Shaifali Sandhya, PhD. 

Hello,

 

Are you feeling: down, depleted, or discouraged?; unable to relax?; life is in limbo?; discomfort at not being where you think you ought to be?; not as happy as you should be?, and despite your professional success, unsettled?

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Do you also believe that you can experience more - more happiness, positive self-esteem, and a better you...? In our unprecedented times and in the discontent they churn, I invite you to explore your soul and to embark on your adventure of self-exploration by scheduling your appointment. 

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I am a skilled psychologist seasoned in drawing out inner matters to help you break impasses in your life and relationships. My clinical services provide solutions and strategies for individuals, couples, and families for their relief, restoration, and growth. Whether it is working with you to repair your broken heart, parsing existential dilemmas, developing a greater insight into your symptoms, or curbing familiar-but-unproductive patterns in practical ways, I provide a compassionate and caring environment where your repair and healing can begin.  I have over twenty years of experience in curating growth, recovery, and success of individuals and families. My multicultural expertise has been honed through interviews with hundreds of diverse individuals, interracial couples, and families spanning two decades from Greenland to India to the Faroe Islands. 

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My clients come from many walks of life. They range from kids as young as nine years old, to portfolio managers, professional athletes, film directors, students, surgeons, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. They can be driven and talented individuals who may be experiencing challenges with:  managing stress, communication, self-esteem, addictions (food, substance abuse, or sexual); or, those grappling with long-term effects of trauma (rape, domestic violence, torture, gaslighting, captivity, abduction, childhood abuse, or war and conflict); to those coping with life stressors, such as divorce, a child's addiction, the coronavirus pandemic, a parent's illness, death of #GeorgeFloyd. I also enjoy working with diverse individuals and modalities: people of color,  biracial couples, and those who may continue to struggle with micro-aggressions, issues of equity, and social justice. Despite their differential ascription to religion, culture, sexual orientation, or spiritualism, what is similar across my patients is that they are aware of their need to change their environments or themselves, and desire a caring and personalized environment to repair and grow. 

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I combine strategy and insight to help you develop greater access to yourself, boost your self-awareness as well as listen better to others and enhance your positive emotional connectivity with others. What is the life you want? What does 'meaningful' mean to you?...in therapy these are only some questions you begin to reflect on, to create a compass for your future decisions by connecting the dots from your past. I provide a high-caliber,  smart, empathic, gentle, and comfortable ambience that allows for introspection.

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Each of us has our unique ways of suffering. Challenged by distress, some of us can tend to go to dark places, imagine the worst, tend to overthink, and feel trapped in hopeless mental spots; and others may express distress through bodily symptoms such as tension headaches, clenched jaw or teeth-grinding,​ or fatigue. Often times there is a great lag time between when symptoms first appeared in your life to when you will start to seek treatment. When important issues lay buried and health concerns are delayed, one's quality of life may suffer. Covid-19 and its variants have turned the world upside down but it has also amplified our society's need to reconsider mental health as an essential and continuous medical relationship.

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Generally, three obstacles can delay mental health treatment: For one, seeking a therapist or staying in therapy is never easy. There may be secrets we may keep from ourselves as some inner matters may be too sensitive or painful to expose. Two, in some cultures there may also be shame or stigma associated with seeing a clinical psychologist. Three, it can also be daunting to search from a slew of professionals with varying qualifications and orientations. Not all doctors are alike, nor is their training and how they conduct therapy.

 

Mental health interventions have proven successful for individuals from different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. Disclosure of the mental health struggles of famous personalities and celebrities, such as Prince Harry, Michele Obama, Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark of Game of Thrones), Lady Gaga, Michael Phelps, J.K. Rowling, and so forth, have assisted in alleviating the stigma. Denial, shame, and fear can keep us disconnected from ourselves and in places of pain. 

 

Hearing stories of how others struggle can also normalize that you are not alone when you seek help. There are additional advantages to psychotherapeutic support by a cultural, clinical, and relational psychologist such as myself in contrast to someone not versed in culture or relationships. You gain to understand how society, family, and social conditions can play a role in constructing your emotional world and its dilemmas, and lessen any feelings of self-recrimination. You gain to grow through understanding your past and present impact on significant others. To achieve the necessary inner dialogs, I believe a trusting relationship with your therapist is paramount. If necessary, I will collaborate with your primary care doctors, teachers, sponsors, parents, and partners to develop a unique and wholesome tailored mental health treatment plan for you. 

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I understand how hard it is to make that first call to a therapist. Participating in therapy is a personal and private choice. My approach is free of judgment and harnesses a multi-national understanding of being to kindle greater psychological growth with finesse and nuance, and yet with sensitivity and directness. While psychiatrists are mostly specialists of medication management, clinical psychologists are trained in the art of understanding and evaluating human behavior through psychotherapy. Cultivating a strong mind is more than being book smart or being good at what you do.

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I love what I do. As your therapist too, I will get to partake in your small or big joys - the birth of your baby, the thrill of saving a life after performing an intense surgery, healing of a heartbreak, being a better caregiver for your elderly parent, or shedding an old pattern of accepting disrespect. As you re-write the narrative of your life, conjure a poem, quell your monkey mind to make it through an entire book and enjoy the satisfaction of sleeping fitfully through the night, I am humbled by the transformations my patients achieve and honored when they turn a particularly challenging corner. I believe our most glorious satisfaction in life unfolds with attaining psychological skills. 

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My patients strive to overcome barriers to gain success through investing in themselves, understanding how their past might play into their present and future, developing keener capacities of listening, self-awareness, delving into subtexts, and communicating their needs better with their loved ones for authentic connections with themselves and others. Building one's mental health skill set percolates success in many other domains: friendships, family, peers, marriage, and professional domains. 

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Therapy is one of the most powerful investments you can make in your life. Since our behavior impacts those we love, investing in therapy is the most compassionate endeavor we can undertake. Sometimes requiring that something or someone else change can begin with yourself. Even when you can't control what's happening, you can still control the way you respond, and, you can feel more empowered to make sound decisions in your life.

 

I hope that you will make this important investment in yourself. I invite you to take the first step in your journey of self-exploration. 

 

Regards, Dr. Sandhya

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Resume Dr. Sandhya