Hermine Khachikyan

We as humans grow, mature, and change, but some characteristics are part of our core and always stay with us. I have always been a listener, an empathizer, and a very confidential individual, not realizing how these skills would be used later in my career life.

These characteristics, along with my personality traits, likes, and dislikes, became factors in choosing a career in the helping profession.

Throughout the years, I have had different personal and professional experiences, and with each experience, I grew as an individual and a professional. Becoming a parent and experiencing a personal loss helped me to realize that healing and transformation start within.

We often concentrate on external factors by hoping that if our surroundings or relationships change, we will start feeling better. The reality is when we turn inward and heal internally, we change, and as a result, we develop healthier boundaries and relationships.

This is when I turned inward for my own healing. As a result, I felt more strongly about providing therapy and helping others in their own healing journey.

Healing is a process, and it is different for every individual; it is painful but gratifying. It takes effort but lends great outcomes. Witnessing and supporting other human beings as they find inner peace and develop skills to address emotional challenges is my inspiration for choosing this profession.

There comes a point in life when you feel stuck or lost, questioning your choices, worth, and relationships, and unable to feel inner peace. Yet, many hesitate to reach out to a therapist because of the thought “therapy can’t help me” or due to feelings of guilt, shame, or the discomfort of sharing very personal experiences.

Therapy is a process; it takes time and effort and is highly based on your therapeutic relationship with the therapist. Throughout the process, you are in control of your own healing. The therapist becomes your support system in this process to guide you and provide different perspectives and approaches to situations in a non-judgmental way.

Every human being deserves non-judgmental support to help them feel accepted and supported and help them heal from painful experiences. Everyone’s life journey is different, filled with different experiences, family, and cultural backgrounds. Individuals make life choices based on these unique life experiences. Some choices lead to great outcomes, and some lead to painful experiences.

Allowing the individual to take responsibility and accountability for the consequences of their choices while supporting them non-judgmentally is my life and treatment philosophy.

My experiences have been with children, teens, adults, and older adults in different work environments. The approach to therapy is different for each age group. However, my passion is working with individuals – specifically, women struggling with self-worth, self-acceptance, and self-esteem.

Helping individuals heal their relationships with themselves helps them to improve their relationships with others, develop healthy boundaries, and view life through different lenses.