For many, a day comes when the risk of remaining tight in a bud is more painful than the risk it takes to bloom. I stand in awe of your courage to undertake the challenging and life-giving work of therapy.
My approach
Together we will explore feelings, thought structures, behaviors, and family patterns; we'll explore your obstacles as well as your inner strength and resilience. Our time together will be carved from our common goal of creating a safe space. Here, you can experience unconditional acceptance. We will explore the wounded, fragile, and vulnerable parts in a safe and healing environment.
My focus
I can help with: Grief and Loss, Major Life Transitions, Aging gracefully, Anxiety and Depression, Chronic Fear and Shame, Codependency, Early childhood trauma and its manifestations in adulthood. Currently offering the following Groups/Classes: Mindfulness for Chronic Pain, Support for Adults with Childhood Trauma.
My communication style
Being extroverted, I get energy, meaning, and joy from my interactions with people. I have also explored my introverted side through solitude and mindfulness. I am a mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, and colleague in addition to my other roles and I delight in these.
My journey to mental healthcare
My own healing work has led me to explore many schools of thought. These include religious studies, psychiatry, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. This facilitated my exploration of myself and helped me gain tools to further this work that I am committed to. I have studied and trained in: childhood trauma, generational and societal trauma, varied mindfulness modalities, mental health support structures, challenges of aging, grief, and loss, Attachment Theory, and Internal Family Systems/Parts work. My educational qualifications include an MA in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India from 1977-1979. In addition, I completed the coursework requirements for the Ph.D. program in Women's Psychology at the Indian Institute of Technology from 1980-1982. After graduation, I worked at the first school for children with Cerebral Palsy in India. Soon after, I ran the counseling program for two schools in Mumbai. My early experiences in individual and group counseling, with students and parents, ignited a desire to support individuals and groups on the path towards constructive change. I immigrated to the U.S. 27 years ago. My first job as a new immigrant was to run a Homelessness Prevention Program in Manhattan, NY. Adjusting to a whole new culture in a totally different living and working environment forced me to move outside any known social belonging. This has stretched my perspectives and empathy for the challenges, and often fragmentation, clients face when confronted with major life transitions. I've worked as a Social Worker in a variety of settings, such as non-profits, hospitals, and Hospice. My experience includes long-term and short-term acute care, as well as groups in a variety of settings spanning all ages.