The word Maanavta is Gujarati. It means humanity: kindness, compassion and care for others. It is the value I was raised with, and the one I try to bring into the room every time I sit with someone.
When I arrived in Australia as an international student, I learned firsthand what it is to work out a new country's systems, language and unspoken rules largely on your own, often while carrying a lot that nobody around you can see. There were times I looked for support and could not find someone who understood the cultural weight of what I was holding.
Healing shouldn't require you to translate your culture, your experiences, or your identity.
That is the practice I have built. A space where your culture, your faith, your family and your history are already understood, allowing us to focus on what matters most to you. I work with people 16 and over, with a particular care for migrants, culturally diverse communities, international students and LGBTIQA+SB people, especially Indigenous people and People of Colour.
My approach is decolonised, anti-racist and social-justice informed. I believe your mental health cannot be separated from the world around you, and I will never ask you to leave part of yourself at the door.
