Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayesha Kadri.
Hi Ayesha, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in the capital of Bangladesh and moved to America at the age of four. I grew up in Louisiana, in two southern cities that began shaping me to become the individual that I am. A pivotal part of my experience growing up in the South was how much my parents and relatives tried to keep our culture alive amidst South Louisiana’s own culture and melting pot. I was living in an area that was rich in its history and food while also learning (to the best of my parents’ abilities) the richness of my own culture and roots. Within this was also my attempt at navigating how to be true to myself as a South Asian Muslim girl.
As I grew older and navigated the angst that we all do as teenagers, I found solace in the deep friendships I had created. Some of these are still in place today, withstanding the test of higher education and professional endeavors, moves, life events, rocky relationships, and difficult obstacles. We were like-minded souls that decided to stick to each other, somehow knowing that life would only get harder and one of the best things we would have is the village we invested in and created. Little did I know the impact of these relationships during that time, but I am immensely grateful for the foundation these individuals have helped create in my life. This was pivotal in me understanding how important human connection is.
The more life-changing of these aforementioned obstacles was Hurricane Katrina. My parent’s home was inundated with several feet of water, and the tragedy displaced my family and I to Houston for a couple of months. Not only was the displacement a struggle, but when we moved back to Louisiana, it seemed that the difficulties would not stop, and let to even more stress, some of which gravely sickened my father.
Moving forward, as we tried to pick ourselves up, there were several concerns with mental health (undiagnosed and stigmatized), stress, medical issues, and finances that my family did their best to navigate. I would say these struggles led me to where I am today – and pushed me to want to be there for others going through a difficult time.
I did the best I could to handle the concerns on my own and navigate high school in such a way that I would receive aid for college. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I would be considered an international student for college despite the fact that I had lived in the United States since I was 4 – rendering me completely ineligible to receive aid from the government despite my qualifying standardized test scores and other factors. Immigration is a very long and winding road in the United States, and this road seemed to have led me to a brick wall.
But it didn’t. I applied for a scholarship for international students, and I received it! An immigration policy called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was also passed in 2012, and this allowed me the ability to work legally despite my other immigration issues.
Thankfully, with these supports in place and my three jobs, I was able to get through my undergraduate degree in Psychology. This field opened my eyes to the varieties of human behavior and actions. To be honest, I wanted to spend my professional life studying high-profile criminals. I was so curious as to why a human being would be able to commit atrocities towards others and wanted to understand this behavior. On the other hand, my life experience opened my eyes to the need for genuine connection and empathy. I was curious about another characteristic of human existence but just as equally astounding – resilience through pain. How does one get through difficult things, even when the world seems to be against them or even when they feel like giving up? And how can I support them through this?
I continued my education in a graduate program in Mental Health Counseling in Missouri, and this further solidified my plan for my professional future. Human connection is dynamic magic – not one person will be the same as another and will require carefully tailored expressions of compassion in order to feel understood. My education continued to ignite my passion to do just this – offer a safe environment for every individual to share the depths of their soul, to assist in understanding their presence in their current existence, and to guide them on how to build from this in order to grow into their dreams for their future.
I am currently a Licensed Professional Counselor who offers therapy to a range of individuals, from those who need to process their own obstacles or multicultural issues to those who are Autistic or have intellectual and/or developmental disorders to those that need support as they transition from one life event to another. I am grateful to say that I have navigated my own share of trauma, obstacles, and life events that have led me here – from immigration to acculturation stress to displacement, to grief at the loss of my father, to trying to create my own identity as a South Asian Muslim female within it all, while also managing expectations that the world puts on every single one of us. Everything I have existed through led me to these moments – and I am not one to deny my calling.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road – at this point, I think I would be very surprised by a smooth road! Some of the struggles along the way were natural calamities, such as Hurricane Katrina or the displacement that came from it. Another struggle were the financial concerns that my family, as immigrants, were trying to navigate. Even deeper than that was my parents’ will to instill cultural and religious morals into their children while also living in a majority culture/religion/environment that was much different than what they were trying to instill (and different from what they knew, as they grew up in Bangladesh). And me, a child, trying to understand what was “right” from “wrong” and how to grow within it all. Acculturation stress, anxiety, and trauma were immensely prominent in my life, and everyone processed this in their own ways. However, life happened as it often does, and mental health concerns were (unknowingly) shoved aside as the need to survive was prioritized.
More struggles include immigration issues, not only my own but that of my family members. Personally, being considered an international student-led to me losing out on several avenues of aid that would have supported my education, living, and transportation expenses – and thus helped financially within my family. Not being able to receive this aid was devastating.
Along with family health issues and financial concerns, surviving was the only thing my family knew, and so we all hustled, in our own ways and within our own means. It was rarely a smooth road, but I would say that every single individual on that road did the best they could, within their own knowledge and ability.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I work with a range of individuals, from those who are navigating life transitions and obstacles to those going through depression, anxiety, grief, relationship concerns, etc., and many individuals in between!
I work with young adults who are juggling academic endeavors and life goals while trying to understand who they are past a mental health diagnosis. I also work with individuals trying to balance their lives at home with the lives they have created for themselves outside of the home. Lastly, in my current endeavors, I specialize in working with Autistic people and those that have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who are trying to comprehend their own emotions in a world that does not seem to understand them and assist their families in understanding their loved one’s diagnosis and how to navigate transitional changes.
I have a passion for working with all adults as they navigate the complexities of their own life experiences. I utilize person-centered techniques to cultivate empathetic connections. As a therapist, I focus on the individual: who they were, who they currently are, and who they want to be. Building upon this awareness is integral to one’s success in therapy, and I offer a compassionate setting in which this interpersonal growth is celebrated. Furthermore, I feel that I am known for creating a space where one can safely process their life experiences and learn to discern their core values and live their life accordingly.
As a Muslim immigrant from Bangladesh, a DACA recipient, and a multicultural professional, I fully understand the difficulties that one can face when trying to succeed in a world where hope may seem impossible to find at times. I am most proud of the obstacles that I have gone through. I would never have been able to experience the sheer magnitude of different joys in life without understanding how I have developed strength from the suffering and pain that I have lived through. I believe that this is monumental in my ability to helps others as a therapist – knowing what the lowest lows feel like and recognizing one’s own ability to seek the highest highs. This understanding has helped me to develop empathy for the human condition and continues to foster a deep desire to learn how to support each individual on their journey.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My parents deserve credit. I have learned the importance of genuine connection and love from my father, a man who lived every day in service to others and tried to lead with love and kindness. I have learned strength and perseverance from my mother, a woman who moved countries with young children in order to support her husband and create a better life for her family and who continues to work hard to this day. My parents have both struggled immensely to push their children to create a better life and no matter what, I will always stand by the fact that I have come this far because they have done the best that they could within what they knew.
My friends deserve credit. Each and every single individual who has been in my life has taught me the benefits of human connection and the need to foster relationships that challenge you to be a better individual. I am honored to have decades-long friendships that withstand the test of life and those that continue to show up to remind me what it means to have a village every step of the way. I have learned the importance of safety, love, kindness, honesty, and compassion within my friendships and have been given the space to make (and learn from) mistakes with them. This has continued to help me evolve into a better individual, a better supporter, and a better therapist.
My colleagues and professors in my graduate program were very important in supporting my endeavor, as I personally did not know another Bangladeshi woman in the field of Mental Health Counseling. These individuals always reminded me why it was important that I was doing what I was doing and never let me give up.
Last but not least, every single client that I have met along the way deserves credit. I continue to be honored that they have chosen me to be a part of their journey in some way. I am so grateful for each client’s ability to be vulnerable, to be willing to process difficult things, and to continue showing up for themselves in therapy. Their resilience never fails to remind me of the duty that I have as someone in service to others. Furthermore, it never fails to remind me of the magic and wonder that is the human experience. For that, I am forever grateful.
Pricing:
- Individual Therapy for 45-60 min: $150
- Individual Therapy for 16-30min: $75
Contact Info:
