California, LMFT #94678
Meenal Chaudhari

License:

LMFT
Saratoga
Female
Asian, Asian immigrant
Virtual and In Person
Specialties
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, Life transitions
Education
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology in Holistic Studies I John F. Kennedy University, 2012; Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology I Bombay University, 1987
About
"Know Thyself" is a dictum that Meenal lives by and she is privileged to accompany others as they embark on their journeys to know themselves. She is a highly creative person and has spent a lot of time reinventing herself as an actor, writer, visual artist, HR personnel, group leader and so on. But psychology and psychotherapy have been a mainstay throughout. She knew she wanted to be a psychotherapist very early in life, without even fully understanding the term. The more she studied; the more she was certain that it was her path. She has explored various schools and modalities in her long journey - starting with Transactional Analysis, Gestalt psychology, Rogerian client centered therapy, Somatic psychotherapy, Transpersonal psychotherapy, Jungian dream analysis, CBT, Process-oriented psychotherapy, Dance-movement psychotherapy, Spiritual counseling. She regards the Self as comprising five layers. The physical is the most dense, gross and visible. Subtler than that is the energy layer, seen by some as a silvery outline of the physical body. The energy layer permeates the physical and spills out. Then comes the mental-emotional layer and some call it the astral body. This permeates the first two layers and surrounds it and extends outwards around two to two and half feet in most cases. Then there is the intuitive layer where knowledge of the true Self resides. Again, this is subtler than the earlier layers and permeates as well as extends out. Finally, there is the bliss layer that is at the core as well as the most expansive.
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Message to clients
I believe pretty much anyone and everyone can benefit from therapy. Therapy for me is about giving unconditional positive regard to help you solve your own problems or issues. Therapy offers you the personal space to understand and accept yourself better. Therapy is about getting to know yourself on a more intimate level. Discovering facets of yourself by exploring the feelings and thoughts underlying habits, unconscious patterns and repetitive emotions. It is about becoming more true to yourself and bringing that authentic self out into the world. Your current problems and issues are a doorway for you to enter into your deeper self, to love and accept that self and feel free. I believe you have the wisdom to deal with your issues, to solve your problems, though it may not seem that way now. I hold space for you without judgment and with unconditional positive regard, such that the light of awareness shines forth and you can choose to be the way you want to be. The choice is yours. You may use it as an opportunity to learn more about yourself, to grow, develop and change. You are welcome to come in, sit down and you will have taken the first step.
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Race and ethnicity
Asian, Asian immigrant
Cultural and experiential knowledge
Native American culture, Asian culture, European culture, Bilcultural
Languages spoken
English, Hindi, Marathi, German
Spiritual knowledge
Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Shamanism, Indigenous spiritualities
Location
Saratoga
Specialties
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, Life transitions
Additional areas of focus
Abuse, Career counseling/coaching, Couples counseling, Divorce counseling, Existential questioning, First generation immigrant experience, Mindfulness and/or meditation, Panic attacks, Self esteem/self worth, Sexual harassment, abuse, and/or assault, Stress, Spirituality
Therapeutic style
Calming, Holistic, Conversational, Direct, Empowering
Modalities
Play therapy, Strengths-based therapy, Trauma-focused, Narrative, Depth psychotherapy, Attachment based, Dance/movement therapy
Cost
$200
/Individual Session
$250
/Couples Session
$300
/Family Session
Sliding scale
Offers sliding scale spots
Insurance accepted
Works with your out of network benefits to get you reimbursed for therapy
Click here to check your benefits with our free out of network benefits checker
Kalpana Asok, LMFT
Meenal is a gentle soul and helps make connections that fit for the client. She has a very soft personality and brings Eastern thinking and a whole person perspective into her work.
Vinutha Mohan, LMFT
Meenal is one of the most brilliant, holistic, and wholesome therapists that I have ever met. She is very competent in her diagnosis and treatment of a client as well as compassionate and kind in her approach. Her intuitive approach heals the whole person - body, mind, soul, and spirit. Meenal draws from many different modalities and is skilled not just as a therapist but as an artist, poet, and community builder.
Saira Aziz Khan, LMFT
Meenal is a skillful integrative psychotherapist. Her knowledge about Eastern and Western philosophies make her a unique clinician. She possess a remarkable gift of intuition, deep listening skills, understanding of psyche, and ability to guide a client towards deeper healing in a safe space.
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