Dr. Sugandika Subawickrama, LCPC, LPC
Compassionate counselor who listens and guides
Details
| Name | Dr. Sugandika Subawickrama |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LCPC, LPC |
| Based in | New Jersey |
| Licensed in | New Jersey, New York, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Virginia |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English, Sinhala |
| Years in practice | 20 |
About Sugandika
Dr. Sugandika Subawickrama is a licensed counselor with two decades of clinical experience. She holds LCPC and LPC credentials and practices from New Jersey.
She speaks English and Sinhala and has worked in national and international settings over her career. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and motivation problems. She also supports those dealing with trauma, addictions, and grief.
Practical issues like sleep, eating, career setbacks, and relationship tension are part of her work too.
Background and approach
Her style is straightforward and warm. Sessions focus on listening first and then building steps that make sense for daily life. She aims to make the room a place where thoughts and feelings can be shared without judgment.
She uses Narrative Therapy alongside client-centered and cognitive behavioral approaches. That means she pays attention to the stories people tell about themselves, centers the person in the room, and helps change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Mindfulness and motivational interviewing are also part of her toolkit when helpful.
People who reach out can expect clear, practical conversations about what to try at home between sessions. Starting therapy can feel hard, and she recognizes that early steps take courage. The process focuses on small, doable changes that add up over time.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse among the things Sugandika works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Sugandika among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Sugandika among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Sugandika among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Sugandika among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Sugandika among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Sugandika among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Sugandika directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Sugandika directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How Narrative and Practical Therapies Work Online
Dr. Subawickrama uses Narrative Therapy to help people look at the stories they live by and consider different ways of seeing difficult events. Narrative work often helps with identity questions, grief, relationship issues, and feelings of emptiness by separating the person from the problem. Client-centered therapy is another part of her work and means sessions focus on the person's experience, with the therapist offering nonjudgmental listening and gentle reflection. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is used to spot unhelpful thoughts and try concrete behavior changes that can improve mood and daily functioning.Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. She will talk with the client about goals, past attempts, and preferences, and then recommend steps to try. Over time the plan can be adjusted based on what feels most useful and what produces practical change.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video calls are useful for deeper conversation and visual connection. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or for a shorter check-in. Live chat and text messaging let people share updates between sessions or choose a format that feels less formal. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving, and busy schedules while keeping treatment consistent.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns does she help address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, addictions, grief, relationship strain, sleep and eating problems, parenting stress, career issues, ADHD, and related concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her approach is warm and practical. She listens first, then helps people rewrite the stories they tell about themselves and try small changes in daily life.
How much clinical experience informs her work?
She brings 20 years of professional experience from national and international settings to her practice.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds LCPC and LPC credentials and is based in New Jersey.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Sinhala.
What session formats does she offer?
She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as session formats.
How do fees and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are arranged through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Sugandika are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Sugandika where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
Or see other therapists in New Jersey »
This is a partner link. We will earn a commission if you sign up through it, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Other listings in New Jersey
- Lisa Stammerjohann, LPC - New Jersey
- Laura Thompson, LPC - New Jersey
- Maria Caruso, LPC - New Jersey
- Elizabeth Bates, LCSW - New Jersey
- All therapists for stress, anxiety »