“The unit of change is ‘we.’
The unit of resistance is also ‘we.'”
– Dr. Ravi Chandra
A wise mentor once told me “therapy is art in the medium of relationships.” I am an active therapist, and strive to keep my therapy engaged, warm and spacious. My patients may present with a specific complaint or condition that can be characterized by the DSM-V, or a specific relational issue or stressor, such as a problem in friendships, romantic relationships, or work, or even trauma in family or other relationships, but ultimately we are all on a quest for identity, belonging and wellness. The therapy space should be safe for both patient and therapist, in order to accommodate that unfolding and growth process towards greater happiness and stability as human beings. This depends on understanding you on several levels – biological, psychological, social, cultural and ‘spiritual,’ – and understanding how these components might be affected by personal and cultural wounds, past and current.
But mostly, therapy is a relationship with a trusted professional who respects you as an individual with experience and awareness of your own life, and who has genuine concern for your well-being. Out of that relationship built on trust comes growth and an increasing capacity to deal with life’s distress.
No one gets through life alone. There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman, though we may have had to develop enormous skills of resilience and self-reliance depending on what we’ve faced. We could all benefit from counseling, I think, for at least some time of our existence on Earth. Our “social beings” need nurturance. We aren’t just what we do or think about, though these shape identity, belonging and wellness as well.
“People become people through other people.”
– Ubuntu Proverb“We are who happens to us and what we make of the happening.”
“We make each other special with our time and attention.”
– Dr. Ravi Chandra“There is no such thing as a baby. There is a baby and someone.”
– Dr. John Bowlby, attachment theorist“I didn’t fight to become a free Black man. I fought to become myself”
– Steve Biko“Relationships are the highest form of spiritual practice.”
– Buddhist saying
We are always in relationship, from our first moments in life. Relationships shape us, and yet can be difficult and challenging. It can be difficult to find identity, belonging and wellness. It can be difficult to find love, wholeness and healing.
Allow me to help you on this path.
Why see a psychiatrist and not another kind of therapist? There are great therapists of all stripes, and I hope I count amongst them. But as an M.D., I can prescribe medications and order and interpret lab tests. I also have special interests and expertise in cultural issues, including issues related to identity (race, gender, class, religion/spirituality and family/cultural trauma, particularly for Asian Americans and others in the BIPOC communities, though I do also work extensively with people who have grown up in majority white communities, and immigrants, expats, refugees, and asylum-seekers as well) and also particular expertise in mindfulness, self-compassion, and compassion cultivation.