Swati Cerise

MA, LMFT

Swati Cerise, MA, LMFT (she/her) is a licensed marriage and family therapist with more than 15 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families struggling through the transitions and stressors of life. Her clients describe her as approachable, accepting, and encouraging, and say that they feel understood by her.

Swati works with people to identify behaviors that may be holding them back and then helps them determine alternative behaviors to move past obstacles toward positive change.

Swati draws from several modes of treatment to do this, depending on clients’ needs. They include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), systems theory, mindfulness, and an insight-oriented methodology for people struggling with issues related to anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief and loss, identity, trauma, culture, race, communication, and connection. As a first-generation Indian American and partner in an interracial marriage, she also has a special interest in working with people trying to navigate cultural and ethnic identity.

Swati uses the metaphor of a lotus flower to describe the therapeutic process. The flower is deeply rooted in the bottom of rivers and ponds. It survives and grows through murky waters, reaching the surface and blooming into a beautiful, healthy flower. The path of the lotus reflects how we also can grow amidst muddy waters. Difficult challenges can help shape who we are and strengthen us to emerge like the lotus in the sun and be our best self.

Specialty Areas

• Couples Therapy
• Anxiety Disorders
• Acculturation Stress
• Bicultural Families

ADDITIONAL TRAINING

• Gottman Method Couples Therapy
• Prepare/Enrich Premarital and Marital Assessment
• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)