617-275-3982
Sheela M. Joshi, Psychotherapy
Sheela M. Joshi, LCSW
Individual and Couples Therapist
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
"A joyful life is an individual creation that cannot be copied from a recipe."
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
About Me
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I'm a licensed clinical social worker based in Mill Valley, California. Before becoming a therapist, I earned my bachelor of arts degree from the University of Chicago with a major in Economics and then spent some years working in the financial markets. During this time, I found myself wanting to pursue an age old interest of mine in human behavior and to dive deeper into learning psychology in a clinical setting. I upended my trajectory to become a mental health professional while simultaneously raising my kids. After that I continued with my training as a fellow at the Psychoanalytical Institute of New England. I've had over 16 years of training and experience in a number of therapeutic settings including private practice, hospital, home and school settings. Having worked in financial firms, I am conversant in financial matters that insinuate themselves into our lives. I am a first generation daughter to Indian immigrants which has added to my understanding of the influence of culture within relationships. I love working with all kinds of people. I've lived in India and Germany, in addition to many parts of the U.S. from Vermont to California. In my work, I draw upon my life experiences including time in psychoanalysis. Along with my curiosity about human behavior, I have a love of animals. I like to cook, go to the beach and especially hike with my dog.
About Therapy & A Little Bit About How I Practice
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Therapy, unlike other times in our lives, is entirely yours - you are the focus. You may come in as a couple, a family or on your own. Many people come in with relationship conflicts, depression, anxiety and parenting challenges. However, our histories are unbelievably unique and no list could comprehensively describe the types of conflicts that we face. Some of them are clear disrupters and at other times it's hard to know what exactly is impacting our sense of well being, connectedness, and joy.
In our first meeting, I'll ask a lot of questions about what prompted you to seek help, your history, what you want to change and where you feel the difficulties lie.​ It's also an opportunity for you to learn about how I work. The first sessions are about getting to know one another and figuring out if we are a good fit.
When you find the right therapist, you will feel like you can open up, trust, be understood and not judged. With the right therapist, you will feel like your therapist is attune and empathic and has experience and solid training.
One of the early steps is for me to help you figure out what you want out of treatment. In some cases it's very specific but more often there's a number of interconnected things. Together we can figure out what is holding you back and how to move forward. Treatment can be short-term or long term, depending upon your needs. I work with people who need a solution focused approach to get through a specific thing as well as people who want to dive deeper into gaining insight into their lives to make more conscious choices. If you find a good therapist, even if it's short term treatment, you should feel like you could go back when you need to. Good therapy is dynamic and does not have a one size fits all approach. You can expect that there will be things that are difficult to talk about, things that are emotional and things that you may never have shared or expressed. That's part of therapy. Being vulnerable is difficult! Things from the past will likely come up. And at times, when I notice patterns or contradictions that could be hindering you from being happier, I will bring them up. But I also believe that therapy and healing, like most things, benefit from a sense of humor and creativity.
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In the case of couples the need for a good therapeutic alliance is no different. An experienced therapist with whom both your partner and you feel at ease with is fundamental, for positive change to take place.
Even very insightful people who have a pretty good handle on dealing with things, sometimes need help. Reaching out for help or getting help for loved ones is always a strength. Someone who is outside of our life, compassionate, skilled and not judgmental can help you get through difficult times and feel satisfied and more joyful.
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