Before being a psychotherapist, I had worked in sales and finance, and in my last job before grad school, I was working for an investment bank for many years in the commercial real estate mortgage industry. In all my previous business jobs, the one thread I had in common and enjoyed was working with people and listening to their problems related to family, money, or their health.
I realized my favorite aspect of the jobs I had in corporate America was connecting with people and listening about their life and struggles. They shared how easy they felt opening up to me about their problems. This information made me realize that I needed to go back to school to gain knowledge and tools that were evidence based to help people, aligning my natural gift being a people’s person with psychology. This insight made the transition to mental health and psychotherapy natural and exciting!
The challenge I had to overcome was to let go of practices that made me successful in business but not helpful in being a therapist. I was fortunate to have some great professors, and one who pointed out for example, that not all things can be planned exactly in life (i.e., on a spreadsheet) and flexibility is one of the best traits I can adapt to in being a good therapist. I feel I have come a long way.
I work with the adult population who are in their 20’s, midlife, and also elderly treating depression, anxiety, struggles with life transitions, grief/loss, burnout, and women’s mental health including postpartum and fertility issues. I enjoy the variety and the challenges in each of the age groups, however over the years, my focus and attention has been heavily with men or women in their midlife ranging from 35-60 years of age caring for multiple generations in their life. In addition to working with individuals, I also provide traditional couples therapy as well as co-lead therapy for couples involving two clinicians and the couple. Over the years, I have also lead process groups and support groups for women.
I have been part of the Women’s Center in Vienna, VA for over a decade and at a private practice in Arlington, VA for over a year and a half. In addition to being a wife, a mom to two girls, I have found in my work that I really enjoy and treat the group in midlife that is referred to as the sandwich generation the most rewarding. I have written on the topic and speak often on how this group is facing many challenges.
I feel this group needs a lot of support due to them being caretakers for different generations at the same time, leaving these individuals feeling burnt out and stressed. They are struggling with feeling overwhelmed more than ever before. Juggling taking care of their own aging parents while raising their children and trying to manage all their relationships and careers [takes a toll on midlife individuals]. I have written an article for VMHCA on this topic and went further in providing concrete suggestions especially when working with South Asian clients.
My experience at Marymount was most influenced by learning from some of the best professors. Dr. Bernstein and a few other professors had a great impact on my professional development. I also found that there were many opportunities to get involved in for me such as presenting research at conferences, being part of Chi Sigma Iota, and working with advisors to line up some of the best internships in the area.
Attending the counseling program helped me grow not only professionally but also personally, from the classes, professors, and professional opportunities, I feel it set a wonderful foundation to pursue a path as a therapist in whichever direction I wanted. For me, that was a blend of being in community mental health and private practice.
I have always enjoyed talking with people and meeting different personalities from a young age. With a background in business, what brought me into the field of counseling was realizing that what I enjoyed the most was listening to my clients and learning who they are and where they want to go. This awareness helped me finally make the change to the field.
