LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST (PSY28622)

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ADHD CERTIFIED CLINICAL SERVICES PROVIDER (ADHD - CCSP)

CERTIFIED FOCUSING-ORIENTED PROFESSIONAL/TRAINER

CERTIFIED FOCUSING-ORIENTED ARTS THERAPIST (FOAT®) PRACTITIONER 

EXPRESSIVE ARTS SPECIALIST

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My life experiences has been a guiding compass in which the countless failures and self-growth life lessons eventually led me to uncover my path to happiness in life.  It involved learning tools to:

 

• help discover my Sense of Self; 

• embrace my Authentic Self;

• achieve Wholeness via holistic-healing (i.e. mind-body-spirit);

• restore Balance into my stress-induced health issues (i.e. somaticization) 

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Despite the various ups and downs in my life -- whether it be life transitions, relationships/partnerships, career/professional "speed-bumps," acute/chronic health "hiccups" or being a Survivor of Suicide -- I tackled life's obstacles with a touchdown tenacity.  My resilency picked me up after every failure or dead-end at a life juncture, brushed off my emotional/egotistical bruises, and cheered me on "no harm, no foul, try again!"  

 

It took me awhile to learn these life lessons, but eventually, I learned life is not a smooth-linear journey; but rather, like a roller coaster, with unexpected twists and turns that are not always in my control.  A decade after I had graduated from undergrad and had been job-hopping (i.e. career shopping) for some years to no avail, I ended up in graduate school -- where I discovered the tools for self-empowerment as part of that journey.

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At the start of graduate school, I had no idea what it meant to be a clinical psychologist other than that it fueled my passion for listening to stories and helping people.  My graduate school was one of the very few that offered a doctorate clinical program with a specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy. It is here where all my jack-of-all-trades (i.e., various talents, interests, and skills) were integrated into a powerful profession for empowerment.  

 

Despite being born and brought up in the U.S., like many South Asians, I believed that therapy or seeking any mental health services was considered a huge stigma. In fact, my graduate program required their students to seek therapy and spiritual guidance, which took up the first 2 years of my graduate studies. Initially, this requirement nearly "freaked me out" as I had never done any kind of counseling or therapy in my life. Culturally-conditioned stigmas flooded my mind: "I am not crazy, I am normal, I don't need therapy...."   YET, I was so lost   and confused in my life; unhappy with its current circumstances; and riddled by all kinds of stress-induced health ailments THAT I sought solace in graduate school (in Clinical Psychology!).  What does that say about my self-awareness and the disconnect between the mind and the body?    

 

It was through therapy, self-care practices (e.g. dance, yoga, gluten-free/Ayurvedic diet, etc) and the mindfulness-based Focusing/FOAT® experiential practices integrated into my clinical studies that I found my true self (i.e., Authentic Self) and a life purpose that paved a path to my version of happiness in life. 

 

In a nutshell, I achieved happiness through empowerment and now, I want to help others uncover happiness and positivity in life through personal and professional empowerment in their own lives.​

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