Therapy at Bay, by Dr. Manasi Shankar

Hello! My name is Dr. Manasi Shankar, and I am a Licensed Psychotherapist, Professor of Counseling Psychology, and a disability researcher. I am here to bring to surface an issue that has existed in our discipline, since its conception. Unfortunately, countless disabled individuals hesitate to attend therapy due to an experienced or perceived fear of the lack of appropriate therapist-training. Therapists on the other hand, often believe disabled people and related presenting issues are outside our scope of practice. This gap in service leads to an exclusion of a large community of diverse individuals and families whose mental health has been devalued throughout history.
I have partnered with the Taylor & Francis (Routledge) publishing company to edit a handbook titled, “The Handbook of Disability-Affirmative Systemic Therapy: A Marriage and Family Therapist’s Guide to Effective Clinical Care with Disabled Clients and their Families”. This handbook will serve as a rigorous resource that systemic therapists can utilize to strengthen their skills and competencies in working with the disabled community. Several of the chapters in this edition will be authored by disabled scholars in our field, to accurately represent the needs of the community, as well as describe effective clinical strategies through a Disability Justice Framework.
I am inviting potential authors who write frequently about disability discourses, mental health within the community, disability history, law and policy, Intersectional perspectives of disability such as disabled sexuality and/or disabled people of color, among other related topics. You are not required to be a mental health clinician to contribute your expertise to specific chapters of the handbook. If you are interested in serving as an author or would like more information about the specifics of this book, please email me at [email protected] and I would love to talk with you further. Please also feel free to share this post or it's content with others. With your help, we can make a significant change in our field, one that demands our immediate attention, and is long overdue. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. my name is Manasi Shankar and I am a therapist working with individuals, couples and families coping with challenges they are experiencing, both present and past.

Since the time I remember, I have wanted to work hard to support people experiencing hardship through mental health challenges, relationships, transitions and/or grief. Over the years, I have met many beautiful people through my therapy work as we go on a journey together to support them in healing, while being able to manage the stressful situations in their life. I think the relationships I build with people in therapy are my favorite part of my work as a therapist and have led to significant changes for my clients, through their hard work in therapy, with me as a cheerleader and committed support system along the way. I see the strengths present in each one of them, and assist them in discovering the resilience within themselves.

I work from a trauma informed and emotionally focused lens, while focusing on strengths and inherent abilities. I believe in real conversation and in providing a safe environment for you to process what is in your heart. I warmly welcome LGBTQ+ clients and clients from varied nationalities, races, ethnicities, social classes and dis/abilities.

I am a Nationally Certified counselor (NCC) and I am fully trained in EMDR, a therapy intervention that has helped numerous people through acute, chronic and complex trauma. I am also on the path to becoming fully licensed as a professional clinical counselor. Currently, I work at Chicago Center for Family Health, with individual, couples and families with chronic illness and/or disability.

If you are in pain, or simply need to process situations in your life, or if you are wondering if you should reach out to a therapist- do it. Reach out to a therapist who you believe is a good fit for you. Like everyone else, you deserve good therapy.

Manasi Shankar: PhD Candidate, MS, NCC updated their business hours.