IRA SHAI

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

I believe in the healing power of relationships. I trust that therapeutic relationships can bring clarity, remedy, and growth into one’s life. Most of us can say that almost any issue can be bearable when we have the right people by our side. When people struggle with relational or personal issues, they feel shame, fear, hurt, mistrust, and disconnected from themselves and the people close to them. I work with clients whose issues vary from seemingly simple to highly-complex cases. I work with individuals and couples who struggle with different relational and sexual issues taking into consideration culture, religion, and sexual preferences, as well as, personal and sexual history. I know what it’s like to live overseas and be far from home. I also know what it means to make a home in a country where you were not born, and whose culture may at times, puzzle you. I also know how to prosper and thrive when you are surrounded by people who love you and care about you. I am who I am today and where I am at today because of loving, kind, generous, and wise people, who listened to my story and were willing to be my support when I needed it. I understand that despite cultural differences, we all have common struggles no matter where we come from. We all want to belong, to feel loved and cared about, live happy lives, have meaningful jobs and raise healthy children. And most of us, at some point in our lives, look around and realize we no longer feel like we belong, we do not feel loved, feel miserable at our jobs, struggle with raising children and do not feel like life is pleasurable any more. When we feel most disconnected is when we actually need to reconnect the most. I know that therapy can be a safe place to open old wounds or freshly acquired ones. Therapy is also a wise investment in one’s emotional, physical, and relational wellness. I bring common sense, humor, and authenticity when working with clients. I am a quite direct therapist, yet I am always respectful and empathetic. Most of my work deals with the effects of trauma in people's lives, its behavioral manifestations, and its impact on relationships with others.