As an Indo-Canadian the push and pull between the Eastern and Western cultures has always been a topic of discussion in my upbringing and also in my approach to therapy, in seeking and providing services. From being an immigrant at one point in life, I can understand and empathize with the experiences of wanting to fit in yet still trying to hold onto some of the major pieces to my cultural upbringing. Growing up South Asian and being able to experience therapy as a client has shaped me to be the therapist that I am today. I believe in breaking cycles, barriers, and advocating for the greater good, and that means I put that effort into my work with my clients. Through my own healing was when I first understood what it means to be heard, whether it was breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma, inequalities between gender roles, or confusion around my religious views. 

I believe that each and every one of these cultural pieces have made me into the person I am today. But, I also find it in me to say that I was able to experience therapy myself in order to help others like me who have constantly heard “it is not okay to go to therapy and share your personal life with anyone,” to help shift this tabooed conversation in the South Asian community into a more positive one. It is OKAY to share your personal life with someone who can help build that trusting relationship with you, and it is also okay to express your feelings when you feel like you are being pressured to do more than what you can fit on your plate. Being in therapy should not and will not label you for who you are just because you have heard otherwise. Learning this myself, I understood therapy was not a quick fix or something that my therapist could do for me. It involved my full participation and eagerness to change my circumstances into a more positive and uplifting one. Whether it is physical, emotional, social, mental, or spiritual, it is all welcomed in this space. Sometimes the roads will look rougher than usual and sometimes they will look smoother, but who is to say that you can’t fix a broken road? It may not be an overnight fix but it will be a long-term change in the right direction.