I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) and expressive arts therapist currently practicing and serving clients in California through the Child Therapy Institute. My approach as a healer is intuitive, spiritual, empathic, and compassionate, and I work with people from diverse backgrounds around challenges related to creative blocks, identity development, perfectionism, or emotional distress. Being a multilingual South Asian American who has lived abroad has enabled me to empathize with the experiences of people of color, global nomads, expats, and “third culture kids” who may seek to find their place and a sense of belonging in the world. As an artist who is also a therapist, I understand the experience of grappling with creative blocks and feeling stuck or disconnected from your self-expression, which can stem from comparisons to others or a feeling of not being good enough.
My philosophy as a clinician integrates relational-cultural, strengths-based, and person-centered approaches with intersectional feminism, narrative therapy, liberation psychology, Jungian archetypal mythology, and existential-humanism. Having worked as a therapist and advocate for youth in community-based, school-based, and outpatient counseling settings, I hold a trauma-informed, social justice framework and holistic body-mind-spirit wellness approach in my counseling work. The expressive arts modalities I incorporate into my sessions with clients can include: visual arts, sandtray, play, dance/movement, drama, music, writing, and cinematherapy.
Education:
B.S. Psychology, Minor in Spanish Language & Cultures
University of Maryland, College Park
M.A. Counseling Psychology & Expressive Arts Therapy
California Institute of Integral Studies
Experience:
Adolescent Counseling Services (Menlo Park, CA)
Fred Finch Youth and Family Services (Oakland, CA)
The Child Therapy Institute (Antioch, CA)
For more information about my specialties as a clinician, click here to view my offerings.