Nandini is an Assistant Clinical Professor and the Program Coordinator for the Master’s in Counseling program at Northern Arizona University’s North Valley campus. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Her education encompasses the fields of linguistics, speech-language pathology, and counseling which taught her that language - the stories we tell ourselves about our lives and the world we live in - plays a central role in our well-being. Nandini counsels a diverse population of adult clients with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) in the greater Phoenix area. She also has experience working with children, adolescents, young adults, parents, and the elderly. Her teaching philosophy is aimed at integrating theory and practice and encouraging students to view multicultural competence as central to their counseling skills. She considers herself a lifelong learner with research and reading interests in grief, trauma, psycholinguistics, and the use of language as a tool of therapy.