Roomi Kunuria (Intern Therapist)

Roomi Kunuria (she/her) is an intern therapist at The Center for Growth and a graduate student completing her Master of Education in Counseling Psychology at Temple University. Roomi will be serving as a therapist intern at The Center for Growth from May 15, 2023 through May 1, 2024.

Background

Roomi is a first-generation, South Asian-Indian American college graduate. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, Roomi earned her bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. After her undergraduate degree, Roomi took some time to explore the professional working environment. Roomi has had professional work experience at start-up companies, private employers, and universities in administrative management roles. Roomi brings experiences, perspectives, and ideas from her life from when she was not studying counseling psychology. Roomi has spent much time searching for what her own purpose might be, so she is very empathetic towards clientele that may feel lost or overwhelmed about where they are in life.

Clients

Roomi is open to seeing clients of all ages, genders, and cultural identities.

Roomi’s areas of interest and specialization include depression and mood disorders, anxiety and stress management, self-esteem issues, dealing with narcissism, immigrant experiences in the United States, cultural and diversity issues, exploring life passion and purpose, spiritual and existential concerns, coping with stressful work environments, adolescent issues, relationship and family issues, social anxiety, loneliness, career and life transitions, anger management, and personality disorders.

Born in India and having immigrated with her family to the United States at an early age, Roomi understands the challenges of being raised in a country that your parents are not from. Growing up in the US when your parents are from another country can be a unique experience. Being the child of an immigrant can come with high pressure and low mental health support. The expectations placed on first-generation children can also lead to emotional struggles, and controlling behavior is a negative trait common among immigrant parents that can hurt a child's development. The impact of this can continue well into adulthood.

Roomi recognizes that all clients have unique needs, so she prefers an integrative approach that encompasses theoretical perspectives in Jungian psychology, Adlerian psychology, CBT, and person-centered therapy. Roomi also likes to incorporate mindfulness practices and ideas for coping.

Personality

Roomi recognizes that different clients have diverse needs, so she is flexible and adaptable to different personalities. As an introvert herself, Roomi loves one-on-one interaction with people and being able to have deep conversations with them. Many of her life experiences have developed strong empathy, and Roomi believes, above everything else, a nonjudgmental approach is needed for therapeutic success.

Roomi is an avid reader and can talk about many topics making it easy for her to connect with people on common ground.

Roomi is of the strong belief that most people are inherently good. Many of the choices we make are a result of our worldview that is based on history and past circumstances. Although these do not serve as an excuse, Roomi hopes to help clients develop an awareness for and get in touch with their innermost issues. Roomi believes that facing and accepting our inner selves opens the doors for better possibilities for the future.

Roomi believes that many people have gotten used to living with a certain amount of suffering for so long that it has become their new normal. Roomi seeks to help clients regain control over their lives by influencing the things they can control in their lives and accepting the rest as beyond their control. In doing this, Roomi hopes to relieve some of the weight clients may carry with them every day.

Roomi is flexible with her communication style depending on the needs of the client. Roomi is warm and empathetic but can also be analytical and direct when needed. This benefits the client as therapy progresses.

Roomi understands that it is not always simple to change our habits, thought patterns, and behavior so she remains patient during the therapeutic process and collaborates with you at your preferred pace.

Therapeutic Relationship and Experience

Roomi strives to create collaborative relationships with her clients to address the issues that may be holding clients from achieving who they want to be. Roomi has chosen this profession because she is continually intrigued by the life experiences people have outside of her own. Roomi loves to find objectivity in the experiences of her clients to help them navigate moving forward. Roomi believes all clients possess the tools to their own satisfaction and happiness, but they often might not know what is preventing them or that there even is something that is preventing them. Roomi guides her clients in discovering (or even rediscovering) themselves in the journey of life.

Interests

Roomi has a variety of interests which include mindfulness practices, meditation, philosophy (in particular, Taoist and stoic philosophy), breathing techniques, documentaries, martial arts, middle eastern dance, yoga, psychedelic-assisted therapy research, reading, and outdoor activities.

Theoretical Perspectives

Jungian Psychology

Jungian psychology is a form of depth psychology that was developed by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. One of the core tenets of Jungian psychology is that when one's authentic self is blocked, mental health issues can form and grow into depression, addiction, anxiety, and more. Jungian psychology is focused on bringing together the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind to help a person understand their true self and achieve greater self-awareness.

CBT

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy or psychotherapy that focuses on modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts by identifying faulty or maladaptive patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior and substituting them with desirable patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior.

Adlerian Psychology

Adlerian psychology is a holistic approach to psychology developed by Alfred Adler that emphasizes the importance of social interactions and community involvement to promote individual growth. The theory also highlights the importance of overcoming feelings of inferiority and gaining a sense of belonging to achieve success and happiness.

Person-centered Therapy

Person-centered therapy, also known as client-centered therapy or Rogerian therapy, is a type of talk therapy that emphasizes the client's autonomy and self-determination in the therapeutic process. In this therapy, the therapist creates a safe, non-judgmental environment for the client to explore their thoughts and feelings. Unlike other forms of therapy, the therapist does not direct the conversation, interpret or judge the client's words or feelings, or give advice or solutions to the client's problems. Instead, the therapist listens actively and empathically, allowing the client to come to their own conclusions and solutions. Person-centered therapy has been found to be effective in treating a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.