Sudha Purihella

I’m Sudha Purihella, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and the District of Columbia and founder of Sahaya Therapy since 2006, with over 30 years of clinical experience working with adults and couples.

I believe therapy should be a warm, safe, and respectful space where every person can feel heard and understood, regardless of their background, culture, language, or how long they have been carrying their concerns on their own.

As a South Asian woman with a bicultural perspective, I understand the complexities of navigating different cultures, family expectations, relationships, and the emotional pressures that can come with them.

My approach considers the whole person—including emotional health, relationships, family, culture, and earlier life experiences that may be influencing the challenges you are facing today.

Whether you are struggling with anxiety, depression, anger, grief, trauma, relationship concerns, or patterns that have developed over many years, we begin by understanding what is happening, what may be contributing to it, and what you would like to change. Ultimately you are in charge of your life is the focus.

Therapy begins with a thoughtful clinical assessment to understand your concerns, strengths, experiences, and goals—not simply your symptoms.

I work from the belief that anxiety, anger, emotional shutdown, and relationship patterns that keep repeating are not character flaws. Together, we explore what may be contributing to these patterns—including emotional, behavioral, relationship, family, and early-life experiences—and identify practical ways to create meaningful change.

My approach is integrative and deeply personalized. Depending on your individual needs and treatment goals, I may draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), DBT, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, Narrative Therapy, behavior modification, solution-focused strategies, psychodynamic perspectives, trauma-focused methods, and systems-based approaches. Rather than fitting you into a single framework, I choose and integrate approaches that are most appropriate for you.

My role is to help you better understand what you have learned and experienced, recognize patterns that may no longer be serving you, and develop healthier ways of responding. I am warm and supportive while also being direct enough to thoughtfully challenge patterns when needed. I will meet you where you are, and we will work at a pace that supports trust, safety, growth, and lasting change.

The first session is about you—you do not need to have all the answers or have your history perfectly organized. Come as you are. We will take time to get to know each other, talk about what brought you to therapy, what has or has not helped in the past, and what you are hoping to feel or do differently.

You can expect a warm, nonjudgmental, and collaborative environment where difficult concerns can be discussed openly and safely, at a pace that feels comfortable for you.

As we continue, sessions combine compassionate listening with thoughtful questions, clinical guidance, and practical tools for coping, emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, and healthier behavioral and relationship patterns.

Therapy may not always be comfortable, but trust and emotional safety are essential to the work we do together.

We will identify patterns, build on your strengths, develop useful skills, and periodically review your progress toward your goals.

The aim is to help you better understand yourself while developing the confidence, resilience, and practical skills needed to create meaningful and lasting change.

My general observation is that many clients find that simply having a safe space to finally put into words what they have been carrying can bring a sense of relief and clarity.