Sonal Bavadekar

I am a mental health professional having 17+ years of experience. I decided to pursue psychology at the age of 13 when the counsellors in my school asked us to complete an assignment on emotions and their impact on us. The task and the discussion that followed it was so reflective that it made me realize the importance of having unconditional support at the school level. I would describe myself as a passionate, determined ambivert who understands that sometimes when life throws us lemons, we have no choice but to make lemonade (with tequila of course)! Just kidding!! I began my career as a school counsellor and continued to work with children in the age group of 10 and above for more than a decade. While working with kids I realized that parents need as much support as children and that is when I started working with parents and adults who had issues related to parenting, stress management, career crisis, work-life integration and self-confidence. Another feather in my cap was teaching, something that I was always passionate about. I feel that teaching psychology helps me learn and experience human behaviour in a very different manner vis-à-vis my therapy sessions. It also helps me to stay updated with new research, therapies and keeps the growth mindset alive. Therapy for me means creating a safe space for my client to speak out loud and explore the thoughts/emotions/behaviour that we cannot voice out loud. I believe that my clients deserve respect, confidentiality, unconditional acceptance and non-judgement rather than criticism or "I told you so's" because they are opening themselves up to the most vulnerable sides of themselves. My main aim is to help clients identify the "why" behind their concerns, because only when we uncover the root cause of the concern, can we begin to deal with and heal from it. I have learned through experience that therapy isn't just about sitting in one place and chatting, it's also about taking the experiences and learnings to the outside world via different reflective tasks and activities which help me bridge the gap between therapy (safe space) and the threatening outside world. I know and accept that going to a therapist isn't easy and which is why my primary focus is to establish a rapport and act ethically. I really cannot imagine not being a therapist/psychology tutor but yes if I wasn’t a psychologist, I would probably be a chef or a photographer or a travel blogger!