SNK Therapy, LLC, Chicago, IL (2026)

10/07/2026

We rarely respond only to what happened. We respond to what happened - and what we think it means.

Right now, we are taking in an enormous amount of information: headlines, videos, opinions, breaking news, and other people’s interpretations of what it all means.

Our brains are remarkably good at filling in the gaps, especially when something feels uncertain, uncomfortable, or important to us.

The challenge is that our interpretation can quickly start to feel like fact.

We may assume we know someone’s intentions. We may believe we understand the whole story. We may fill in what’s missing with what we fear, expect, or have experienced before.

And once that story feels like fact, it shapes how we feel, what we believe, and how we respond.

This month, I’m talking about The Stories We Tell Ourselves - and how our interpretations shape our emotions, relationships, and behavior.

A useful place to start:
What do I actually know? And what am I adding to the story?

Sometimes the most important thing we can do is leave room for what we don’t know yet. So when you’re feeling all the emotions about something, here is an invitation to pause and get curious. You may have the same reaction or feeling, but now you’ve reached that place from a grounded and authentic place.

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

10/01/2026

There are moments when the news feels especially heavy. I personally can’t stop thinking about the recent Cornell 7 case and the news coming out of India about recent sexual assaults and r**e. These stories are disturbing and heartbreaking.

And sometimes, continuing to consume more information doesn’t help us feel more informed - it leaves us overwhelmed.

This is where small acts of care can matter.

Put the phone down for a while. Take a walk. Sit outside.
Go to therapy. Let yourself laugh.

Sometimes we need to step back so that we can return with more capacity to care, connect, and engage with the things that matter to us.

This month, as I’ve been talking about the psychology of transitions, I’ve also been thinking about how important it is to have anchors during uncertain times.

For me, books have often been one of those anchors.

📚 Life is in the Transitions is one I’m recommending if you’re looking for something thoughtful to read during a season of change.

REMEMBER: You don’t have to consume everything happening in the world to prove that you care. You are allowed to care deeply - and take care of yourself, too.

This doesn’t mean you are stepping away from the work. It’s you making space to return to it with more capacity, connection, and intention.
•

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

09/24/2026

What happens when silence gets passed down from one generation to the next?

I recently joined Healthy Mind, Healthy Life for a conversation about therapy stigma, intergenerational trauma, and the gendered ways we understand - and respond to - trauma.

We talked about the stories we inherit, the assumptions that shape who gets believed, and why healing sometimes begins with simply becoming curious about what was never spoken.

🎧 here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapy-silence-and-the-gendered-nature-of-trauma/id1682799672?i=1000769493935
___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

09/18/2026

Intergenerational conflict doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

For immigrant and first-generation families, family tension is often shaped by culture, migration, family history… and the uncertainty many families are navigating right now.

In my work, I often see the following in my patient’s lives:
- Acculturation stress - feeling caught between two worlds and not fully belonging to either.
- The “good daughter/son” role - where love can become tied to obedience and boundaries feel like rejection.
- Silence around mental health - where struggling quietly feels safer than saying what’s actually hard.

These aren’t flaws or weaknesses in a family. I believe they are patterns shaped by culture, migration, and generational survival.

And naming them isn’t about blaming the generation before us. It’s about understanding what helped them survive, what may no longer serve us, and what we want to carry forward.

If this resonates with you, please know you are not alone. Sending love from my corner of the world to yours.
•

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

09/14/2026

You can honor where you come from and still say no to what’s hurting you.

I hear a version of this a lot in session: “If I set this boundary, am I turning my back on my family? My culture? Everything I was raised to value?”

Here’s how I think about it - boundaries aren’t a rejection of where you come from. They’re often the way you carry it forward, just in a healthier form.

You’re not trying to erase your family’s values. You’re trying to make sure the next version of your family - the one you might build, the one your nieces and nephews grow up watching - gets a version of “respect” and “love” that doesn’t require silence or self-erasure.

That’s not betrayal. That’s continuity, just with more room to breathe and a strengthening of the “good stuff”.
•

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

09/08/2026

Therapy isn’t just for a crisis.

I recently joined Mind Over Matter for a conversation about breaking therapy stigma, cultural expectations, inherited patterns, and what it means to move from surviving to thriving.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m fine—maybe I don’t need therapy,” this conversation might give you something to think about.

🎧 Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast streaming platform.

Sometimes asking for support isn’t a sign that something is wrong. It’s a way of taking care of yourself.
•

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

09/03/2026

Setting a boundary with your family doesn’t mean you love them less. It means you’re finally including yourself in the relationship.

For a lot of us - especially in families where respect was taught as obedience - boundaries can feel like betrayal. Like you’re choosing yourself over the people who raised you.

But a boundary isn’t a wall. It’s a way of saying: I want to stay in this relationship, and I need it to look a little different so I can actually show up in it.

You can love your family deeply and still need space. You can honor where you come from and still say no to what’s hurting you. Those things aren’t in conflict - they just feel that way because no one modeled it for us.

What’s one boundary you’ve been afraid to set with family? I’d love to hear in the comments - you’re probably not the only one who relates.
•

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

08/26/2026

I have been talking to a number of people recently - in and out of my office - about how they are waiting for the “right moment” to try something new.

But feeling unready doesn’t always mean you’re not ready.

Transitions can make us question ourselves:
Am I ready for this? What if I can’t handle it? What if I make the wrong choice?

Instead of waiting until you feel 100% certain, try asking yourself:
- What do I already know? Name what feels clear, even if there are still unanswered questions.
- What support do I need? Think about the people, routines, boundaries, or resources that could help you feel more grounded.
- What can I control right now? Bring your attention back to the next step rather than the entire road ahead.
- What would make this transition 10% easier? Not perfect. Not effortless. Just a little more manageable.
- What am I scared of? You don’t have to feel completely ready to move forward.

Sometimes readiness isn’t a feeling that arrives before the transition. It’s something we build as we go!
•

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

08/23/2026

Does anyone remember this part of Frozen 2? I’ll never forget this particular song as it resonated deeply within me as a new mom and when I really didn’t know what to do next moment by moment. Someone told me to just do the next right thing and it was simple yet perfect.

When we’re in transition, we often want clarity all at once. I have clients, for example, who want to know what job to jump to next or what they should do about a relationship issue immediately.

What am I supposed to do?
What decision should I make?

But sometimes those questions are too big.

Instead, try getting curious about what you know right now. Ask yourself:
- What feels different? - What am I noticing that I didn’t notice before?
- What do I need more of? - More rest? More connection? More challenge? More space?
- What do I need less of? - A commitment? An expectation? A pattern that’s draining me?
- What’s one small thing I can explore? Not commit to. Not figure out forever. Just explore.

You don’t need a five-year plan to move forward.

Sometimes the next step is simply the thing that gives you a little more information about where you want to go.

And feels like the next right thing.
•

___________

Hi! I’m Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or “Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

08/19/2026

As summer starts to shift and a new school year or season begins, you might feel excited about what’s ahead - and still miss what you’re leaving behind.

Maybe you’re ready for a new routine, but not ready for the slower days of summer to end. Maybe you’re excited to see your child grow into their next chapter, while also feeling a little emotional about how quickly they’re growing up.

Both can be true. I know I’m feeling all the things these days.

We don’t have to choose between “I’m ready” and “I’m sad.”

Transitions often hold both.

So as you step into this next season, I hope you’re giving yourself permission to make room for the hard parts and the hopeful ones. You don’t have to rush past or try to get over either.
•

___________

Hi! I'm Shanta Kanukollu, PhD or "Dr. K”. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and I share content (that should not be substituted for therapy) to motivate, educate and inspire. To learn more follow along Shanta Kanukollu, Ph.D. and see my link in bio to:

⬇️ Download my free thriving workbook
👁️ Watch my TedX talk
➕ Add your name to my waitlist for therapy
🎧 Listen to the podcasts where I’ve been a guest
🙋‍♀️ Sign up for my next Thriving Mindset Group
💻 Request information about my workshop offerings for therapists, employers and/or people interested in therapy
📋 Reach out to discuss clinical supervision and consultation

SNK Therapy, LLC

10/07/2026

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09/24/2026

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