Dr. Kay’s Story
From Two Suitcases to Therapy Cove: Living the American Dream Through Resilience and Healing
The first car I ever owned cost $400. A friend sold it to me when I was a broke grad student, and honestly, it looked and sounded exactly like you’d expect a $400 car to. Every morning in the dead of winter, I’d turn the key and whisper a prayer that it would actually start. When it made a strange noise, which was often, I did what any desperate twenty-something would do: I cranked up the radio and hoped for the best.
That car wasn’t just transportation. It was freedom. It meant no more trudging home with grocery bags cutting into my arms, no more 45-minute walks to class with frozen eyelashes in the middle of a New Jersey winter. That rickety little car was a symbol of independence, and when you’re building a life from scratch, even the smallest wins can feel like miracles.
Because the truth is, I didn’t come to the U.S. with much. Just two suitcases, a head full of dreams, and the grit to keep going even when homesickness and poverty made me want to quit. I was the first in my family to go to college, the first to go to grad school, the first to buy a car. The immigrant “firsts” can feel heavy sometimes, but they also come with a fierce kind of pride…you know you’re rewriting what’s possible, not just for yourself, but for everyone who comes after you.
And yet, it wasn’t glamorous. My first apartment had nothing but a mattress on the floor. I worked hard, studied harder, and still questioned whether I belonged. There were nights I almost packed my bags to go home. But something in me, the same grit that carried me through professional athletics back in Sri Lanka, kept whispering: one more step, one more semester, keep going.
Fast-forward to today, and I’ve gone from that mattress-on-the-floor apartment to training at NYU’s prestigious Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, earning a fellowship from the American Psychoanalytic Association, and now running my own private practice, Therapy Cove, LLC. Based in Florida and D.C, and licensed to provide online therapy across Virginia, New Jersey., and all 42 PSYPACT states, I’ve built a practice centered around what I know to be true: even high-achieving women who look like they “have it all together” can feel deeply alone and exhausted on the inside.
Because I know that story. I know what it’s like to look polished, accomplished, and strong while quietly battling the exhaustion, pressure, and loneliness underneath. That’s why my work is rooted in trauma-informed, culturally responsive therapy. It’s why I specialize in working with Gen Z, Millennials, and women navigating complex trauma, intergenerational patterns, and the nervous system burnout that comes with always being the strong one.
What I’ve learned, both personally and professionally, is that healing isn’t about pushing harder, proving more, or staying in survival mode. It’s about finding a safe enough space to finally put the heavy bags down. It’s about rewriting the story that your worth is tied to how much you can carry.
For me, living the American Dream hasn’t been about perfection. It’s been about perseverance, love, and resilience. It’s about proving to that broke, homesick grad student version of myself that she was stronger than she ever realized. And yes, sometimes, it’s still about laughing at the sound of a $400 car engine and turning up the music anyway.
Most of all, it’s about turning my own story into a source of healing for others. I built Therapy Cove around women like me, high-achieving, resilient women who battle silently on the inside. My practice is the space I wish I had years ago. A space where no one has to carry it all alone, where strength isn’t measured by how much you endure, but by how deeply you allow yourself to be supported.
If my story resonates with you, I’d love to walk alongside you on your own path to healing. I currently see clients in Florida, Virginia, Washington D.C., and across 42 PSYPACT states. Whether you’re searching for trauma therapy, therapy for high-achieving women, or a psychologist who gets the weight of “holding it all together,” you don’t have to keep doing it alone.
