My skills and my experiences in life have made me an empathetic person who understands different perspectives. As I went through my own journey of healing and gained more skills about the field, I was amazed by the potential for change in human beings when they are in supportive environments. This is what inspired me to start studying to become a therapist. My resolve grew stronger as I realized that the number of therapists to client ratio in India is very large and I wanted to do my bit to fill this gap.

To witness and get the opportunity to facilitate the learning and unlearning process of my clients is the most exciting part of therapy for me.

A sense of comfort, safety, support and hope.

Therapy is a learning and unlearning process and thus based on needs and intensity of experiences, everyone may take a while to see some shift and movement. If you feel safe and comfortable with your therapist, and ready for the process, do attend a few sessions to get a sense of how therapy may work for you. It is very important to give therapy a go. It is important that the therapist and client fit well together and thus, if therapy does not work with one therapist, please reach out to another one! You may think that it is the same as talking to a friend and that is not the case. Therapy is different than friendship as the focus is on your well-being. It is also a professional, structured relationship which is aimed at improving your mental health. Even though therapy can be a long-term process, the aim of therapy is not to make you dependent on it. Rather therapy aims to empower you to work through/deal with/manage your concerns.

The collaborative nature of the relationship is important to me. I ask for feedback at different points in therapy, set the goals of therapy collaboratively with the client and co-create the meaning of client’s experiences with them. see therapy as a journey that the client and I undertake to help the client heal and recover. This journey is led by the client while I see the therapist to be a co-traveler in this journey helping the client build skills and provide different perspectives.

I am inspired by my client’s resilience, hope and hard work. I have learnt from them that progress is not linear - it is not about never failing but about continuing despite failing.

Patience, empathy, ability to create a safe space, balancing between being nurturing and challenging, curiosity and eagerness to learn

Colouring, watching Netflix, cooking, walking in nature

My therapeutic approach is trauma-focused, which means that I am trained to work with clients’ traumatic experiences and understand the deep and pervasive impact trauma can have in our lives. This means that my practice priories safety (physical and emotional) and thus, equips clients to navigate any overwhelm they may be experiencing. My approach is also postmodern which focuses on the client’s strengths, choice and agency as well as client’s right to shape their narrative about themselves. This also helps clients to build compassion for themselves. Another important aspect of my therapeutic approach is the social justice lens which helps me be aware of the systemic factors that impact an individual’s experience.

I make sure to use inclusive language, ask for pronouns and state mine, as well as educate myself on queer and trans* people’s experiences and concerns. I ensure to regularly engage with educational and training material to unlearn my own biases and make my practice a safe and inclusive space.