FAQs


About Therapy: getting started

 

  • You might be contemplating therapy if you have been experiencing emotional distress or life struggles. You can come to therapy for issues like mood swings, PMDD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, some type of trauma you’ve experienced or shocking/scary event, or life transitions. You don’t need to have a diagnosis to come for therapy.

    If you feel like you’ve reached a point where you need support in navigating these issues, that’s when you know you’re ready. Taking the first step can be difficult and overwhelming, but I help to create a safe, supportive environment for you to be met with empathy and respect.

  • In your first therapy session, I will get to know you, and you will get to know me. I will ask you questions about what brings you to therapy, present-day concerns, your strengths and supports, childhood experiences and relationships in your life. In turn, you will also have an opportunity to ask me questions and get to know me better, including questions about my qualifications, specializations, and experience. We do some goal setting by the end of the session so that we have a concrete plan that we can adapt with time and monitor progress.

  • I usually start seeing new clients once a week, sometimes twice a week if the level of emotional distress is high. Deciding frequency is a collaborative process based on your preferences, availability, and level of risk/distress.

  • Since I am a psychodynamic therapist, most of my work has been long-term. Similarly, Somatic Experiencing is a slower, gentler process which requires time. However, I tailor our plan according to your goals and clinical needs. Some clients like having a concrete, solid plan where we continually assess progress and revisit goals. Other clients prefer seeing therapy as a long-term process to self-improve and unlearn lifelong patterns. Both ways are valid.

  • I offer online sessions to individuals all over India and specific other countries.

    I also have an in-person office in Indiranagar, Bangalore, India, where I work regularly.

  • I do! I work and have an office in Indiranagar, Bangalore, India where I see clients for therapy.

  • Yes, if you’re in India we can work together virtually through an online platform like Google Meet or Zoom.

    If you’re outside India, please reach out with your location and details and we can discuss meeting online.

  • I work with individuals, and bring partners and families into sessions as needed.

  • For existing clients, yes. If a client is in distress I usually have last-minute slots available and am also available over WhatsApp during business hours. However, this is subject to my availability as well.

    I do not take crisis or emergency sessions with new clients as I require an intake process to onboard new clients.

  • What you share with me is treated as confidential, with limited exceptions required by law and professional ethics. I keep case notes and our online communication secured. I may discuss your case with my clinical supervisor in order to have a responsible practice but I never use identifying details or discuss specific details of your situation.

    The limits of confidentiality include when there is an intention to harm yourself or another, including children and elders. This is when I would have to involve the necessary authorities.

 FAQs

About Therapy: my approach

 

  • I use a compassionate, gentle approach to therapy. My style is relational, which means the therapeutic relationship itself can be a way in which healing occurs. By providing safety, consistency, and warmth, you may be able to trust others and heal from complex relationship wounding.

    My approach is psychodynamic and I use Somatic Experiencing in my practice. Psychodynamic therapy is developmental and involves exploring early experiences that may have shaped you. It also helps uncover and relearn unconscious and conscious patterns in your life that may not be serving you well, like patterns of pursuing unavailable dating partners, or an inability to slow down and take breaks from work leading to burnout, or jumping to the worst conclusion when you’re feeling anxious. I also explore early and present-day relationships in your life.

    Somatic Experiencing is a healing modality that involves nervous system healing and regulation. Usually, this is helpful for someone who has experienced trauma, feels “frozen,” is always anxious or angry, or is experiencing depression. It is body-based and helps build embodiment and connection to self.

    Sometimes, I use DBT skills (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) which are concrete, practical tools to help manage present-day emotional distress and relationship difficulties.

  • Psychodynamic therapy centers the relationships you have in your life, explores unconscious patterns and themes in your life, and helps understand how early experiences may have shaped you.

    I work slowly to uncover different aspects of your life that led you here and connect the dots between experiences, personality and temperament, using a biopsychosocial-spiritual lens. This is a long-term process and many people enjoy coming to therapy and understanding the “whys” and root causes of their experiences.

    If you tend to spend a lot of time analyzing your experiences intellectually, we may also incorporate more body-based and experiential work so that therapy doesn't remain entirely in the realm of insight.

  • Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach that helps heal nervous system dysregulation and increase your emotional capacity. It is a slower, gentle approach that allows your body to process and release trauma or emotional “charge” left over in your body.

    We do this by raising awareness and building connection to your body. We also work on discharging stuck energy through various exercises tailored to your specific situation. The goal is to increase your capacity and make you more resilient to be able to hold difficult emotions and experiences and process past ones.

  • Yes, I use an integrative approach, meaning I tailor the work to you and your current situation rather than sticking to one specific modality. I combine psychodynamic theory with Somatic Experiencing, and incorporate DBT skills as needed. I find that because humans are so complex in their needs, it makes more sense to be flexible and adaptive in what I offer.

  • I do give exercises and homework for between sessions, depending on the client and their situation.

    Sometimes clients don’t like doing “homework,” in which case I make 1-2 goals for the week instead so that there is continuity between sessions and improvements are being made outside the therapy room as well.

 FAQs

who i work with

 

  • I work with adults who want to better understand themselves, their relationships, and the patterns that shape their emotional lives. My practice is particularly focused on people navigating trauma, highly sensitive people, therapists and mental health professionals, and burnout, emotional overwhelm, and complex psychological experiences.

    I often work with people who are highly self-aware but still feel stuck, people who feel deeply or experience the world intensely, and those who have spent years adapting to the needs of others while losing touch with their own. I also work with people exploring questions of identity, relationships, boundaries, perfectionism, self-worth, emotional regulation, and meaning.

    My work is especially suited to those looking for therapy that goes beyond symptom management and creates space to explore the deeper emotional, relational, and embodied roots of what they're experiencing.

  • Yes, I specialize in working with individuals with complex trauma histories, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional and verbal abuse, intimate partner violence, narcissistic abuse, and individuals who are presently experiencing these issues.

    I find that the most healing occurs within the therapeutic relationship, where building safety is half the work, after which we focus on processing the trauma and integrating its learnings.

    I utilize a psychodynamic and somatic approach in healing trauma, using top-down talk therapy and also covering the bottom-up body-based therapy.

  • Yes, I have run support groups for individuals with bipolar and depression, and have seen hundreds of individuals in my time working with this population.

    For depression, we get to the root cause of why you’re feeling the way you are and go from there.

    For bipolar disorder, therapy can focus on understanding individual patterns and triggers, recognizing early warning signs, supporting routines and stress management, navigating relationships and identity, and developing strategies for reducing the impact of future episodes. I also work with your psychiatrist to ensure you are supported from a variety of angles.

  • Yes, as a highly sensitive person myself I understand the value of having someone supporting you who truly understands the depths of what you’re going through.

    In therapy, we work together on what your major sources of distress and discomfort are as a Highly Sensitive Person. We also focus on your strengths and gifts as a Highly Sensitive Person.

  • Yes, I offer therapy for therapists with lived experience of mental health concerns and neurodivergence. I also run groups for therapists with lived experience to help them succeed in this work while healing from their own mental health issues.

    In addition to this, I offer supervision to early-career therapists.

  • Yes! As someone who has lived abroad for twenty years and then moved back to my home country, I have lived experience of what it’s like being a stranger in another and your own country.

    I can support you as we navigate this journey together through helping you determine what your cultural values are, navigating culture shock, adjusting to the day-to-day differences of living in a new place, and more.

 FAQs

Therapy intensives (extended sessions)

 

  • A therapy intensive with me is an extended session of 3-4 hours of deep processing that involves an in-depth exploration of your core patterns, a deep dive into your (unmet) needs and childhood experiences, and somatic exploration of the nervous system as well as grounding and visualization exercises. There are always 2-3 breaks in between to help pace yourself and maintain energy and attention.

    These sessions are usually less frequent than regular therapy sessions that occur weekly. I usually schedule intensives once a month or just once or twice as a one-off. They are a great way to learn about yourself on a deeper level and create new patterns in your life.

  • Therapy intensives are particularly suited to people who are looking to dedicate focused time and attention to a specific area of their lives. They can be helpful when you're feeling stuck in a recurring pattern, navigating a significant life transition, working through a particular relationship or decision, or wanting to explore an issue more deeply than a weekly session allows.

    Intensives can also be a good fit for people who have already done therapy and want to focus on a specific area of their personal growth, or for those who have limited availability for ongoing weekly sessions.

    They offer a contained space for deeper exploration, reflection, and meaningful movement around something that matters to you.

  • Regular therapy involves weekly sessions of 45-50 minutes each. They are particularly good for maintenance of stability, but can often create interruptions when one is desiring to do deeper work that usually takes longer.

  • An intensive can be tailored around a specific area of your life that you want to understand, shift, or move through more deeply. This might include relationship patterns, major life transitions or decisions, burnout, emotional overwhelm, self-worth, boundaries, perfectionism, recurring patterns that leave you feeling stuck, or experiences (traumatic or otherwise) that you'd like to process with more focused attention.

    We can also use an intensive to explore a particular issue you've been circling in regular therapy, or to create space for deeper reflection when something in your life feels especially important or time-sensitive.

    The focus is collaborative. We decide together what would be most meaningful and useful to dedicate the intensive to.

 FAQs

fees, booking, and policies

 

  • My fees vary depending on the service offered, whether you’re in India or abroad, and length of the session. I do offer limited lower cost fees based on availability.

    50 minute therapy session: 3500 rs India/$75 abroad

    Therapy intensives: 12,000 rs India/$200 abroad

    Intensives for therapists with lived experience: 15,000 rs India/$300 abroad

    Worldwide coaching: $180 per hour

  • Yes, I do offer 15-20 minute consult calls for those looking to gauge whether we would be a good fit.

    Book your consult call by submitting this form. I will reach out within 2 business days.

  • You can click here to submit a form with your details, including what you’re looking for, and we can book a consultation thereafter. I will reach out to you within 2 business days.

  • I offer reduced-fee slots for those in financial need depending on availability of slots.

Disclaimer

Online services including this website are not suitable for crises or for emergencies. I would request you to visit the nearest mental health center or call one these helplines:

Tele-MANAS service is available at 14416 / 1800-891-4416, including 24/7 tele-mental-health support

MannTalks - +918686139139. They are open from 9 am to 6 pm.

Vandrevala Foundation - 9999666555 (Calling). WhatsApp - +1(256)6662142. They are open 24x7 and all days of the week.

Sangath - 011-41198666. They are available from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Connecting Trust - +919922001122, +919922004305. They are open from 12:00 pm till 8:00 pm and all days of the week.