Monesha Chari LMSW

Through my own experience of navigating the world as a POC and through academic learning, I have learned the importance and value of always considering someone's culture when working with them. Not only because one's culture informs their outlook on life, but also inversely, because of the insidious effects of cultural expectations on one's self-esteem & self-growth. I do not pretend to be all-knowing, and always stay culturally humble.

I am experienced in learning distress tolerance and self-regulation techniques based in mindfulness-based therapy. I use these techniques at the start of all of my sessions to help clients ground themselves before delving into their inner world. I remind myself, that trauma doesn't only come packaged in earth-shattering moments, but in everyday experiences of neglect, abuse, and hurt. I work to provide a space for clients to share these experiences without judgment.

I believe that healing is found in the authenticity and power of a true and real therapeutic relationship. I center therapeutic consent, mutual and reciprocal collaboration, and partnership to help empower you to become a pioneering agent of change in your own life.

Being a person of color, I understand the struggle that comes with being a racial minority in America and the assimilation stress that builds if one is not willing to "forego" their identity. I use a trauma-informed relational approach to help clients find a balance between Assimilation and Marginalization, in order to work towards healthy integration.

My foundational training in AEDP, EMDR, and polyvagal theory has been instrumental in shaping my therapeutic ethos. I believe we all have an innate capacity for healing, yet the aloneness experienced in the face of othering and a lack of psychological safety represses our ability to do so. As a clinician, I strive to work with clients to enhance their understanding of safety versus danger in all facets of their lives.

Being a South Asian child of immigrant parents, I embrace my identity and find it a source of connection with clients from diverse racial backgrounds. However, while significant in its own right, this relatedness is solely a gateway to cultural humility, recognizing that each racialized experience is unique and intersectional. I employ motivational and ethnographic interviewing techniques to prevent assumptions or projections from overshadowing a client’s genuine needs.