Private Psychological Consultation for Executives, Physicians, and Complex Partnerships
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Shaifali Sandhya, PhD

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY FOR INSIGHT, STABILITY, & SUCCESS

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What is the life you want? What does 'meaningful' mean to you? How do you begin your healing?...

 

From the seemingly benign to the more profound, people have their own desire from their journey of self-exploration. Research indicates that successful psychotherapy results in an improved mood, greater intimacy, deeper introspection, enhanced well-being and quality of life, long after therapy ends. Investing early in your mental health through psychotherapy can result in increased commitment, joy and being authentically connected with yourself and the world around you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who I Work With:

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• High-achieving professionals

• Physicians and healthcare workers

• Immigrants and bicultural adults

• Individuals navigating identity or relationship strain

• Those recovering from trauma or burnout

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Common Concerns:

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• Anxiety and overthinking

• Burnout

• Critical incident stress management (natural death, accidental death of a loved one, suicide, workplace violence, natural disaster, and environmental catastrophes)

• Depression

• Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia)

• Emotional numbness

• Grief, loss, and bereavement

• Impulse-control (challenges like trichotillomania, hair-pulling)

• Infidelity and affairs

• Identity  (gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual individuals)

• Illness (coping by patient and caregivers)

• Imposter syndrome

• Phobias, panic attacks, and fears (such as those of painful sex or vaginismus, a condition that affects a woman's ability to engage in sexual intercourse)

• Reproductive and relational health (pertaining to invitro fertilization; egg donor assessment; sexual dysfunction; communication and intimacy)

• Relationship dissatisfaction 

• Self-esteem (positive body image or positive self-worth)

• Trauma and trauma responses (Sexual trauma, rape, and assault; captivity and abduction)

 

My Approach:

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I emphasize evidence-based therapy and incorporate multiple frameworks like trauma-informed therapy, psychodynamic and relational approaches towards your holistic health. 

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What To Expect: 

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Whether you are new to therapy or have had previous therapy experiences, I begin by providing you with a brief primer on what you can expect from psychotherapy. A personalized treatment of depression for anxiety starts with an initial intake, depression/anxiety screening, followed by twelve sessions 50-minute confidential sessions in a HIPAA-compliant platform towards your uniquely tailored plan. ​

 

Vignettes

*names/identifying details have been changed

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Matt: Overcoming Long-Term Depression One Day at a Time

 

Matt is a 28-year old Caucasian, heterosexual male who seeks psychotherapy to alleviate and manage his depression. Matt used to be a highly talented athlete at his high school and University; he was a three-time hockey player, one of the top baseball players for his state winning a Division 1st scholarship. His mother's long-term illness and eventual passing away caused Matt to drop out of college and once the "golden child" at his schools, Matt now feels he "lost a decade of his life." As his depression soared, "I started to turn it inwards and not take care of myself," he confides. In the last decade, Matt saw his friends being married and launch their careers "while I have trouble getting out bed," he shares. He is experiencing low mood, loss of interest in activities he once enjoyed, low energy, and has difficulty concentrating as "getting motivated is hard and I find a way to to get out." In therapy, Matt wants to focus on taking small steps for now such as building his own accountability to himself, be a better family member and friend, manage his rollercoaster or the daily ups and downs, get in better shape and get a job. 

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Chris: Trying to Stay 'Above Water' Through Divorce 

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"I started freaking out midweek," confided Chris, a 53-year trader. "When Carol's attorney served me divorce papers at my company in granted, an unmarked envelope, "I felt the room closing in on me... I couldn't breathe.... I walked in a shock to the bathroom and threw up." I called Carol and said, 'I think I'm having a heart attack.' She said 'You're just having a panic attack. Go see a therapist.' I thought to myself, 'Why is Carol doing this?,' Why am I putting up with this?' Chris and Carol have been married ten years, have three children and live in a beautiful mansion in Evanston. Their marital troubles began five years ago when Chris discovered Carol had a one night stand. "But I had hoped that the worst was behind us." I told myself, 'The chips are going to fall where they're going to fall,' and yet, divorce is not what Chris, a conservative professional with parents who have been married over four decades had expected of his future. As a successful trader Chris understands only too well that "you cannot let individual failure bring you down," but executing his "philosophies in his personal life are an entirely different matter." Chris reflects how he has grown more controlling in the last three decades and with therapy post-divorce, he wishes to reflect on the past, to be a better father to his children, and compartmentalize his personal life from his professional life. 

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Bob: Professional Success but Personal Impasse With a Self-Obsessed CEO

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When Bob's wife couldn't see him in a 'rut' and 'not the Bob I know',' she pushed for him to seek therapy. 'Why not give therapy a chance,' she prodded, 'to jumpstart some change that you're looking for?' Bob is in his 50's, a senior-level executive working for a Forbes top 50 CEO's  in California who advertises tag-lines such as "fearless," "innovative," and "fun" as their company's moral compass. "The reality is very different," shares Bob. The culture is in fact, opaque, unaccountable, unempathic with disregard for it's employees. Bob is compensated "very well" and holds a "prominent position" but he worries 'I should be more happy.' He reflects how he used to be a "go getter" and "confident" in a stark contrast to his current condition. "I have everything I could want so why aren't I more happy?" asks Bob, and seeks therapy to understand his disenchantment and loss of confidence. 

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Laila: Exploring Sexual Identity

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Coming out as "queer" for Laila, now 21-years old was a difficult process. She was raised in a religious, conservative Saudi Muslim family. For many years she lived in secrecy, intent on keeping this information about her sexual identity from her parents and from her Arab society. Being queer was an important part of her identity, Laila was discovering, and it was affecting her life choices, and her gender experience was not simply being male or female. In the meantime, Laila's parents found out that she was "queer" and they were struggling to understand her and the situation. Laila seeks therapy to communicate her expectations and values to her family while at the same time, being respectful of theirs

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Rahul: Exploring What "Indian-American" Means

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Rahul is 31-years old, American entrepreneur in Silicon Valley with roots in India. He belongs to a high caste family in South India and his parents, both doctors migrated to the US in the 1970's to Cleveland, Ohio. He is in an interracial interfaith relationship and faces resistance from his orthodox family who threaten to disown him if he goes ahead with marrying his fiance. "It is against our culture, our caste, and religion," they tell him. However, Rahul is in love with his fiance and firmly believes that given their spiritual alignment, they would be a good match for each other. As the only son in his family, Rahul has to negotiate traditional customs and obligations passed down through the males in his family with his American identity. While in his extended family, marriage was a family affairs, he struggles with reconciling it with his own conception of marriage, of individual happiness, prejudice and historical baggage- "Marriage ought to happen only to make you more happy."

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Jhongo Lee: Panic Attacks Threaten Work Relationships and Performance

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Jhongo, 30-years old, was born and raised in Shanghai, China but came to the United States to study at the University of Chicago's Business School. Following graduation when he started working at an elite consulting firm, "is when things started to fall apart." He started to have the same panic attacks he experienced in high school when he would sweat profusely, experienced great nervousness and felt that "everyone thinks I'm stupid." In his first few months at work, Jhongo experienced some very real challenges given"my English wasn't very good," and he started to realize with horror, that unlike business school where people were more considerate, "this is real." He told himself, "I'm not going to crack," but was unable to cope with the debilitating effects of growing anxiety - lack of sleep, feeling like he was going to throw up, lost appetite, and a "heavy head." He also found himself ruminating over a woman who did not seem to reciprocate his romantic feelings towards her. Therapy helped Jhongo identify negative thoughts that were affecting his personal growth, dysfunctional relational patterns, and provide a supporting environment so he could seek out positive relationships.​​

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Karen: Emotional Abuse In An Upscale Marriage

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Ten years ago Karen, a pretty and educated 55-year old homemaker moved towns with her two daughters and two dogs to be in a relationship with Michael. Michael was a successful CEO of a national insurance company with boyish charm and flyaway curls. Having lost her first husband to cancer, Karen basked in his adoration, wining-dining and flying to exotic locations in Europe in Michael's private jet during their 3-month courtship. "At the back of my head was a thought, 'if its too good to be true, it usually is!' Still, when Michael proposed to her on a yacht in the Mediterranean, she brushed that nagging thought away. "Soon after Michael's rage episodes started where he would verbally abuse me." He would be "screaming obscenities at me or calling me stupid and worthless." At first she tried to ignore them but when they became relentless, she found that her pointing out his mean behaviors only seem to exacerbate them. Karen attempted to separate herself "so as not to provoke him." After these episodes there was no remorse and no apologies after.  Once when she recommended he attend therapy for "anger issues," he dragged her by the hair and humiliated her by bringing up embarrassing details about her at a dinner party with their friends and family. The periods of abuse were always followed by by an expensive vacation, fancy hotels and posh dinners. "Outside, the world sees Michael as a wonderful, gentle and nice man who dotes on me." Karen sought therapy for "dealing with a man who has mistreated you for ten years." The stealth of abuse, the stigma around battered wife syndrome, and concerns of privacy, wealthy women like Karen tend to face unique challenges in getting out of abusive relationships such as being believed by friends and family when they do find the courage to share; they also fear being cut of finances or access to their children in long-drawn out conflictual divorce proceedings with abusive but affluent partners who are often also, best equipped to manipulate the judicial system in their favor.

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Lydia: "I'm Embarrassed By Just Being Me"

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Lydia is a 28-years old, manager in a multinational technology company who has grappled with a binge-eating disorder most of her adult life. She earns a six-figure salary, is appreciated by her supervisors, is considered an "influencer" at work, and is married. Yet, despite her successes, Lydia is "very critical" of herself, has a "hard time feeling comfortable," with her body, material and professional success and frequently compares herself to others. She describes herself as "very sensitive with very high EQ."  When Lydia feels down, under crippling anxiety she "cannot stop eating" whether its consuming large quantities of potato chips, doughnuts, or several boxes of candy. Unhealthy eating habits triggered by great anxiety set her up to obsesses over the negative aspects of her life. She would like therapy to "give her tools to manage her urges," stop engaging in feelings that don't enhance my life," and "be more kinder towards myself."

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Robert: Dealing With Child Sexual Abuse

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Robert is 50-years old and a senior manager at a bank in Chicago. When he was seven years old, Robert recalls being fondled and touched inappropriately by his brother's friend. The trauma was repetitive and lasted throughout his teenage years. It was only when he went away to college that Robert was able to escape it. For many years after, Robert was unable to share details of the trauma with anyone and instead, internalized it and blamed himself for inviting it. After those incidents, Robert would feel “extremely mortified, and disgusted with himself, and confused." Robert feels damaged and despite his successes, feels his "voice has been silenced." He seeks out psychotherapy to discover his voice, to reclaims parts of himself that were destroyed as a result of repeated sexual assaults, and to not feel self-conscious and unsure of himself. 

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