One common misconception that people usually come in with is that the therapist will give them solutions and answers to all their problems. However, therapy is not about giving solutions. It is rather about empowering the individual by helping them understand themselves, the problem and where it is coming from better. This gradually results in the individual being able to problem-solve.

I am told that I am quite humorous by nature. Depending on the comfort of the individual, I do like to use it in my sessions.

Creating a safe, non-judgmental and supportive space is one of the most important things that I do in therapy. Firstly, I focus on building a rapport with the client rather than directly diving into the problem. I also try to provide clients with my authentic presence and unconditional positive regard to make them feel safe and comfortable. I do indulge in a little bit of self-disclosure when necessary.

If the client feels hesitant to open up, I respect that. I don’t force them to open up/ speak about things that make them feel uncomfortable. I rather try to build a rapport good enough that the client feels comfortable to speak about the most uncomfortable issues.

There are a couple of things that I do to ensure my own well-being. Firstly, I take breaks when needed. I don’t overwhelm myself with a lot of sessions during the day. I rather take a fixed number of sessions according to my comfort which helps me stay connected with all my clients. I also do a lot of self-care in the form of yoga and travelling. I don’t work on weekends which gives me space to work on myself as well.

A book that I love reading and am reading currently is “The body keeps the score” by Bessel van der Kolk.

“We grow through what we go through”
“The body remembers”