Mayur Rajesh (Intern Therapist)

Mayur Rajesh (Intern Therapist)
he/him

Hi, I’m Mayur Rajesh (he/him), an intern therapist at The Center for Growth. I’ll be seeing clients from September 2025 to May 2026, and I’m currently completing my Master of Education in Counseling Psychology at Temple University. I offer therapy both in person at the Art Museum office in Philadelphia and virtually for clients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

I believe that therapy is a space for deep reflection, healing, and reconnection—a place where you can explore the complexities of your inner world, untangle emotional patterns, and move toward a more authentic, values-driven life. Whether you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected, I aim to provide a warm, collaborative space where you can explore those feelings without judgment.

I work with clients in the following areas:
• Identity exploration and life transitions
• Anxiety, depression, and general emotional distress
• Men’s emotional expression and vulnerability
• Relationship struggles, intimacy challenges, and couples therapy
• Shame, guilt, and sexual concerns including pornography use and sexual shame
• Academic and career stress, burnout, and high-functioning anxiety
• Athletic identity issues, performance pressure, and injury recovery
• Cultural identity and intergenerational dynamics
• Existential concerns, spirituality, and meaning-making
• Mind-body integration through yoga-informed somatic practices

Therapeutic Style

Clients often describe me as intentional, curious, and gently challenging. I listen attentively—not just to the words spoken, but to what’s felt beneath the surface. While I hold space with compassion and acceptance, I also encourage reflection on patterns and beliefs that may be holding you back. I can be reflective and direct when it’s helpful, always with the goal of helping you better understand yourself and move toward a more honest, intentional way of living.

I believe therapy should be collaborative—where you lead the process, and I walk alongside you as a fellow traveler. My approach is person-centered, insight-oriented, and purpose-driven. I’m committed to creating a safe, nonjudgmental environment where you can explore difficult emotions, identities, and relationships at your own pace.

I work best with those who are determined and willing to be uncomfortable in an emotionally safe holding environment. One of my greatest strengths is being direct and gently challenging, knowing that at the end of the day, we’re working toward the same goal.

Evidence-Based Foundations

While I deeply appreciate the richness of psychodynamic, existential, and Gestalt frameworks for their insight into the human experience and meaning-making, I also recognize that these approaches have limited empirical support compared to some modern therapies.

To complement my reflective style and offer clients proven pathways to healing, I integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—a well-established, evidence-based modality—into my clinical work.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT fits naturally with my holistic and insight-oriented approach by providing clear, practical tools that empower you to navigate life’s challenges while deepening self-understanding. ACT’s core processes—mindfulness, acceptance, cognitive defusion, values clarification, and committed action—help clients break free from unhelpful patterns and live more meaningfully.

By weaving ACT’s strategies into therapy, I help clients build skills in:
• Mindful awareness: Observing thoughts and feelings without judgment or resistance
• Acceptance: Allowing difficult emotions to be present rather than battling or avoiding them
• Values exploration: Clarifying what truly matters on a deep, personal level
• Committed action: Taking intentional steps toward a life that reflects your values, even in the presence of discomfort

This blend of insight and actionable strategies supports my belief that therapy is not about “fixing” what’s broken but about making space for all parts of ourselves—and choosing how we want to move forward.

Other Therapeutic Influences

In addition to ACT, I draw from the following approaches:

• Culturally Attuned Practice: As a bicultural South Asian American man, I understand the tension of navigating multiple cultural identities, family expectations, and internalized beliefs. I bring sensitivity and curiosity to the ways culture, race, religion, and intergenerational dynamics influence emotional life.

• Trauma-Informed: I recognize that many behaviors that seem “irrational” or “self-sabotaging” often have roots in trauma. I work slowly and safely, helping clients build internal resources before addressing deeper emotional wounds.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: I help clients explore how early experiences, attachment dynamics, and unconscious beliefs shape current emotional patterns and relational struggles. I believe the past is always with us—not to blame it, but to understand and integrate it.

• Existential Therapy: I’m drawn to the big questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What matters to me? I create space for clients to wrestle with questions around meaning, identity, and purpose—especially during times of transition, loss, or disconnection.

• Gestalt-Informed Practice: I encourage clients to bring awareness to the here-and-now—how emotions show up in the body, what’s being felt (and what’s being avoided), and how patterns play out in real time. This present-focused work can be powerful for shifting ingrained dynamics.

• Somatic and Mindfulness-Based Interventions: For clients who feel stuck in their heads, I incorporate grounding, breathwork, and somatic tracking to help them connect to what’s happening in their bodies. I believe the body often carries the emotional material that words alone can’t access.

Specific Areas of Interest

Career and Purpose Exploration
I believe our work—how we spend our time, what we strive toward—can deeply affect our emotional well-being. I enjoy helping clients explore questions around career, purpose, and fulfillment, especially during periods of transition or disillusionment.

Men’s Work and Emotional Expression
I’m especially passionate about helping men navigate emotional complexity in a culture that often encourages disconnection. I work with men who are seeking to better understand themselves—beyond roles, achievements, or surface-level expectations—and who want to develop more authentic and emotionally present ways of relating.

Sexuality and Intimacy
I support individuals and couples exploring concerns around pornography, sexual shame, desire, and intimacy. These conversations are often heavy with cultural stigma, silence, and confusion. I approach this work with deep care and zero judgment—helping clients talk honestly about sex, connection, and what they long for.

Student and Athlete Support
Having worked in higher education and academic coaching, I bring a unique lens to my work with students and athletes. I understand the performance pressure, burnout, and identity confusion that can come with high-achieving environments. Whether you’re navigating injury, transition, or burnout, I offer space to reconnect with what truly matters to you.

Background

I was born in the U.S. and spent most of my childhood in India before returning to the States for high school. Growing up across cultures gave me a deep appreciation for nuance—and for what it means to feel both connected and alienated, seen and misunderstood, all at once. These early experiences shaped my desire to understand human behavior, emotional resilience, and the stories we carry.

I earned my B.A. in Psychology (with a Philosophy minor) at Temple University, where I participated in the Honors Psychology Research Program and interned at the Resiliency Resource Center. I’m now completing my graduate studies at Temple, with coursework focused on trauma, multicultural counseling, identity development, and somatic psychotherapy.

I’m also a certified yoga teacher (RYT-200), trained in trauma-informed and mindfulness-based practices. I bring a mind-body awareness into my sessions when it supports the work—particularly for clients who are disconnected from their bodies or overwhelmed by thoughts.

Hobbies and Passions

I bring my full self into my work—including the parts shaped by life outside of therapy. I enjoy playing soccer, hiking, practicing yoga, and reading novels that explore the human condition. I value introspection, stillness, movement, and creativity—and often pull inspiration from literature, philosophy, and embodied practice in how I think about healing.

I’m not interested in perfection. I’m interested in helping people feel at home in their own skin, and aligned with what they want rather than what people expect of them.

Work with Me

If you’re looking for a therapist who can hold space as well as say the uncomfortable things that need to be said, I might be a good fit for you.

You don’t have to figure it out alone—therapy can be a space to slow down, ask the hard questions, and rediscover your path. I’m here to walk alongside you through that process.

Mayur Rajesh (Intern Therapist)'s Resume