about me

Hi, I’m Shama

As a first generation South Asian female, I’ve had to identify my own boundaries (and hold them! #processtoprogress, right?), learning to differentiate myself culturally and gender-wise. From my own personal and professional experiences, I’ve learned that it can be really hard to get unstuck or feel connected when our own experiences of things get shut down, and it’s hard to figure out how to move forward with that barrier.

While I absolutely believe that our experiences are something we should feel justified in, we don’t exist in isolation—everyone feels that their experiences should be the ones that count. How then do we navigate these complex tasks, where we strive to feel ourselves matter while understanding others as well?

Simple, but not easy: therapy.

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When was the last time you slowed down enough to really experience your feelings with no pressure to rush to the next thing?

Therapy with me is an invitation to slow down

My approach to therapy is to get to know you, the client, first in order to hear your narrative and help identify themes that pop up and contribute to how you think, feel, behave, and interact today. We then discuss the best way for you to move forward.

I encourage my clients to feel comfortable asking me questions because relationships are key when it comes to therapy. In fact, I believe relationships are key in all areas of life (more on that later). Not every therapist you meet will be a match for you, so it’s important to ask questions to assess whether they are a good fit.

I use an integration of different modalities to help me better understand the person in front of me. These modalities allow me to think with more flexibility and not fit into a square, instead hearing you as your own person. They also allow me a way in to help make our process together more experiential and to help us better understand what comes up for you, how this affects your current narrative, and how to transform your narrative to move in the direction you want to move in.

No matter what your reason is for seeking therapy, you deserve someone to witness your truth without reaction. You might be unsure whether you’re justified being in therapy. You might tell yourself that things aren’t really that bad and that you’re okay. But allowing someone to just be there with you creates the space to look at your expectations, thoughts, and feelings, and see what you want to do with them.

There’s something valuable in having someone be part of your journey to help you explore what your narrative is and how it is affected by patterns and dynamics that affect all of us.

Credentials

Masters in General Psychology
Masters in Social Work

What’s the difference between psychology and social work? Glad you asked! Psychology focuses on theories of human behavior, which is certainly a big part of the therapeutic equation. My background in social work takes it one step further to consider the clients who walk through my door holistically. What’s going on in the world outside of our immediate behaviors (diversity, social justice, cultural background) has a very real impact on well-being, and I’m trained to look at that too.

Outside of the therapy room, I can be found:

Reading, traveling, knitting, and watching TV (I’m human too!). One of my guilty pleasures is The Bachelor. I also follow @backtolovedoc, a psychologist that focuses on attachment styles and applies it to the show, integrating two of my passions!
Spending time with friends and family, especially in the kitchen cooking.
Did I already say reading? Seriously, I’m a voracious reader. I’d happily bring my books to the dinner table and ignore everything else around me given the chance.
Laughing at myself—the thing I do most to help stay grounded is use my humor, because if I can’t laugh at me, then who can!