. More than anything, I hope for them to feel hopeful about this being a supportive space that they’d like to come back to and explore further.

It is understandable to feel apprehensive about starting therapy and to not know what to expect, how it will work for you, if it will even help you etc. Taking that first step to call/text a therapist is one of the most challenging aspects of the whole process. Take your time to read/understand more about therapy (if you think that’ll help), but eventually do hit send on that text/email! Because the only way to know if something works for you (or how well it works for you), is by giving it a shot and experiencing/trying it for yourself!

Additionally, ask your therapist as many questions as you like in the introductory call to clarify any doubts, understand more about them and their process, and to judge if this is the right fit for you. And if not, you need not stick with the process or the therapist.

I aim to build a space where my client feels safe and accepted. I will come in to this space with my experiences, knowledge, and perspectives and share them with my client (if it seems helpful), but they are the ones who get to decide what they believe in and want to do. I don’t prefer being very rigid in therapy about what we should talk about, how we should go about it, etc. Instead, I let my clients choose how they want to use this space. I am present as someone who is with them as they work through some difficult emotions and situations in their life.

That people are extremely resilient, and in ways that may not always be obvious. We might be engaging in small acts of resistance, self care, etc, even if it doesn’t look like on the surface (per conventional/popular standards)!

My ability to listen respectfully and empathically. I trust my clients implicitly, let their experiences and emotions guide us in our work, and constantly look for the small and big ways in which I see them surviving and thriving!

Binge watching shows/movies, playing crosswords, spending time with friends, working out (including the 20 min long pep talk before I actually start), and thinking about reading (but rarely ever getting to it)!

I mostly use a lot of reflective questions to understand the thoughts/emotions a particular situation/interaction might have elicited for my clients. Through these conversations, we try to process and make meaning of some of these aspects. I firmly believe that gaining awareness of and acknowledging our thoughts/behaviors/feelings is half the work done in terms of overcoming or changing any patterns. I also adopt a narrative and strengths-based lens, which means that along with understanding how a problem affects you, I am equally interested in understanding how you are impacting the problem- what is helping you hold out and resist? what are your strengths? in what small or big ways are you changing things in your life?

I also adopt a trauma-informed, systemic, and rights-based approach where I actively acknowledge the ways in which the systems (families, workplaces, cultural/political factors) are contributing to the challenges you might face in your lives.

I aim to use gender-inclusive language, ask clients their preferred pronouns, acknowledge the systemic and structural challenges they may face in a cis-het, patriarchal society, and also acknowledge my privilege as a cis-het person.

Besides this, I try to read literature and about the perspectives/experiences of individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community to educate myself and learn more about affirmative practices in therapy.