Raju Desai
he/they/siya

[email protected] | Instagram: @dr.indipino

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Title: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT); Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC)
Languages Spoken: English, Tagalog, Spanish
Affiliations: CAMFT
Approach: Acceptance & Commitment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Multicultural, Narrative Therapy, Relational Psychotherapy, Strength Based, Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy, Brainspotting

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Raju (he/they/siya) is a second-generation Indipino American with ancestral ties to Cavite and Batangas. He is an educator and emerging therapist committed to healing justice and cultural liberation. For over a decade, his work has centered on co-creating spaces with BIPOC, immigrant, foster, and LGBTQ+ youth to reclaim voice, belonging, and possibility in the face of systemic inequities.

Born and raised in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, Raju’s lived experiences with family migration, community displacement, and educational inequities inform his commitment to walking alongside others as they navigate trauma, identity, and life transitions.

​He got his Master’s in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling from San Francisco State University, and seeks to bridge scholarship, practice, and community healing—guided by kapwa, relationality, and collective liberation. Outside of therapy, he finds joy in cultural rituals, dance, music, storytelling, and spending time with family, community, and the natural world.
His therapeutic approach is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and liberation-centered—honoring how colonization, systemic oppression, intergenerational trauma, and migration histories shape our stories and sense of self. Drawing from Narrative Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Liberation Psychology, he supports clients in re-authoring their lives through storytelling, ancestral connection, and practices of collective care. He integrates research on educational equity, identity development, and community resilience into his lens, offering space where grief, joy, survival, and transformation can coexist.
What it’s like to work with me: In our sessions, my goal is to create a space where you feel grounded, affirmed, and free to bring your whole self. I don’t see therapy as me “fixing” you—I see it as us walking together through the layers of your story. I’ll bring warmth, humor, and deep listening, along with a willingness to sit with pain, complexity, and uncertainty. I’ll also invite us to notice the strengths, cultural wisdoms, and community practices that can support your healing. Many clients describe my style as collaborative, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Whether you’re working through trauma, identity questions, life transitions, or simply looking for a place to rest and be seen, I’ll hold space for all parts of you to arrive.