About Monica
Welcome! I’m Monica Mishra, and I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York.
My passion for vulnerability is what led me to become a therapist.
Over the course of my life, I’ve grown to love conversations where I, and the people around me, can slowly remove layers and practice letting go of being anyone other than who we are in that moment. I’ve become deeply drawn to these moments of softening, when our guards come down and we are seen as we are at our core. I believe that beneath our layers, we are all loving, scared humans with a deep desire to be loved.
Specifically, I am passionate about:
The human capacity for change, including the belief that we are not defined by our worst actions, and that love has the ability to help us become more loving
Relational healing, especially witnessing two people in deep conflict soften toward one another, move past projections, and begin to see and relate to each other more kindly
Creating spaces where people feel authentically and uniquely seen, supporting them in accessing their own potential and moving toward lives that feel meaningful
Who I work with:
More About Me
I grew up in New York. My family is originally from India and France, and much of my life has been shaped by living at the intersection of different cultures and learning to move between ways of understanding the world.
I find meaning in simple moments of beauty, whether that’s reading something that lands emotionally, learning to play a new song on the piano, being outdoors hiking or camping, or losing track of time in a deep conversation that somehow makes everything feel okay.
I provide individual, couples, and group therapy to adults from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. I work with people experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, questions related to sexual and gender identity, and existential concerns.
I primarily work from a psychoanalytic lens, with an emphasis on curiosity and developing a deeper understanding of your inner world and relational patterns. I specialize in couples therapy and the treatment of OCD, using evidence-based approaches. In addition to individual and couples work, I currently facilitate a support group for couples navigating the challenges of Relationship OCD (ROCD).
Education & Trainings
Education:
M.A. and Ed.M. in Psychological Counseling at Teachers College, Columbia University (2023)
B.A. in Economics, Philosophy, and Mathematics from Boston College (2019)
Certificate in Buddhist Studies from Rangjung Yeshe Institute Centre for Buddhist Studies (2017)
Trainings:
Foundations of Psychoanalysis Certificate Program at the Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity (in progress)
Gottman Method Couples Therapy – Levels 1 & 2 Certificate, taught by Drs. John and Julie Gottman (in progress)
Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT-C), Level 1, taught by Dr. Rhonda Goldman (2025)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) through the Personal Transformation Institute (2024)