I have always been fascinated by people. As cliche as it may sound, I was always the person sitting and hearing people’s day to day difficulties and came up with the funniest (untrained) insights, However, when my friends told me that they learned a lot more about themselves it filled my heart with joy and the joy hasn’t reduced since. My journey of not being able to find mental health support when I needed it the most has inspired me to become an MHP. I work to ensure that no one is in that position again.

The most exciting part of being a therapist is being able to provide a safe space for clients. To witness the trust they place in you as they come out of their comfort zones and share their most vulnerable parts with almost strangers. It is an honor to be this person.

I hope that my clients feel heard, safe & understood enough to share their vulnerabilities and continue our journey together.

To anyone looking to seek counseling and therapy:-

1. Mental health exists on a continuum - You don’t have to have a diagnosis, be ‘mentally ill’ or ’ crazy’ or attach any other label to yourself to seek counseling
2. Seeking support to become a better version of yourself is an act of strength - I would rather work with your feelings instead of having you suffer in silence
3. Therapy is empowering: Therapy is a relationship with a trained professional that empowers you to deal with feelings, emotions, thoughts & ideas that hold you back, it’s not like medicine when you fall ill and you stop it when you get better. Look at it like going to the gym to get and remain fit. We don’t go to the gym only when we want to lose weight but continue to go there to remain fit. Therapy is like a mind gym.

I would like to create a collaborative space that hopefully questions the power dynamic. I try and drive home the point that:

1. Clients are the experts in their lives: Therapists are co-travelers that hand-hold them on their journeys
2. Therapy is not advice-giving but empowering: Therapists do not offer advice. We empower you with insights, thoughts, skills, and techniques that help you question what is not working for you and embrace what is working for you.
3. Encourage Feedback: At the end of every session I ask for feedback about the session and repeatedly drive home the point that they can point out anything that is not working for them in therapy

The greatest learning from my clients is that people always have the strength and resources to heal & grow, we just have to provide the skills to reach there. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

My strengths as a therapist include:

1. Active listening & empathy: I strongly believe that the core of any therapeutic relationship is that the client feels heard and understood. Being disabled, I had to learn to depend on my listening skills to develop social connections. My personal experience and a keen interest in psychology have helped me develop active listening and other counseling skills.
2. Training in various therapeutic approaches: My bachelor’s & master’s in Psychology have allowed for a strong understanding and application of the basic skills of psychotherapy and counseling. I have specialized in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy.
3. Holding space for difficult emotions & conversations: I strongly believe that a big part of being a therapist is being able to nudge clients to have the difficult conversations and thoughts that would help them work through difficult thinking and behaviour patterns , while creating a safe space.

In my free time I read, draw and binge mystery TV shows

I use an eclectic approach that draws from solution-focused brief therapy & rational emotive behavior therapy. We set a goal for each session and scale our progress on a scale of1-10. Set a scale for where we want to be in the week Work with tangible tasks that we can do through the week to get better and take tangible action points from the session. This being said I am also cognizant that not everyone can work with a solution-focused approach. I also use approaches that help us work through irrational beliefs, formulate rational ones and become the best versions of ourselves.

I make my practice safe for queer & trans folx by:

1. Using inclusive language
2. Reading and learning about trans literature
3. Engaging in QACP workshops