LPC, 5 years of experience
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor with a passion for helping people navigate life after adversity. My career has taken me from crisis response in refugee communities, to adolescent inpatient care; from the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone to supporting my clients and patients around the world. This journey has given me a deep understanding of resilience, cultural humility, and the many ways trauma can shape — but not define — our lives. In therapy, I create a safe, collaborative space grounded in trauma-informed care and cultural humility, where your story is honored and your strengths take center stage. I draw on practical tools, somatic strategies, and emotional attunement to support healing from anxiety, intrusive thoughts, relational challenges, and the impact of traumatic experiences. Whether you are seeking immediate relief or long-term transformation, I will meet you where you are and help you build the skills, insights, and confidence to move forward with clarity, curiosity and hope.
Your first session is a gentle introduction to therapy, designed to create a safe and supportive space where you feel heard and respected. We’ll start by getting to know each other—talking about what brought you to therapy and exploring your current concerns at a pace that feels comfortable for you. I’ll ask some questions about your well-being, background, and what you hope to get from therapy, but you always control how much you share. There’s no pressure to dive into difficult or traumatic details right away. My priority is to build trust and help you feel emotionally safe. We’ll also discuss what our work together might look like, your past experiences with therapy, and answer any questions you have about our time together. By the end of the session, we’ll begin shaping a plan tailored to your goals, preferences, and needs. Expect a collaborative, nonjudgmental environment where your boundaries are honored and your strengths are recognized. Therapy is a journey that unfolds one step at a time, and the first session is simply the first step toward healing, growth, and resilience.
My greatest strengths as a therapist come from a rare combination of lived experience, cross-cultural competence, and extensive professional training in trauma-informed care and international disaster psychology. Raised navigating multiple cultural identities, I developed an early ability to embrace discomfort and adapt sensitively to new cultural environments—skills that profoundly inform my therapeutic approach. My journey living and working in challenging, unfamiliar cultural contexts—from growing up in a predominantly white community as a Muslim immigrant, to volunteering in a remote village in Sierra Leone, to providing trauma-informed therapy to refugees and diverse populations—has given me an authentic understanding of cultural humility and resilience. These experiences sharpened my capacity for self-reflection, holding assumptions lightly, and forging genuine human connections even across complex cultural divides. Professionally, my extensive clinical work with trauma-affected individuals in inpatient, community, and teletherapy settings allows me to skillfully integrate evidence-based trauma-sensitive techniques, somatic methods, and grounding strategies tailored to each client’s unique story and cultural background. I bring a client-centered, collaborative style focused on celebrating strengths, fostering safety, and guiding clients toward practical resilience and healing. What truly sets me apart is my multidisciplinary perspective combining international field experience, advanced academic training, and on-the-ground crisis intervention. This enables me not only to support individuals healing from direct and inherited trauma but also to consult, design, and advocate for trauma-informed programs in diverse humanitarian and community settings. In short, my approach is grounded in empathy built from real-world experience, cultural responsiveness rooted in personal insight, and clinical expertise cultivated through rigorous training and diverse practice. I’m committed to partnering with clients to navigate life's toughest challenges with compassion, clarity, and empowerment.
I am best positioned to serve individuals who are ready to embark on a healing journey from trauma, anxiety, and relational difficulties. My ideal clients often have experienced significant life stressors, including past trauma, cultural displacement, or complex emotional challenges, and are seeking a compassionate, culturally sensitive therapeutic approach that honors their unique backgrounds and stories. Clients who thrive in my care are those looking for a safe, supportive space where they can feel truly seen and understood. They value collaboration and are open to exploring practical skills along with somatic and trauma-sensitive interventions designed to promote nervous system regulation, resilience, and empowerment. I work effectively with diverse populations, including adults and youth from varied cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, refugees and asylees, and those navigating the aftermath of disaster or crisis. Whether you’re seeking relief from overwhelming thoughts, building coping strategies for anxiety, or working to reclaim your strength after trauma, I’m here to support you with empathy, respect, and clinical expertise. Together we’ll tailor your therapy to your goals, pace, and cultural context to foster meaningful growth, safety, and lasting change.
My integrative approach to therapy is deeply informed by trauma-informed care and cultural humility, grounded in international disaster psychology and extensive clinical experience with trauma-affected populations. I blend evidence-based trauma-sensitive principles with somatic strategies, grounding techniques, and polyvagal theory to create a flexible, client-centered framework adapted to each individual’s unique needs and contexts. In practice, I prioritize safety, empowerment, and respect for each client’s cultural background and lived experience. Rather than adhering rigidly to any single modality, I assess presenting concerns, personality, and preferences to tailor interventions that support nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and resilience. My work centers on creating a collaborative, transparent therapeutic space where clients feel heard, understood, and equipped with practical skills that align with their values and goals. This integrative approach allows me to address trauma symptoms, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and relational challenges holistically, fostering lasting growth and meaningful change in a culturally sensitive and trauma-aware manner.
My approach to therapy is deeply rooted in cultural sensitivity and humility, reflecting my graduate training in international disaster psychology and extensive clinical experience working with diverse populations. I prioritize understanding each client’s unique cultural context, values, and identity as essential components of their healing process. In practice, I create a safe, respectful, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel affirmed and understood within their cultural and systemic realities. I strive to recognize how cultural factors—such as race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, religion, and historical trauma—influence mental health and shape clients’ experiences. This awareness guides me in tailoring interventions that are respectful, relevant, and empowering. By centering cultural sensitivity, I help clients explore and integrate their identities while navigating the impact of systemic oppression, discrimination, or cultural challenges. This framework supports building resilience and healing through increased self-awareness, validation, and connection to cultural strengths and community resources.
My therapeutic approach is strongly grounded in trauma-informed care principles, informed by my graduate training in international disaster psychology and extensive clinical work with trauma-affected individuals. I recognize the pervasive impact trauma can have on mental health, behavior, and relationships, and I prioritize creating a safe, supportive, and empowering environment for clients. In practice, I focus on understanding the complex ways trauma influences each client’s experience, including how it affects nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and interpersonal dynamics. I intentionally incorporate strategies that promote safety, choice, and collaboration, ensuring that clients feel respected and in control throughout the therapeutic process. By integrating trauma-informed practices, I help clients develop skills for grounding, emotional regulation, and resilience while honoring the individual’s pace and capacity for healing. This approach fosters trust, reduces retraumatization, and supports meaningful recovery by recognizing each person’s strengths and cultural context.