Vani Hariharan
LMFT #141028
vani@mcaft.com
650-297-3400 x 22
Location: San Jose | Los Altos | Online
Fee: $200
Areas of Focus
Children & Teens: Anxiety (Social Anxiety, Performance Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety), Panic, Phobias, OCD, Depression, Interpersonal Relationships, Trauma, Complex Trauma, Early Childhood Trauma, Racial and Cultural Identity and Trauma, Intergenerational Trauma, Personal Growth, Self-Esteem, Identity Exploration, South Asian and BIPOC experiences, Immigration and Acculturation.
Adults and Families: Anxiety, Depression, Interpersonal Relationships, Trauma, Complex and Early Childhood Trauma, Racial and Cultural Identity and Trauma, Intergenerational Trauma, South Asian and BIPOC Experiences, Immigration and Acculturation, Life Transitions and Stage of Life, Parenting, Professional and Personal Growth, Self-Esteem, Identity Exploration.
Modalities: Internal Family Systems (IFS level 1 trained), Trauma Informed, EMDR, Attachment-based, Family Systems, Genogram work, Expressive Art and Play Therapy, Sand Tray, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
Overall Description:
I believe that people are resilient, resourceful, and capable of finding creative solutions to problems. However, sometimes we get entangled in personal and relational patterns that are difficult to break out of. These problematic patterns can overwhelm our internal resources and cause us to be stuck in beliefs and dynamics that don’t serve us. I am committed to helping my clients reconnect with their internal and external strengths, increase resilience, and break free from these problematic patterns and beliefs to heal and grow. I am passionate about exploring themes of power, privilege, and oppression. I address these issues as they relate to my client’s difficulties in relationships with themselves, others, and with the world. I am committed to empowering my clients who have been impacted by discrimination and rejection due to the identities they hold.
I endeavor to create a therapeutic relationship based on trust, respect, and collaboration. I bring in humor, playfulness, compassion, and my true authentic self, as I believe that the most important part of therapy is the human connection. I use various modalities in my sessions, including IFS and parts work, EMDR, expressive arts and play therapy, and EFT. I work with clients systemically – meaning – I work with my clients’ family system, including parents, children, partners, and loved ones directly, if and when possible.
Experience:
I have experience working in school systems, community mental health, and private practice. I have worked with children, teens, families, couples, and adult individuals from different ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds on several issues. Being a woman of color, Indian immigrant, and second career therapist, I bring these experiences and perspectives into my work with clients.
- Experience working with children, teens and their families on a number of issues including anxiety and depression, self-esteem, emotional regulation, ADHD, school stress, family dynamics, parenting, self-identity and self-expression, immigration, blended families.
- Experience working with individual adults on complex trauma, childhood trauma, self-worth and self-esteem, personal and professional identity, immigration, racial trauma, intergenerational trauma, spiritual exploration.
- Experience working with couples on communication, infidelity, immigration, racial differences.
Education and trainings:
- Internal Family Systems Level 1
- Emotionally Focused Therapy externship
- Understanding and Addressing Racial Trauma
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Part 1 and Part 2
- Trainings in CBT, Family Systems, Motivational Interviewing
- Foundations of Family Therapy
- M.A. Counseling, Palo Alto University
- M.S. Cellular Biology, University of Georgia