Most human suffering is related to love and loss—the ways we hold on and let go. My role as your therapist, is to help you face the full spectrum of life: its beauty, its ache, and the weight of what it means to truly live.

My style of therapy has been inspired by my clients and many pioneers in the field of psychotherapy who continually teach me about hurting and healing.

As we work together, you will find the following themes in my therapy room:

1. Healing begins when we stop forcing it.
2. The mind is a mosaic of contradicting yet deeply connected parts of ourself.
3. Compassion is being with pain, allowing it to exist without pushing it away.
4. Emotions are neither good nor bad—they simply are.
5. Suppressed emotions don't go away until they’re seen and allowed to be expressed.
6. The body holds wisdom, speaking in ways the rational mind cannot.
7. Trauma keeps us stuck in the past, dictating our future until we confront it in the present with compassion and curiosity.
8. Our ability to self-regulate is rooted in our early attachment history and shaped by our adult relationships.
9. Trauma resides in the wounds it leaves behind, fracturing and altering how we relate to ourselves and others.
10. Life is an endless cycle of growth, retreat, and renewal—a rhythm that carries us forward.

The foundation of my individual therapy is rooted in a humanistic approach—meeting you exactly where you are and stepping into your inner world with curiosity and care. 

My work is guided by Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Ego State Therapy, often referred to as Inner Child Work, which involves giving space and voice to the parts of you that hold your emotions, memories, and experiences. I also draw on Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy and Self-Compassion-based approaches to help you connect with and care for these parts. For those navigating trauma, I integrate EMDR and Somatic Experiencing to facilitate healing and integration at a deeper level.

I specialize in supporting clients working through Trauma, Anxiety, and Grief. I am particularly passionate about exploring the immigrant experience and helping individuals navigate the unique challenges and resilience that come with it.

Couples therapy with me is about transforming a "me vs. you" mindset into an "us" mindset. This shift requires learning to care for your partner while also honoring your own needs—a delicate, ongoing practice rooted in trust and vulnerability. My role is to help you and your partner co-create the connection you both long for—or if that's not possible, to find an alternate path.

In our work together, you’ll learn to tune into your own emotions, desires, and needs while expressing them in ways that bring your partner closer. You’ll also explore what matters most to your partner and how to offer them a sense of safety and security. Together, we’ll uncover the rich history that shapes your relationship and discover how to move beyond blame to embrace shared responsibility.

You’ll also come to see that relationships don’t require perfect solutions but rather thoughtful compromises—small, intentional sacrifices that strengthen your bond without leaving either of you feeling diminished or resentful.

In family therapy, our work is to gently uncover and examine our family patterns—roles, norms, values, and traditions—and how they shape the dynamics between members. We explore how these patterns impact closeness, connection, and the recognition of each individual’s unique needs, while also honoring the family’s strengths.

This process involves connecting with the emotional undercurrents within the family system—the places where pain, unmet needs, or old wounds might linger. Together, we engage the capacity for growth and understanding, fostering compassion and creating space for deeper connection in the family system.

Adolescence is a time of profound change—psychological, physical, hormonal, social, and emotional. For teenagers, these shifts can feel especially overwhelming as they work to establish their identity, autonomy, and sense of agency in a rapidly evolving world.

What teens need most during this time is not someone to dictate their choices but an empathic witness and a steady guide. My role is not to tell them what to do—that's a role already filled by many adults in their lives. Instead, I listen. I honor their experiences and help them think through their decisions, always guiding them to find their own voice, reasoning, skills for emotion regulation and problem-solving. 

Whereas for children, play is their natural language—it’s how they express themselves, process their world, and make sense of their experiences. That’s why, when working with kids aged 5 to 11, I lean into play therapy. Through play, we can explore their feelings, address challenges, and build skills in a way that feels safe, natural, and engaging for them. Play becomes the bridge to understanding, healing, and growth.

Samana Budhathoki holds an M.S. in Counseling Psychology. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Yellow Chair Collective based in Long Beach, California, a yoga practitioner and the past host of the let’s face iit podcast.