Meet Maira Karan, PhD

In-person sessions in Los Altos & Redwood City | Online Therapy throughout California

Hi, I’m Maira.

I specialize in helping people navigate the in-between spaces of life: adolescence, early adulthood, identity shifts, career changes, relationship transitions, and moments where you’re quietly asking yourself, “Who am I, and where am I going?” Maybe you’re doing okay—but not feeling fully like yourself.

I work primarily with people navigating developmental transitions and emotional overwhelm. You might be struggling to manage intense feelings, getting stuck in worry or avoidance, or just feeling lost in the middle of it all.

The pressure of starting high school or college, figuring out next steps after graduation, or managing shifting family dynamics can be intense—and often goes unseen. In therapy, these moments get to matter.

psychologist Dr. Maira Karan of Minds matter Therapy sitting on a couch looking at the camera

You don’t need a formal diagnosis, a polished story, or a crisis to begin therapy. You just need a small bit of willingness and a safe space to land.

What I Specialize In

My work centers on developmental transitions and emotion regulation, especially at life stages that don’t always get enough support. I help clients:

  • Navigate puberty, identity development, and body changes

  • Move through academic and social pressures in middle school, high school, and college

  • Adjust to post-grad life, career beginnings, or “what’s next?” moments

  • Understand and manage anxiety, panic, or emotional intensity

  • Explore or seek assessment for ADHD

  • Heal from trauma, including childhood experiences that continue to echo into adulthood

  • Restore balance through sleep, somatic awareness, and nervous system regulation

Whether you're a young person learning how to regulate big emotions, or an adult looking back and realizing no one ever taught you how— this work can begin at any age.

My Approach

Therapy with me is gentle but intentional.

I hold space for what’s hard, what’s unspoken, and what hasn’t had a safe place to land yet. At the same time, I’m here to help you move forward—to understand your patterns, regulate your emotions, and build tools that actually work for you.

I bring structure when it’s helpful, and spaciousness when it’s needed. Every session is tailored to where you are—whether that means building coping strategies, unpacking deeper stories, or simply having space to exhale. Therapy with me is a collaborative process—grounded in both evidence-based practices and deep respect for your unique lived experience.

I draw from a range of evidence-based practices, including:

  • CBT – to identify unhelpful thought patterns and increase clarity

  • ACT – to support values-based action in the face of emotional discomfort

  • DBT – for emotion regulation and distress tolerance

  • Mindfulness – to create space between stimulus and response

  • Psychodynamic and relational work – to explore how early experiences shape present-day patterns

  • EMDR – for processing trauma, past memories, or internalized shame

I also integrate somatic awareness, sleep science, and nervous system regulation—because healing isn’t just cognitive. It’s felt.

Becoming yourself isn’t one big decision—it’s hundreds of quiet, complicated ones.

Psychologist Maira Karan leaning on a padded chair and looking at the camera wearing a pale green shirt

Why I Do This Work

I became a therapist because therapy changed my own life.

That one hour a week—set aside just for my emotional well-being—shifted how I showed up in the rest of my life, and it continues to shape how I show up for others.

As a first-generation child of Muslim immigrants from India, I know how difficult it can be to ask for help when mental health wasn’t part of the conversation growing up. I understand the tension between belonging and autonomy, the quiet fear of not living up to expectations, and the experience of moving through systems that don’t always see or understand you. 

I aim to offer a space where your full story—not just your symptoms—can be held with care, context, and compassion. Whether or not your challenges fit a diagnostic label, you deserve care that honors the full complexity of who you are. You don’t need a label to be worthy of care.

What Makes My Work Unique

In addition to my clinical specialties, I bring creativity and curiosity into the therapy room. My style is relational, attuned, and often infused with moments of lightness—because therapy can be challenging and still feel deeply human. I’m not afraid of big feelings, long silences, or complicated stories. I love helping clients name what’s been blurry, celebrate wins (no matter how small), and reconnect with their own inner clarity.

I'm also someone who values creativity and nontraditional paths to healing. I dream of integrating outdoor therapy—walks in nature, sessions in sunshine—and offering animal-assisted support (my two cats, Rambo and Mushu, are currently unlicensed but emotionally gifted). I believe healing isn’t linear, and it doesn’t have to be confined to four walls.

I celebrate the quiet wins—the small shifts that others might not notice, but you feel in your bones.

A view out a window with linen blinds to each side, and a blurry nature scene outside with sunlight pouring in

What You Can Expect

Therapy with me is steady, spacious, and honest. Some sessions might focus on tangible tools. Others might center on giving voice to something you’ve never said aloud. Always, you can expect a space that is grounded, nonjudgmental, and committed to your growth. 

You don’t have to come to therapy knowing exactly what’s wrong. You don’t need a formal diagnosis, a polished story, or a crisis to justify support. If something feels hard, that’s enough. 

Our work together will be guided by your pace and your goals. I’ll meet you there—with warmth, curiosity, and care.

If you’re ready to feel more calm, connected, and in control of your emotional world, I’d be honored to walk with you. Let’s begin.