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About Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar
Clientele seen
Young adults (18-24)
Couples
Adults (25-64)
Individuals
Identity
Gender
Non-binaryLanguages spoken
English, Nepali
Getting to know Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar
I'm Ria Rajkarnikar Escober (she/they), an Associate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (IL license #208.011640) providing individual, couples, and family therapy. I earned my Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and Psychometrics from the University of Louisiana Monroe, and I offer sessions in both English and Nepali.
My practice is built for people who carry complexity that doesn't fit neatly into a single story, a single world, or a single diagnosis. I specialize in intergenerational trauma, identity development, immigration and acculturation stress, relational conflict, and grief; including the kind that doesn't have a name in any language you speak. I work with individuals, couples, families, and adolescents, and bring experience from community mental health and court-involved settings.
I grew up in Nepal and came to the United States navigating everything that comes with that: renegotiating belonging, carrying untranslatable grief, and learning to exist across multiple worlds at once. As a queer immigrant woman of color, I am committed to affirming, accessible care for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ clients, immigrants and first-generation Americans, and anyone whose life exists at the margins of systems that weren't designed with them in mind. You will not need to provide context that should already be in the room.
What should a new client know about working with you?
You don't have to arrive with a tidy explanation. You don't have to know which part of your story to start with, or how to make it make sense to someone who wasn't there. Bring whatever you have. We'll find the thread together.
This is a space where complexity is not a problem to be managed, it's the starting point. I work from a non-blaming, contextual lens, which means I'm always curious about the systems, histories, and relationships that shaped you, not just the symptoms you're presenting with. I won't ask you to simplify. I won't ask you to translate.
A few things clients often tell me they value: I am warm and direct. I take the relational and cultural context of your life seriously without reducing you to it. I will follow your pace, and I will be honest with you when something important surfaces.
What is your typical process for working with clients?
We begin with curiosity. The first session is about understanding not just what's brought you in, but the fuller shape of your life: your relationships, your history, your cultural context, and what you most need from this space. I want to understand your story before I offer any framework for it.
From there, we work collaboratively and at your pace. My approach draws from Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Bowenian and contextual family systems theory, and experiential approaches which in practice means the work looks different depending on what you need and when.
Sometimes that means externalizing what feels like a personal failing and examining it with distance and curiosity. Sometimes it means recovering the parts of your story that got left out: the moments that tell a truer version of who you are. Sometimes it means mapping the loyalties, legacies, and patterns that have moved through your family across generations. Sometimes it means sitting with the parts of you that have been carrying something heavy for a long time and helping them finally set it down. And sometimes the most important work happens right in the room - in what surfaces between us, in what the body already knows before the words arrive.
Progress in this work rarely looks linear. But it does look like more room; more room to understand yourself, to relate differently, and to live in a way that feels more fully like yours.
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In-network insurances
Aetna
BlueCross BlueShield
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Office location
Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar, ALMFT, MA also offers online video visits for patients
Education and background
Practice names
Education and training
- University of Louisiana Monroe, Master's in Marriage and Family Counseling
NPI number
1356115497
How soon can I make an appointment with Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar?
Generally, Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar has appointments available on Zocdoc within 1 week. You can see Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar's earliest availability on Zocdoc and make an appointment online.
Is Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar accepting new patients?
Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar generally accepts new patients on Zocdoc. You can see Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar's earliest availability on Zocdoc and schedule an appointment online.
Does Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar accept my insurance?
Choose your insurance plan to verify if Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar is in-network.
Can I make an appointment with Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar online?
Yes, you can make an appointment online with Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar using Zocdoc. It’s simple, secure, and free.
What practice does Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar work with?
Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar works with Balanced Life Counseling.
Where is Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar's office located?
Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar has 2 office locations, including in Spillertown and Chicago, view full addresses on Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar's profile.
What are common reasons for patients to see Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar?
Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar frequently sees patients for Depression, New Patient Visit, Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy Intake / Initial Visit, and Therapy. You can see other visit reasons for Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar on their profile.
What languages does Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar speak?
Riya (Ria) Rajkarnikar speaks English and Nepali.