MA, LMFT

Swati Cerise, MA, LMFT (she/her) is a licensed marriage and family therapist with more than 15 years 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 holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University, and bachelor’s degree in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Having worked with clients in clinical, school, and intensive in-home settings, she has a very collaborative style. She works with people to identify behaviors that may be holding them back, and then helps determine alternative behaviors for moving through 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 to reach the surface and bloom 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.