Crucial Success Skills Forged Through My Journey
Being a mental health practitioner especially in a country like India comes with its fair share of challenges. I have been in the field for 10years now and it has been a difficult yet rewarding journey. Being a mental health practioner is not just about sitting in a comfortable room, with comfortable furniture and helping people heal. It requires a pracititioner to develop and hone multiple skills so as to keep moving forward. Over the years I've had to train myself in Financial Management, Networking, Digital and other forms of marketing, Leadership, Creativity, Team Management, Content Creation and Entrepreneurship along with enhancing my own theoretical and practical knowledge about the field.
As a result of all these skills that I've nurtured over the years, I have been able to establish myself as a successful Counselling Psychologist & Life Coach with clients all over the world. I have also authored a book titled ‘The Intentional Being’ which has had a profound impact on is readers. I have been the recipient of International Awards such as 'The Most Dedicated Counselling Psychologist, Global Health Pharma (2022,2023), Best Mental Health Solutions Provider, APAC Business Awards (2022). I was recently given the Top Life & Personal Coaching Voice on LinkedIn as well. In order to acquire & retain clients, not only do I need to be good at what I do but I also need to be able to run an organisation that can cater to the needs of its employees as well as focus on client satisfaction and the feedbacks that I have received over the years are a testament to that. Being a psychologist in such dynamic times requires a lot more than mere knowledge of the subject matter and I am constantly aspiring to gain more of that.
Crafting Creative Opportunities from Every Challenge
I have always believed that there are no failures, only lessons. When facing adversity or challenges which are plenty in life and in the field of mental health as well, it's important to say grounded & connected with your values. My values of harmony, growth and balance have always guided me through along with the perspective that in any given situation, we need to do the best we can and not fret over the results. "Que Sera Sera...I.e. whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see'. What we have is now and that's all we can work with. Hence, no matter how tough or hard life gets, I know that there is a promise of a better tomorrow that's lurking in the background. We need to keep faith & move on. Perhaps, that's what's gotten me where I am today. There have been many times in my life & career when I've wanted to pack up & give up. Yet, I persevered and I'm glad that I did. My struggles make me who I am. Hence, I understand and accept them as a part of life and keep going on my path. I have learnt that life will throw challenges and that's how you will grow. You can either make that choice to grow and push through or let life get the better of you. I have and will always push through.
My Impact
I feel honoured and humbled at the same time to have made a long-lasting impact on the lives of all individuals who have been associated with me -personally & professionally. My job as a mental health professional & healer is to ensure that whoever I work with gets on the path of self-love & empowerment. I have been able to facilitate the journey of hundreds of people over the years through individual counseling, psychotherapy and healing; enabled them to navigate turbulent life situations, relationships, childhood and other trauma. I write regularly for a renowned American Journal called The Elephant Journal and my articles are loved and appreciated by people all across the globe. My book titled "The Intentional Being' has been loved & appreciated by all and has had a profound influence on those who have read it. I make a lot of informative & educative content on Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn which connects with the audience on many levels. My articles have been featured on various leading newspapers & magazines such as The Guardian, The Hindu, Zee News, Good Homes etc.
Scaling New Heights in Personal and Professional Triumphs
For me success equals satisfaction & contentment. I need to feel positive, confident and convinced with my own work and then it is equally important for me to being about positive and healthy transformations in the lives of those that I work with. When my clients become self-reliant, independent, emotionally healthy & empowered and no longer need me to be a constant presence in their life; that's when I know that I have been truly successful as a therapist & healer.
The Synergy Between My Path and Recognition Values
.Irrespective of what people think, being a mental health professional that too in a country like India is not an easy feat. So many people are enamoured by Psychology as a subject but end up leaving or quitting when they realise that this work takes an enormous amount of mental and emotional toll on the practitioner. Secondly, setting up your own private practice is a daunting task when there are so many taboos and limitations that surround the field. Of course, things have changed in the last few years owing to the pandemic. However, challenges still remain. It is extremely difficult to build a thriving practice in a short span of time. This field doesn't pay hefty amounts of money right at the beginning, getting and retaining clients is a task and requires constant investment in education and development.
When I started my own practice, despite coming from a medical family, I gave up in 6 months because I just didn't know how to get or retain clients since therapy is so need based and cannot happen if the client is not willing. However, since I knew this was my calling, I picked it up again and stared learning different ways & means to build my practice. Even today, there are times when work flow is not much or at times its way too much. It takes a toll on my mental, emotional and physical health as well. Many times, even client don't recognise & acknowledge the contribution of a therapist. Yet, we as therapists & healers go on because we believe in the inherent value & power of healing. I do. That's why, my journey fits in well with the courage under fire category. It takes a lot to build yourself up from the ground up & sustain. Also, we need to give due credit to Mental Health Practitioners for the work that they do. There are awards & recognitions for entrepreneurs, CEOs, Leaders but what about practitioners who are making a difference? This is definitely worth thinking about.