Thrilled to share a powerful conversation on abc7NY featuring our founder Gaya Kodiyalam, LCSW, MPH and Gaya Therapy Clinician Tamanna Ahmad, LMSW! As children of immigrants in the United States, Gaya and Tamanna bring unique perspectives to our practice. Their journeys shape how they connect with clients, offering a deep, empathetic understanding that enriches the therapeutic relationship. Dive into their stories and see how their backgrounds help break down barriers and provide holistic, emotionally-focused care to our South Asian community. #MentalHealthAwareness #SouthAsianCommunity #ImmigrantStories #TherapistJourney #CulturalUnderstanding #HolisticHealing #BreakingBarriers #EmotionallyFocusedCare
I am extremely proud to share a meaningful conversation that my colleague Tamanna Ahmad, LMSW and I had with the incredible Janice Yu of abc7NY, discussing our journeys as children of immigrants and how these experiences led us into the field of mental health. As the founder of Gaya Therapy, I’m honored to work alongside clinicians who are just as passionate about making a positive change in our community. Together, we tackle taboos, break down barriers, and introduce emotionally-focused care to many for the first time. Our South Asian community often faces discomfort in expressing feelings due to longstanding taboos and cultural conditioning to be away from feelings rather than with them. Our aim is to gently challenge that, providing holistic support and fostering an environment where everyone feels safe to explore their emotions without judgment. What’s unique about working with a South Asian clinician is the shared understanding that comes from similar cultural backgrounds. While our life experiences may differ from our clients, we inherently understand the nuances of being raised in South Asian families. This shared cultural foundation helps deepen the client-clinician bond, alleviating feelings of isolation and accelerating healing. We are incredibly grateful to be featured on the news, detailing and discussing such an important topic for our community. Thank you abc7NY for having us! #MentalHealth #SouthAsianCommunity #ChildrenOfImmigrants #HolisticHealing #BreakingBarriers #EmotionallyFocusedCare