Ani Gnanalingam

AMFT # 127508 
Ani@mcaft.com
650-297-3400 x 18
Supervised by: Jalene N. Salas, MFT #45363
Location: Los Altos, San Jose & Telehealth 
Fee: $170

Areas of Focus:

Children & Teens: Anxiety, Trauma, Social Anxiety, Perfectionism, Separation Anxiety, ADHD, Tantrums, Emotional Regulation Challenges, Identity, Acculturation Issues, Grief, Peer Relationships and School Adjustment 

Adults: Anxiety, Grief, Parenting, Work Pressure, Life Transitions, Identity, Acculturation Issues 

Experience: 

As a refugee, an immigrant and a parent, Ani has had many life experiences that bring a unique approach to psychotherapy and healing. She began her career working in high tech in the Bay Area but found out quickly that her passion was for supporting individuals with their relationship toward school, work and personal growth. Ani made a career transition ten years ago. She started by working in the classroom at an elementary school to provide educational support. She then returned to college to complete her Masters in Counseling Psychology. She has been working at an elementary school as a school-based therapist for three years providing psychotherapy to young school aged children. Ani has a special connection with immigrant parents struggling to belong in the U.S as well as with the children of immigrant parents who are simultaneously trying to meet the expectations of very different cultures.Supporting individuation for those coming from collective cultures and providing relational therapy to those who have early childhood attachment trauma are areas that draw her attention. Ani also worked at an agency that provided psychotherapy to grieving adults. As a grief counselor, she provided individual counseling and co-led two adult spouse loss groups. 

Overall Description:

Ani is committed to supporting young children, teens, emerging adults, individual adults and families who want to achieve more joyful, authentic and meaningful lives. Accomplished in therapeutic techniques such as active listening, validating, unconditional positive regard, empathy, somatic awareness, and breath work, Ani is adept at helping children and adults explore and celebrate their inner wisdom and what their bodies have to teach them about regulation, healing, growth and transformation. She is culturally sensitive with an ability to work with diverse groups across a broad spectrum of ideologies and backgrounds. She approaches her clients holistically, looking at their early childhood attachment relationships, their family system, important events in their lives and their core beliefs. Her work is individualized for each unique client. 

She incorporates the following treatment approaches:

• Client Centered
• Mindfulness practices
• Family Systems
• Relational
• Play
• Creative arts (drawing, poetry, clay)
• Sandtray
• Collaborative
• Strength-based
• Trauma-informed
• Grief Support
• Culturally sensitive
• Reading suggestions

Education:

California Institute of Integral Studies, M.A. in Counseling Psychology Stanford University, B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering Stanford University, M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering 

Training: 

Grief, Play Therapy, Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy