Practitioner record · Checked 7 Oct 2026
Sana Akhtar Ramay has been in practice 6 years and is licensed in California. Sana lists stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and grief among 16 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Sana's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Sana works with
Sana lists 16 specialisms. Specialisms are the subjects Sana chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Sana's own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
My name is Sana Akhtar Ramay and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I always knew I wanted to work in a helping profession. After graduating with my Bachelors in Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Biology from University of California, Davis, I started working with children diagnosed with Autism, probably the most challenging job I have had but also equally rewarding. A few months in I was promoted to a leadership position; I started to realize how natural it was for me to be successful in that field further leading me to enroll in my Master’s program. I received my Master’s from National University in Counseling and began my career working in an agency in the Behavioral and Community Services Department as well as the Children’s’ department. During my time in the behavioral and community services department I worked predominantly with adults as well as couples, families and children. During my time working in the children’s department I worked with children aged 2-21.
One client stands out in particular is one of my success stories. This client was a young lady that struggled with anxiety from a young age and had been on a cocktail of medication from the age of 3. I spent about 1 year providing individual counseling, family services, and services with parents whom were separated and consulting with psychiatrist. With everyone’s support this client was able to be taken off of all of her medication and graduate from counseling. In my last session with this student she made me card with the following quote on the front “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor”. I have her card pinned to my wall as a reminder that the challenges that we encounter and overcome make us better at what we do.
Throughout my journey in working with children I have gotten many trainings and certifications. I am a Certified Nurtured Heart Trainer, certified in Parent Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT), have taken a 26 week Dialectical Behavior Therapy training (DBT), various trainings on Grief, Trauma and Cognitive Therapy. My counseling style is warm and interactive, I believe it is important to treat anyone with respect and dignity, to empower them and instill confidence in a compassionate manner. My therapeutic approach is a combination of Cognitive Behavioral, Narrative, Humanistic, Psychodynamic, and a combination of others. I believe in being client-centered and supporting client’s where they are at. It is important for me to include the client in the treatment planning process and help monitoring success.
It takes courage and bravery to take that first step towards change, if you are ready to take that first step I am happy to help guide, support and encourage along the way. I look forward to working with you and helping you create a life full of happiness.
Sana Akhtar Ramay, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026
03 · What happens next
Sana practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Sana's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Sana at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Sana is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Sana.
You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.
A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.
Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.
04 · Before you commit
Built from what Sana actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Sana's - Sana has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.
“How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”
Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.
“How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”
On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.
“You offer sessions in English, Punjabi and Urdu. Does the work change depending on which we use?”
People often reach different material in a first language than in a second. Worth naming before you choose.
05 · Practical details
06 · Provenance
Sana's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.
The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Sana. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.
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