Philosophy
Perhaps you have reached the point in your journey of psychological healing and transformation in which you realize that you can only go so far in it alone. A relationship with an emotionally-attuned psychotherapist can be life changing if you are seeking lasting personal change and freedom from self-defeating patterns. Lasting change often involves traversing complex internal terrain while in the company of an attuned, compassionate witness.
I believe that an empathic relationship between the therapist and patient is vital for lasting change. Feeling deeply heard and able to trust one’s therapist is essential. I believe that understanding unconscious patterns and internal conflicts, when slowly and carefully uncovered, can help individuals to relieve current distress while fostering deep psychological growth by shifting long-standing patterns that no longer serve them. In addition, I believe that it is essential to name the impacts of cultural, societal, and systemic forces on our psychologies.
More formally, this means I primarily practice from a culturally-sensitive, psychodynamic orientation, while tailoring my approach to each patients’ unique needs. This approach to psychotherapy is supported by contemporary research in neuroscience and evidence-based psychotherapy research.
The goal of the treatment I offer is not only symptom reduction, but also greater flexibility, freedom, and choice in life.
Background & Training
I received my doctorate in clinical psychology from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium and my master’s degree in experimental psychology from Wake Forest University. Prior to my graduate training in psychology, I received both a BA in English Literature and a B.S. in Psychobiology from UCLA.
I completed my pre-doctoral internship at Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS) and my post-doctoral fellowship at the VA San Francisco Medical Center, both of which are APA-Accredited training sites.
I have experience conducting brief and long-term psychotherapy and psychological assessment in academic medical centers, Veteran's Affairs medical centers, community mental health, and college counseling settings.
Prior to pursuing clinical training in psychotherapy and psychological assessment, I served as a full-time research assistant at multiple labs in the fields of affective neuroscience and mood disorders in the Stanford Department of Psychology and the Stanford School of Medicine. As a graduate researcher in my master’s and doctoral programs, I conducted original research in the fields of developmental psychology, cultural psychology, and social psychology. I have co-authored multiple journal articles in peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to being a practicing psychologist, I am dedicated to fostering the growth of future psychologists while serving as an adjunct professor to doctoral students in clinical psychology.
I also have formal educational training in both literature and classical music performance, having completed full-time graduate work at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I have sung professionally in in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and continue to sing with groups around the Bay Area. My background in literature and music deeply inform my work as a psychologist.
Fluent in Bengali and the daughter of immigrants from India, I am fascinated by language, culture, and historical forces that shape the self.