Life’s an adventure. Let’s go!

Clinical interests
Cultural identity
Couples & family
Trauma
Life transitions
LGBTQ+
Tech workers
Teens 15+

Hey! I’m Sunny and I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate. I love adventures and going places but I know sometimes it can be a struggle to get there by yourself. Rather than going about it alone, I’d be very excited to go on this therapy journey with you!

Where I’ve been

I grew up in the U.S. with immigrant parents from Gujarat, India. As one of the few Indian families in the midwest, I worked hard and tried to tirelessly fit in while not truly feeling like I belonged. As a result, I know what it’s like to straddle multiple cultures and gain confidence in my identities that make me uniquely me. 

My experience makes me a speaker of three languages: English, Hindi, and Gujarati, which could mean that some days, I mix up my words. I’m a rebel at heart. When I learned that my LGBTQ friends were not able to legally marry their partners at the time, I registered to become an ordained minister. I wanted to be available to officiate their weddings if being married is important to them.

Training-wise, I got my B.S. from the University of South Dakota where I majored in Psychology and minored in Chemistry. As an unhappy pre-med student, I was inadvertently giving free and effective relationship advice to my friends in the school cafeteria. Realizing how often we miscommunicate with others, I went on to get my M.A. in Communication Studies. With a deep interest in couples work, I finally graduated Kansas State University with my M.S. in Couple and Family Therapy. I worked in community mental health, high school and college settings providing talk therapy and EMDR to students and low-income communities. In my clinical practice, I seek regular consultation from my colleagues and my supervisor, Ada Pang. 

I am engaged to my wonderful fiancé and we road tripped from MN to WA during the pandemic! Seattle is a fascinating place and I’m enjoying many new beginnings. 

Clinical interests

I love couples work! I’m trained to see relationships as not just between two people and their immediate family, but a network of societal, cultural and family of origin influences that impact the well-being of their partnership. I have a particular interest in working with biracial couples. The added complexities in their relational dynamics energize me.

I also love working with people going through trauma. I’m all for making the world a safer place for all whenever possible, but very few people go through life unscathed. I’m drawn to the trauma therapy EMDR because it allows people to process what they’ve been through without going through the nitty gritty details of what happened. You get to choose how much to disclose while we still work on the impacts of the trauma.

Outside of work

I am a huge Superman fan! Leaving Krypton, Superman was an immigrant on earth, an American hero who defended many, including immigrants and their jobs. I also love all things Disney and Aladdin and there will always be a part of me that will never grow old. I enjoy reading comics, exploring places and hanging out with friends. As an avid traveller, I’m a strong believer in the power of stepping outside our doors and into life’s adventures. 

Ready to go somewhere different with your life?