Back when I chose to study Psychology, I was fascinated by human behaviour researches. I found the human brain to be quite mysterious. However, what led me to being a therapist is a love for and faith in human potential. I enjoy the idea of being on a quest with my clients in their journey towards self-fulfilment.

There’s never a boring day! You never know what your client is going to share in a session- this is true even for clients who I have been working with for awhile. But what excites me the most is when my clients and I ‘click’. It’s such a precious feeling to be trusted and allowed to be a part of your client’s journey. I also keep going for the days when my client is able to resolve what was bothering them. I sort of see a montage of how they struggled amidst suffering, but grew resilient and got through their issues.

In our first session, I would be trying to get the client comfortable with talking about their life with a stranger. Talking about what ails us is never easy, and to do it with a new person would be more daunting. I understand that. Hence, I want to make the client comfortable, get a sense of me and if I’m a good fit for them.

People tend to think that therapists give advice on how to live life. That’s not true. Look at therapists as people who have learnt about human behaviour and strategies, and who guide you to be more aware of self and strengthen you to take your own decisions. You know your life more than we do. Another question which gets asked by potential clients is how long will therapy take to solve their problems. There’s no universally fixed length of therapy. It depends on how deep rooted the problem is, how many areas of life it has affected, what kind of support system you have; but most importantly, how willing are you to apply your learnings from therapy to life. People tend to feel better after talking about their problems but that in itself doesn’t resolve them.

I would like my client to look at me as their guide on their journey and source of support. Therapy is not one-size-fits-all. I collaborate with my client on how therapy would work for them. We discuss the issues, share observations, and work on applying strategies, come back and assess how they worked out. It’s an ongoing process.

That nothing is permanent. Problems come, problems reduce, problems take new shapes. We learn ways to cope with them.

I have been told by my clients that I come across as being kind and a good listener. What I appreciate about myself is that I am accepting and non-judgemental towards my clients’ actions.

I am a pet parent to a rescue cat and dog; I cherish and enjoy the time that I spend with them. I love to travel to new places and eat local cuisine. However, in day-to-day, I watch comedy tv shows, anime; sci-fi, fantasy movies; read fiction, webtoons/manga.

I rely on person-centered therapy which is build on the values of empathy, being genuine, and non-judgemental towards clients. In this approach, the client decides on the goals of therapy and the therapist acts like a guide. I also rely on the cognitive model when it comes to goal setting, or working on thought and behaviour changes. When I’m working with my client I try to understand how factors in society impact their life. I intertwine this knowledge to understand and guide my client better.

When I am introducing myself in the first session, I share my pronouns. I use a ‘ask, don’t assume policy’- asking my clients their gender identity, sexual orientation and pronouns. Using ’they/them’ pronouns when talking about a third person. I keep my therapy practice affirmative and inclusive by updating myself via articles and media.