Yasmeen Zaidi

I am a mental health counselor licensed in the state of New York. Prior to joining Saint Lawrence University, I worked at the Student Health and Counseling Center at Clarkson University and at Canton-Potsdam Hospital in outpatient and inpatient settings. I was born and raised in Pakistan and spent a few years of my childhood in North Africa. I moved to the United States as an adult. I am a native speaker of Urdu-Hindi, and I am fluent in English. Due to my life experiences, I am fully aware of acculturation difficulties. I recognize that a person’s culture, sexuality, gender identity, and lifestyle influence their personality, decision-making skills, vocational choice, and willingness to seek help. I am a strong believer that we can find beauty within our differences. My personal philosophy of counseling comes from a person-centered humanistic perspective. When a foundation of empathy, respect, and caring is created, true change can begin to occur. My dream is to live to see a world where we give the same importance to mental health as we give to physical health and recognize how they are interconnected. Continuous professional growth is my priority. A few years ago, I received an advanced graduate certificate in trauma studies from the State University of New York at Oswego to learn and treat psychological trauma. My favorite pastimes are watching movies from around the world, taking walks in nature, and doing my morning yoga routine. I also enjoy translating literature in English from my native language. A translation of mine was published last year in Theory and Action, an interdisciplinary journal. I remain involved in scholarly activities in my field having contributed cultural research to the book Mediation, Conciliation, and Emotions: The Role of Emotional Climate in Understanding Violence and Mental illness by Dr. Peter D. Ladd and Kyle Blanchfield. I have also collaborated with Dr. Peter Ladd on the self-help book Emotional Regulation: Emotional Algorithms for Clients and Counselors.