About Dr. Ekta Kumar
I’m Dr. Ekta Kumar (she/her), a licensed clinical psychologist who is a dedicated advocate for mental health and equity. I have over 12 years of licensed experience and my work is rooted in creating affirming spaces for individuals navigating intersections of identity, trauma, and systemic challenges.
I have particular experience working with LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC clients, including people from South Asian communities. I have been honored to work with many individuals from the South Asian diaspora and feel passionate about providing culturally-informed care. I aim to provide care that recognizes the full context of a person's life rather than focusing on symptoms in isolation. My approach is collaborative, trauma-informed, and grounded in multicultural psychology. I have been honored to work with many individuals from the South Asian diaspora and feel passionate about providing culturally-informed care.
My approach is integrative and compassionate, drawing on evidence-based practices like interpersonal therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). I provide gender-affirming care and provide letters for surgery. Overall, each therapy session is tailored to meet your specific needs, values, and goals.
Clinical Experience Grounded in Culture, Identity, and Trauma-Informed Care
Gender-affirming Care
Positionality
My identities and lived experiences shape how I approach my work, while also reminding me that each person's experience is unique.
As a South Asian, able-bodied, first-generation immigrant, queer, cisgender female, and mother, I recognize the importance of understanding how identity, culture, and social context influence our lives.
I aim to approach each client with curiosity, humility, and respect rather than making assumptions about their experiences.
I am fluent in Hindi, understand Punjabi, and am happy to provide sessions in Hindi for those who prefer it. My background and values inform my commitment to providing inclusive, affirming care.
I have provided gender-affirming care since 2008. I work with clients navigating gender and sexual identity, family and cultural expectations, discrimination, minority stress, and other experiences that can affect a person's sense of safety and belonging. I also provide letters for gender-affirming surgeries when clinically appropriate.
I’m deeply committed to fostering values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Alongside my clinical work, I serve as a Clinical Associate Professor at University of Southern California (USC) and I am the Senior Director of Well-being, Culture, and Engagement in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, where I’ve helped lead initiatives to create systemic change.
I previously oversaw CARE-SC at USC, supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and led two community counseling clinics at California Lutheran University that served low-income and underinsured communities. These experiences have shaped my commitment to accessible, culturally responsive mental health care and to understanding the individual and systemic factors that affect well-being.
Throughout my career, I have supervised licensed, unlicensed, and psychiatric residents, pre-doctoral interns, and clinicians in-training.