In one line, therapy helps you become the best version of yourself.
Applying radical imagination, a concept that pushes us to imagine what the societies we live in should be like, regardless of how far-removed they may be from that vision, I like to visualise a world where seeking therapy is coded into all of our lives. A world where therapy is not associated with ‘weakness’. Frankly, because of the stigma attached to it even now, I think the decision to look for a therapist requires courage and self-awareness.
Therapy opens up ways of exploring happier, healthier and more fulfilling relationships with oneself and with others in one’s life. At the same time, since the pandemic and its aftermath, I have found it important to recognise how much our external reality has changed after 2020. We live amidst wars devastating different countries, regions and communities, with inequity, discrimination based on gender and sexual identity, and with climate change. Along with the personal challenges we were navigating we have had to also struggle with extreme instability in our external environment. This is bound to cause anxiety, helplessness and hopelessness. I believe it is important for a therapist to acknowledge the uniqueness of these circumstances when working with clients.
My approach to therapy is personal, not impersonal. The space shared between a client and a therapist is one of trust, vulnerability and responsibility. A client may share things about their life they have shared with few people before, or possibly with no one earlier. A responsible therapist in turn will never discuss what their clients share with anyone – confidentiality is imperative. The space is safe, respectful, with communication guidelines defined and put into practice by both therapist and client. It’s a deeply personal space but it isn’t a personal relationship and a good therapist is able to set this boundary affirmatively and with kindness.
Equitability informs my work as well. Therapy should not be priced so high that one must calculate how many sessions one can afford and then feel a financial pressure of sorts to, for example, address one’s needs in the ten sessions one has budgeted for. Pricing should allow for the option of a long relationship because therapy shouldn’t be weighed down by a pre-determined timestamp. Simultaneously, session charges should be equitable for the counsellor too because otherwise their expertise is undervalued and not considered important enough to invest in. Striking a balance between these two ends of the spectrum is integral to my practice.