Education

·  Master of Arts degree (M.A.) in Drama and Movement Therapy from the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, UK.

· Master of Arts Degree (M.A.) in Counseling Studies (Distinction) from the University of Nottingham, UK.

·  Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) in Pure Economics from St Xaviers College, Mumbai, India.

Specialities

I am a counselor and drama therapist with a deep interest in people. Having lived and worked in three different countries I am interested in intercultural interactions and relationship building both within and outside of the family unit. I feel that the most meaningful part of therapy is to help people to draw on their experiences as stepping stones to growth.

To release the fountain of love within us and venture onto the path of creative and emotional growth, we must be able to let go of our fears. My role as a therapist is to enable clients to discover and accept themselves as whole individuals. The following poem written by the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, beautifully describes the role of the therapist in the healing of a client:

Come to the edge.
No, we will fall.
Come to the edge.
No we will fall.
They came to the edge.
He pushed them and they flew.

The therapeutic relationship becomes the bridge over which the client can take a leap of faith, all the while knowing that should they stumble the bridge will secure them.

I am experienced in counseling individuals, families, children and adolescents both on a one to one basis and in groups. I do my best to integrate behavioural strategies with creative techniques used in play therapy, drama, movement and story into my therapeutic work.  I specialize in and enjoy working with children. I have worked with children and adolescents with special needs, emotional and behavioral issues between the ages of three and sixteen.


Counseling Children

Let me begin by saying that my work with children is based on my belief that each child is unique and precious and has inherent potential. One of the aims of therapy is to enable the child to discover herself/himself in an atmosphere of safety, trust and unconditional acceptance.

Most of my work with children is focused on play, drama and movement. Through imaginative play and media such as paints, clay, sand, and water, children express themselves both figuratively and symbolically. Children often express themselves through metaphor. Metaphor is powerful in its capacity to allow the child to confront difficult personal experience while affording an often-critical distance from the distressing material. Whereas adults may struggle to express their emotional worlds in words, many children easily do so through playing. The child may express feelings in role play or playing with dolls or puppets.

Working with children calls for being able meet the child where she or he is at any given moment--whether that is in the world of words (i.e., verbal communication) or in the world of experiencing (i.e., actions, play). I believe trust and safety are key factors in the relationship building process between a child and therapist. It is important to create a safe, accepting and protected space for the child's self-expression. Once a child has developed a sense of security in the counselling setting and in the child-counsellor relationship, he or she is ready to begin addressing the issues that initiated counselling. At this time, the child's activity becomes a metaphor for his or her presenting symptom, and this enables the child to communicate about conflicts through play, drama, movement and story. 


Relevant Experience

I have worked as a Trainee Drama Therapist, in the UK, where I worked with children in a Nursery setting, children with Autism, teenagers with behavioral problems, as well as elderly patients with psychiatric problems. During this time, I incorporated techniques of story, movement, and drama into the client centered therapeutic work. I have also counseled children in primary and secondary schools suffering from emotional and behavioral problems using play therapy, the sand tray, paint, artwork, puppets, and role-play.

I was an intern at the University of Colorado where I worked with children and teenagers on the spectrum and their families, on a number of programmes related to Autism. I worked on providing them with early intervention services, developing preventative behavioural techniques through positive reinforcement, delivered lectures on social skills and worked in the capacity of a consultant with the Public School system for children on the spectrum.


Counselling style

My training has been person centered and grounded in the Sesame Approach. The term Sesame has been coined from the ancient story where the phrase “Open Sesame” opens the cave and reveals the treasure within. The cave is a metaphor for the Self. The Sesame Approach uses drama and movement to therapeutically open otherwise closed doors in people’s emotional lives. Through the use of the creative techniques employed in drama, story, play and movement individuals are encouraged to gently explore difficult situations and emotional blocks in a gentle, safe and non confrontational manner. Metaphor and symbol are at the heart of the sesame approach. Through the use of these the client is able to explore and become aware of his/her emotions, thought patterns, unconscious beliefs and consider new perspectives and possibilities. The approach incorporates the philosophies of Jung, Laban, Slade and Lindkvist and uses drama and movement as powerful resources to promote healing and change. My training and work experiences  have taught me how the right therapeutic intervention can transform a life. Whilst my intuition and perception navigate me, my work has been influenced by my underlying philosophy that the human psyche has the ability to regulate itself and that each individual is unique and has inherent potential.


Publications

Thesis completed: The Encouragement of Light: On using therapy as a tool to access Personal Power - May 2006

Thesis completed: Into the well of the Self - A night of turning star : A journey across the Opposites - February 2008


Papers and Presentations:

University of Nottingham, Nottingham UK.

Through the eye of the needle : Looking at the shame in Bullying. Dec 2004

The Bridge across the abyss: Exploring the Body – Mind connect. March 2005

Into That Boundlessness : Penetrating into the essence of conflict. May 2005

Counseling Children. September 2005

Central School of Speech and Drama, London UK.

Through Darkness into Light : Jung and the Opposites. Jan 2007

Exploring synchronistic connections. November 2008

University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado August 2008

Social Stories as a tool for developing social skills for children with Autism.


Professional Organisations:

The National Association for Dramatherapy

The Health Professionals Council, UK

The British Association of Dramatherapists

The Sesame International Institute