Monica Gangwar, AMFT

My approach is depth-oriented, relational, and grounded in liberation psychology. I believe the unconscious can reveal parts of ourselves that have been hidden, protected, or waiting to be understood. I also know that our struggles do not develop in isolation; we are shaped by our families, cultures, communities, histories, and the larger systems moving through our lives. Our work may shift between practical, solution-focused support and a deeper exploration of the patterns, relationships, dreams, and questions that shape your inner world. There is no single focal point in the human experience.

In the therapy room, I make space for honesty, rupture, and repair. Directness can be an act of care, and our relationship can become a place where difficult truths are met with curiosity rather than judgment. I bring clinical education and life experience, but you remain the expert on who you have been, who you are, and who you are becoming.

We move through cycles and thresholds, changed by what we choose and by much that we cannot control. Therapy does not remove the uncertainty of being human, but it means you do not have to move through it unseen. To be deeply witnessed can itself be a form of healing and, in many ways, an act of justice.

I work with people from diverse backgrounds, particularly immigrants, first- and second-generation members of the diaspora, and those whose lives have been shaped by oppression, displacement, and exploitative systems. Many of my clients are high-achieving teens and adults navigating academic pressure, demanding careers, and perfectionism. They may have grown up between cultures, become the “first” in their family or community, or spent years carving out a life without a clear map.

Often, they arrive at a threshold: something familiar is dimming while another part of the psyche is beginning to come alive. Therapy offers a place to become curious about what is ending, what is emerging, and what these changes may be asking of you.

 

Specializations

MODALITIES

  • Couples Therapy and Relational Dynamics

  • Trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD (Complex PTSD)

  • Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy

  • Anxiety and Perfectionism

  • Depression

  • Career Stress and Burnout

  • Life Transitions and Purpose

  • Relationship Dynamics

  • Family Conflict and Estrangement

  • Women’s Issues and Gender Roles

  • Support for Survivors of Sexual Assault

  • Relational Therapy

  • Experiential Therapy and Chair Work

  • Attachment-Based Therapy

  • Family Systems Therapy

  • Parts Work

  • Narrative Therapy

  • EMDR-Informed Therapy

  • Depth Psychology

  • Psychodynamic Therapy

  • Existential Therapy

  • Liberation Psychology

  • Mindfulness-Based Approaches

“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

Lilla Watson


FEES:

Individual                                                $185.00

(50 Minute Session)

Couples and Family                                $205.00

(50 Minute Session)

CONTACT MONICA:

Phone: (510) 200-8584

Email: monica@camphorcollective.com