Khawaja Saad Haye (Saad)
LPCC, LPC, MSEd, CCTP II
I have special interest in working with: Trauma, Anxiety and Depression.
I also enjoy supporting people with assertiveness and confidence related challenges. I offer therapy for relationship challenges, identity matters, life things, adjustment to changes, and developing healthy coping to life’s stressors.
I work well with people who want to be challenged and those who need support with taking risks.
I am well versed in the South Asian, Asian, Arab and Muslim minority cultures.
I offer coaching for clients who do not need therapy but want to work on behavior activation or achieve other aspirations in the areas of relationships or life.
Primarily I work from a somatic, strengths-based, relational and cognitive behavioral framework. I offer my clients psychoeducation so that they can understand what is happening inside their bodies and give them knowledge to support them in caring for themselves.
I am trauma trained and believe that acknowledgement, emotional release and coaching are important parts to an effective therapeutic process. I draw attention to symptoms and sensations tied to your distress (or trauma) to help you process and release this using evidence based interventions that support the healing process in the mind and body.
My style is active, interactive & relationship oriented.
Other Languages: Urdu
Education
MSEd Mental Health Counseling, University of Pennsylvania
BA (Hons.) Marketing, London Metropolitan University, UK
Licensure & Certifications
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, California #LPCC15380
Licensed Professional Counselor, Pennsylvania
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Level 2
Licensed Professional Counselor, Delaware (2024-2025) *currently inactive
What brought me to this profession
As a child I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up but it was not a career path my family wanted me to pursue. When I was in college, I shifted my career focus and studied Marketing. Graduating during the recession of 2008 brought on it’s own set of challenges prompting another shift in my career trajectory. I ended up in a project management role in the construction industry and then eventually joined the financial industry. Each year I found myself asking myself- "What is next?" I did not enjoy what I was doing. As the learning curve diminished, so did my interest.
I found my interest in psychology and human behavior while working as a manager at a bank. My wife was in graduate school at that time and we would have interesting conversations about this subject matter. Fast forward to 2017, I took a leap of faith and made a career shift to become a psychotherapist.
Arriving here was a process, but a necessary step I had to take for myself. Now I can tell people that some risks are just meant to be taken.
In the news
In 2020 Saad was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer where he spoke about international students, the mental health and adjustment challenges they face when they move to USA for their education.
"Philadelphia's International Students Face Barriers to Mental Health Services" (2020)
Outside of therapy
A new hobby I have picked up is woodworking. I take inspiration from Japanese craftsmanship.
Kettlebell workouts, pick up soccer, movies, and history documentaries + playtime with my daughters.
I was born and raised in Pakistan. I have lived and worked in London then moved to Philadelphia where I spent 12 years before moving to San Francisco in 2022.