My name is Deema Soufan and I am formally trained as a psychotherapist. I say formally because being a therapist is just one sliver of my identity. Albeit an important one. However, I know how quickly we can become consumed and enmeshed with factors of our identity and I think it is really important to acknowledge that.

I began my clinical work working with children and then quickly discovered that we have so many resources available for children and so few available to parents. I shifted my focus to working with the perinatal population and have dedicated my career to this field.

Along with perinatal mood disorders I also specialize in working with family of origin and couple’s related issues along with working with medical providers.

I hold the highest possible formal training to date in perinatal mood disorders. I also have received formal training in the treatment of OCD and OCD related disorders (ERP modalities). I have worked in a variety of healthcare settings including within a NICU and antepartum and postpartum floors within an Ivy League healthcare system. 

My time in the NICU was incredibly special to me as I have lived experience with a baby in the NICU. Aside from having the privilege to support families with their time in the hospital, I had the privilege of providing support the the medical staff in the units as well. As a partner of medical provider, I am acutely aware of the burn out that occurs in related fields. 

I have been a psychology professor for seven years now and have worked with several media organizations as a public speaker in order to provide further psychoeducation on perinatal mood disorders. I’ve had the privilege of being published in several publications along with co-hosting conversations around perinatal advocacy with celebrities. 

My goal is to educate and empower. As a mother myself, I know how many barriers to treatment there are. I help run an infant/parent wellness blog called Bumblebaby. I love sharing my own insight and collaborating with other specialties. 

I have three beautiful, amazing, and wild children. 

As a therapist, my style is person centered and personable. This means that I really take the time to cultivate a therapeutically intimate relationship between myself and my clients. I am not a blank slate therapist.  Rapport is everything to me. Throughout my career as a therapist I have found myself questioning much of the ways in which we conduct therapy. I work extremely hard to dismantle any power dynamic that can traditionally occur within a therapeutic setting. 

One thing that I really pride myself on is my ability to “join” a client. The shades of you that make up who you are, do not scare me. Together, we’ll work on tolerating discomfort so that you are able to really identify what your needs are. I find for many people, we’re looking for someone to come join us rather than try to take away what we are experiencing. That is how I practice therapy.