Psychotherapist &
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
☉ Pisces ☽ Libra ⟡ Scorpio
Hiya! I’m Sadaaf (they/them), a queer, non-binary, neurodivergent clinician living with an invisible disability. I’m also a second gen immigrant, a practicing Sufi Muslim, Zen Buddhist, relationship anarchist and abolitionist.
In my experience, sitting in solidarity with a healing professional who’s moved through similar experiences as you can be incredibly powerful. I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact access to quality, queer-affirming therapy can have when you’re trying to figure out who you are and what you want from life. This is why I’m deeply committed to serving the communities I belong to, and being as candid as possible about who I am, what shaped me and what matters to me moving forward.
I was born and raised in Mississippi, in an environment where none of the identities I hold true were particularly palatable, let alone celebrated. I moved to NYC 15 years ago to seek my Bachelor’s in Psychology and Journalism at New York University - a challenging transition that heavily influenced my sense of self and passion for affirmative mental health care for folks surviving at the axes of oppression. I completed my Master’s in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness, also at NYU. I spent the last 4 years as a staff counselor on the Trevor Lifeline, a national crisis intervention and suicide prevention hotline serving LGBTQ+ youth, where I helped lead our staff’s unionizing efforts.
Per those lived experiences, I have an intimate understanding of what it’s like to have to hide parts of yourself to survive, and I know what the stress of such an existence can do to your bodymind. Thankfully, I also know what it’s like to say “no more,” and I’d love to partner with you to step into your own authenticity and joy.
I am especially interested in working with QTBIPoC individuals who are looking to explore their intersectionality, as well as any queer folks looking to gain insight into dominant group identities in service of embodied allyship. I also feel uniquely positioned to work with partners navigating mixed-identity relationships and/or non-traditional relationship structures, neurodivergent folks coping under capitalism, children of immigrants breaking generational curses and young adults adjusting to major life transitions.
I firmly believe in meeting in the therapeutic space as equals, and honoring you as the expert of your own experience. I strive to foster a warm, honest and trauma-informed environment for us to journey through your multitudes. Grounded in feminist, multicultural and queer theories, I use an integrative person-centered, mindfulness and acceptance-based approach to help you name your strengths and embody the person you want to be, working with intention towards the values you want to live by. My own core values are connection, curiosity, gratitude and grace - and it’s important to me to bring them into any spaces I share. I also recently completed a 2.5 year advanced training in Somatic Experiencing for trauma healing, and am certified to use supportive touch and table work to aid in nervous system regulation and trauma resolution. I absolutely love helping folks come into closer, kinder relationship with their bodyminds.
Together, through a disability justice-oriented and abolitionist lens, we’ll explore the structures that shape us - both the ones we draw power from and the ones we hope to dismantle - to help you not just survive, but thrive: whatever that means for you, individually. If any of the above interests you, and you share my belief in therapist as co-conspirator in our fight for collective liberation, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I look forward to growing with you!
