About Me…

I’m Ruki Panjwani—a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (Supervisor: Toni La’Zurs)

At the heart of my work is one core belief:
Relationships don’t just fall apart because people stop trying.
They break down because something deeper, unseen and unspoken gets in the way.

Many of the couples I work with have been to therapy before.
They’ve learned tools. They’ve read the books.
But when tension runs high, those tools feel impossible to use.
And they’re left thinking: “Why can’t we just fix this?”

That’s where I come in.

A Different Way of Working

I don’t start with tips and tricks.
I start with what’s underneath:

• The old hurts that never got repaired

• The patterns you learned from the past

• The invisible pressure of roles, culture, or family expectations

• The ways you each protect yourselves when things get hard

I help you slow things down enough to see the patterns—not just the behavior, but the meaning underneath it.
Because when you understand the why, you can begin to respond instead of react.

This is what I call relationship-centered therapy.
It’s not about assigning blame. It’s about rebuilding the emotional rhythm between you—so your relationship feels more like a partnership, and less like a battleground.

What This Work Can Help With

When couples begin this kind of work, they often start to notice things shift:

• You feel less critical of each other

• You begin to respond instead of react

• Arguments don’t escalate the way they used to

• You start feeling more like teammates again

• There’s space to be curious, instead of defensive

• And for many, it’s the first time in a long time you both feel understood

A Little About My Background

I received my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University, a program known for its depth in psychodynamic theory and systems thinking. I also bring advanced training in couple-specific methods like PET-C, Internal Family Systems, and trauma work.

But more important than the labels is this:

I see people in context.
Not as diagnoses. Not as “bad communicators.” But as complex, resilient human beings who are doing their best with what they’ve learned—until now.

If your past experiences with therapy felt too surface-level, and you’re looking for a more meaningful shift in your relationship, I’d be honored to support you.

Let’s talk—not just about what’s not working,
but about what might finally start to feel different.