NITA MAKHIJA, PH.D.
Licensed Psychologist, Registered Yoga Teacher
Specializing in providing evidence-based trauma treatment for women
About Me
I specialize in providing treatment that addresses experiences of trauma (such as sexual assault, intimate partner violence (IPV), and childhood physical, sexual and emotional abuse) for adults who identify as female and in providing education and support to their loved ones.
I am trained as a counseling psychologist; this means that a critical emphasis throughout my training and practice is on examining the interactions between our identity (including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientations, ability status, socio-economic status) and the world around us, as well as the role our social and cultural environments play in our mental well-being. My practice strives to provide a therapeutic environment that is anti-racist, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and overall culturally responsive and inclusive (click here for discrimination policy).
I completed my training in community and Veterans Affairs hospitals in Brooklyn NY, Seattle WA, and Boston MA where I received advanced training in providing treatment for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms with a focus on military sexual trauma (MST). Following this, prior to returning to Western New York, I served as a licensed psychologist treating military service members, veterans and their family members, and survivors of suicide in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and as an instructor at Harvard Medical School. I returned to Western New York in 2018 to be closer to family and friends and am thrilled to be calling Buffalo home once again!
Therapy
Within treatment, I utilize both a "top-down" and "bottom-up" approach.
"Top-down" refers to utilizing a cognitive behavioral therapy approach (CBT) that helps you become aware of your thought patterns and how they impact your behaviors. I draw heavily from mindfulness and acceptance techniques as well to so that together we can identify skills and strategies that can most effectively address the concerns for which you are seeking therapy.
"Bottom-down" refers to understanding that our physical bodies hold onto our trauma experiences. Certain experiences in the present can activate our brain areas that regulate emotions and trigger physical responses of survival such as fight/flight/freeze, even when there isn't a threat that is present. Developing body awareness can help us to identify when these responses are occurring and how to respond to them physically and with compassion to understand that we are safe and not at threat now. In our work together, I frequently integrate mindfulness and yoga-based exercises to develop this skillset.
The overall focus of our work together will be on helping you explore your values and strengths along with the barriers you encounter and identifying the patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that interfere with you moving forward.
Evidence-based treatment for
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Sleep Disturbance
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Interpersonal challenges that arise from experiencing psychological trauma
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*I am not trained in evidence-based practices for depression or couples therapy
Additional Services
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Assessment/ Psychological Evaluation for PTSD
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Supervision for unlicensed psychologists/psychiatrists other mental health professionals
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Consultation on mental health-related concerns for mental health professionals, educators, employers
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Workshops on understanding and/or treating trauma and trauma-related symptomatology
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Psychoeducation for family & friends of individuals who experience symptoms related to experiences of psychological trauma