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Headshot of Dr. Aakash Kishore, who has medium brown skin, jaw length, wavy black and gray hair, and a short beard.

ABOUT ME

Aakash Kishore (they/he)

I am a queer and transmasculine Indian American psychologist who was raised in the Midwest. From an early age and throughout my life, I’ve had the experience of being both invisible and hypervisible at the same time. Other people’s beliefs about me often determined which resources I could access, and over time I found that those beliefs also began to shape what I thought and felt about myself. It takes active work each day to release those unhelpful scripts and reclaim the power of my own voice. I am licensed in Oregon and Colorado, and currently reside in Portland, OR.

MY FOCUS

 

My training, research, and career has focused on culturally responsive therapy for people of color, veterans, women, queer, trans, non-binary, and gender expansive people, and those who live at the intersections of these identities. I have worked in a range of settings, including many healthcare settings (oncology, pain clinics, medical units, psychiatric inpatient facilities, and alongside medical staff as a part of primary care) as well as community-based programs. These experiences shape me: I’ve seen how connected physical and social health are with mental health, and I’ve witnessed the squeeze that medical systems can place on people who are seeking help. I’ve also experienced how the right support at the right time can make a difference.

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MY APPROACH

 

As a therapist, I believe my first job is to witness. I aim to support a space that is safe enough for you to tell your own story, heal, and step further into your own power. I welcome open discussion of your identities, cultures, relationships, and experiences, including your experience of therapy itself, as it is happening. We’ll work to name how your experiences with structural oppression may have shaped your beliefs about yourself and how you cope. We’ll identify your strengths, and when it’s helpful, we’ll try out tools to support changes you may want to make. I’m trained in modern psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as several behavioral therapies and interventions (cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, motivational interviewing, and problem solving training). Depending on what you’re experiencing, we might plan to meet for just a handful of sessions, or we may decide to work together for a longer stretch of time. My hope is that this flexibility can make therapy approachable, accessible, and effective for you. 

Experience

Education and Work 

  • University of California Los Angeles, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (2015)

  • Practicing at the predoctoral and then postdoctoral level since 2010 

  • Independently licensed in Colorado (2016) and Oregon (2021)​

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I've worked or trained at the following facilities: 

  • VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR

  • VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu, HI

  • VA Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

  • Simms Mann Center for Integrative Oncology, Los Angeles, CA

  • UCLA Psychology Clinic, Los Angeles, CA

  • Center for the Assessment and Prevention of Prodromal Schizophrenia, Los Angeles, CA

  • Zaidel Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Los Angeles, CA

  • API Equality LA, Los Angeles, CA

Service

  • American Psychological Association’s Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2018-2021.

  • Asian American Psychological Association’s Division on Students, 2012-2014.

  • Satrang, (South Asian LGBTQ+ organization) board member and youth outreach, 2008-2014

  • Gender Justice Los Angeles, board member, 2012-2014

  • FTM International, board member, 2007-2009

Specialized Training

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

  • Brief Psychodynamic Therapy

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Depression, and Insomnia

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy

  • Dialectic Behavioral Therapy

  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

  • Motivational Interviewing

  • Perinatal Mental Health

  • Postdoctoral fellowship in LGBTQ+ Veteran Health and Primary Care Mental Health Integration

  • Problem Solving Training

  • I frequently present to healthcare trainees and licensed providers on LGBQ+ and TNBGE mental health as a part of their continuing education. 

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