Shani is a Licensed Social Worker providing psychotherapy in Manhattan. She was born and raised in New York City, but has spent the last 10 years in Philadelphia, PA. During her time there, Shani centered her clinical work in addressing the cycle of violence that is so prevalent in the city.
Shani worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a research assistant, implementing an anti-bullying intervention throughout elementary schools in Philadelphia. Through her work and personal experiences, Shani realized that the cycle of violence that disproportionately impacted people of color was deeply rooted in generational trauma and systemic racism. This realization inspired her to dedicate her career to mitigating the toxic impact of racism and discrimination by providing quality mental health care to youth and adults of color impacted by these struggles.
Shani grounds her work in social justice, taking into account how our social positions in society are rooted in systemic oppression, which influences our experiences, mental health and relationships.
After receiving her MSW, Shani worked as a Psychotherapist providing trauma focused therapy and supportive grief counseling. Within this role, she has worked with a diverse population of clients, including children, teens, adults and families. She specializes in working with clients experiencing anxiety, grief, trauma, depression, self esteem issues, racism-related struggles, and life transitions. She is a trauma informed, anti-oppressive, relationally oriented, identity affirming therapist with an eclectic therapeutic style. She uses many interventions to best support clients’ individual needs. She has experience implementing cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral, mindfulness, narrative and motivational interviewing techniques.
Due to the tremendous amount of pain, loss and emotional distress caused by current events, more people are seeking mental health services to cope. At Resilience Lab, her priority is to provide quality, supportive therapy services to anyone experiencing emotional distress. She is based in the Chelsea location, but she is only available for virtual telehealth sessions at this time.
