ABOUT ME
I was born and raised in India and came to this country for my undergraduate and graduate education. I completed my undergraduate coursework at Marist College in Upstate New York after which I came to Santa Clara University for my graduate study. I graduated with my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family therapy in 1999. I have been practicing psychotherapy for over 8 years.
I have always felt close to humanity and felt passionate about being a helpful force in assisting people in finding their own solutions to their life problems. I bring into therapy my unique sense and experience of eastern and western counseling philosophies that helps me tailor therapy to suit my clients needs and way of life.
I believe that therapy can benefit people who deal with a range of issues from everyday stresses to serious life circumstances such as divorce or death. Therapy is a tool that can get one functioning back to a place where there is true satisfaction and contentment within oneself and one's life setting
I work from a humanistic school of thought also employing cognitive behavioral strategies to help my clients change old pain inducing patterns of thought and behavior. My counseling style involves providing my client with a safe and comfortable environment within which they develop psychological tools to effectively navigate difficult life, relationship or personal challenges. It is my view-point that human beings have a natural tendency for positive growth, to go on toward becoming whole and integrated; this natural drive propels us forward to fullfill our individual and unique potential. Within my humanistic style of therapy, one of my goals as a therapist is to let this evolution happen by providing an environment that has the essentials namely; unconditional positive regard, respect for the client, empathy and a non judgmental attitude. Sessions also focus on personal self awareness, self exploration and empowering the client to find joy, happiness, contentment and an increased internal locus of control to take effective charge of situations that in the past clients have viewed impossible to contend with.
I also view therapy as an instrument to discover more meaning and satisfaction from life, free from past emotional bondage and disabling psychic pain. Therapy can be an opportunity for people to not only deal with crisis but to also regain the zest for true living and bliss. Energy that is spent managing problems such as anxiety, depression and addiction for example, can be used to create a life of healthy purpose and pleasure. With providing the essentials of a productive therapeutic environment that I have shared; I will help my client to get to know their 'authentic-self' leading to increased self expression. The end product is this process is creative joyfulness and a sense of being psychically alive. It is my firm belief that the agent of ‘change’ is the client and I am here to guide and assist in that ‘change’.
In my work with my client, I focus on helping the individual gain internal awareness while keeping in mind deep respect for my client, for their wisdom and their personal struggles. I provide a ‘safe’ space for the client to look at each situation and themselves as unique to their own presenting problem. I examine the role of meaning and motive in my client’s life and the power of these schemas that cause for dysfunctional thought and behavior patterns. As a therapist, it is my job to help my client replace old dysfunctional schemas with newer more adaptive functional ones that will allow my client to function more effectively. My style of therapy also involves helping people change ingrained self defeating patterns and replace them with new healthier ways of meeting their needs.
My counseling background includes:
• Working in public school settings providing therapeutic services to
children and their families in special education and regular educational
settings
• I also have extensive experience in working with children and their
families in residential treatment. My job involved a combination of
being a social worker focusing on case management and therapy to
help the residents cope with being in an out of home placement and
develop adaptive and functional behavioral tools to help them in the
successful future endeavours. I managed a case load of twelve boys
residing in a group home setting
• I worked in a hospital setting providing counseling and psycho-education
services to pregnant teens
• Currently, in addition to being in private practice I work as a clinical
member on an outpatient service team providing counseling services to
adults in a large county contracted mental health agency
• I am also a CAMFT certified clinical supervisor providing clinical
supervision to MFT and MSW interns
• I serve on the Board of Directors for Teen and Family Counseling Center
www.teenfamilycounseling.org
My counseling experiences in various agencies and settings has allowed me to widen my therapeutic repertoire and hone my counseling skills in working with a wide diversity of the population with respect to culture, age, language and socioeconomic background and language. Being fluent in English, Tamil and Hindi has afforded me the opportunity to work with migrant families allowing them the level of comfort and ‘safety’ they need to express their views and concerns in therapy.
License #41690
Copyright © 2007 Ashwini Gupta
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, MFT #41690
All rights reserved. Site created by Marcus Barbosa.