Munira Soni
Hello Everyone, Myself Munira Soni, holding a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from SNDT University, Mumbai. My experience includes in working with children with ADHD, Special needs, Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum disorders, emotional and behavioral difficulties and related parenting issues.
I have spent the past 11 years working as a therapist and Counselling Psychologist in a range of environments. I am currently supporting the Ethnic Minorities well-being center at The Zubin Foundation (TZF) in Hong Kong. I am responsible for providing counselling support to the adolescents and adults at TZF. Along with Mannheal I’m also associated with multiple online platforms like RichPsych, United We Care & E – Yogi.
My area of interest and expertise is working with children and teenagers. Having worked in an NGO, I have dealt with children who were diagnosed with Learning Disabilities, and experienced behavioral difficulties. I have also had an opportunity to work as a Special Educator at Sols Arc (Mumbai) and as a therapist for SHEROES & Love Doctor.
I also work with individuals who experience anxiety and depression, as well as those going through life transitions. Everything I do in my work with children and families is guided by the principles of development, learning theory and systems perspectives. Using REBT, behavioural and cognitive-behavioural approaches, I am able to offer a tailored solution for each client to better meet their individual needs. This is also a strength-based approach that helps clients and their families identify the strengths and resources they have that can assist them in achieving sustainable behaviour change.
In the midst of the serious work of therapy, I seek to find hope, joy, humor –and a renewed enthusiasm for life. I believe that each person has their own story that has shaped what they are currently experiencing. I also encourages my clients to pursue a holistic approach to health, incorporating exercise, proper sleep, nutrition, spiritual practices, nurturing relationships, and activities they enjoy. Through my work, i strive to foster a safe space where clients can tell their story, gain insight into how that has impacted them, and create a new reality that is more fulfilling.
Through the acquisition, practice, and application of new skills, children and families can build resilience for managing future life challenges. I work with my clients in a collaborative way, developing a trusted alliance with families that helps us find the appropriate, evidence-based strategies that are effective for each unique set of needs.
I can communicate effectively and speak multiple languages like English, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati & Marathi with clients and adapt my style and techniques according to individual needs and personalities. I enjoys the challenges of working with different people and finds the work incredibly rewarding.
My Journey
I was drawn to the helping profession through my own painful childhood experiences, inclination towards self healing, others and a deep desire to understand emotional processes and healing. A wealth of life experience provides me with an ability to understand common patterns which affect most people in their journeys. I have a passion for emotional healing that improves relationships and the overall quality of daily experiences for each individual and family.
I am privileged to work with families and individuals from young children through older adults. I enjoy engaging with young children in play therapy on up through teens and adults who have a desire or need for hope and change. Helping couples find the connection and safety with each other they crave is also a privilege and a joy. Also help struggling parents in their parenting journey. My goal is to serve others and truly make a difference as I walk beside and assist in the navigation of life challenges as clients find wholeness for themselves and in their relationships.
In addition to my training, I have had over 11 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families in faith based environments and educational training situations. I am raising 2 amazing children of my own and understand the struggles that parents experience along with the varied dynamics of family relationships.
The Idea Behind MannHeal
Mann is a common word for Mind. But more specifically it refers to the emotional aspect of the Mind. Healing means to be or make whole. To put together the broken or damaged bits so that the one can feel good again and be more resilient in the future.
After a difficult, traumatic experience, we’re often left with a backlog of experiences, memories that follows us around and hampers our present lives and forwards into the future. The sense of failure and dissatisfaction makes the coping worse.
Emotional healing is not like physical healing. While physical healing requires rest, emotional healing requires work. Emotional healing is a process. It requires a number of skills.It requires us to dive into the experience, connect within and commit to changing our lives.
Although everyone’s journey is different, we all have the capability to heal from within. It may not be an overnight transition, but it’s important to remember that time heals all. Don’t forget to lovingly accept the rewards you are receiving from all of the hard work you are doing.
My Goal
If this is your first time in therapy, welcome. My guess is that getting started can be pretty scary — to talk to someone you do not know about things that make you uncomfortable, sad, angry, overjoyed, or embarrassed — but I would like to reassure you that this process is here to help you grow. There are certain elements necessary in therapy in order to maintain a space of positivity, growth, and healing. Yet, you are not responsible for maintaining those elements. That is the job of the therapist — MY JOB It is imperative that I maintain a judgment-free space, a space that is challenging but comforting, and a process that is enlightening as well as retrospective. Be open with your therapist about your experience as it unfolds. And if it is not the experience you were hoping to have, I hope you advocate for yourself and seek support elsewhere if no remedy is made.