RELEVANT EDUCATION

University of Edinburgh, Scotland (Sep '18 - Sep '19)

Master of Science in Psychology of Mental Health, Award: Merit

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Chennai Counselling Services Academy (Jan '20 - Apr '20)

Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Life Coaching

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WORK EXPERIENCE

Research Intern at Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health (BALM)​

• An NGO providing healthcare, rehabilitation, and social support to individuals experiencing mental health challenges and homelessness, with a focus on oppressed and marginalised communities

• Worked within the Centre of Integrated Mental Health Systems (CIMHS)

• Conducted extensive literature reviews on public mental health systems, distress prevalence, and community-based systems to support funding proposals, inform research, and support existing mental health services

• Conducted interviews and prepared a case report to evaluate course outcomes and the phenomenological experiences of students at BALM

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Founder and Counsellor, Becoming Centre for Mental Health (May '21 - Present)

• Started a mental health service from the ground up to offer online counselling for adults with everyday mental health issues

• Managing a blog site and Instagram page providing evidence-based information on psychology, mental health, and counselling

• Conducted a workshop and Q&A session on mental health for 50 working professionals at Chrysalis, an organisation working on educational reforms

• Created educational mental health modules for students, implementation of which proved to be challenging due to the Covid-19 pandemic

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Support Practitioner at Carr Gomm (Apr '19 - Feb '20)

• A leading Scottish social care and community development charity

• Used a person-centred approach to support vulnerable adults with severe mental health issues (usually schizophrenia), either living in intensely supported housing services or within the community

• Assisted service users to move out from long-term, in-patient psychiatric care and integrate into society

• Provided medication support, financial management, social & emotional support

• Coordinated with NHS Scotland (National Health Service) staff, mental health officers, and other stakeholders to ensure strict adherence to support plans

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RESEARCH PROJECTS

Master’s Dissertation, Supervised by Dr Karen Goodall, University of Edinburgh

• The first study to explore the complex interactions between attachment and psychopathology through fear of happiness and positive emotion regulation

• Conducted a serial multiple mediation analysis using SPSS on quantitative data obtained through an online survey

• I found that the relationship between adult attachment insecurity and anxiety was serially mediated through fear of happiness, followed by positive emotion regulation

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Bachelor’s dissertation, Supervised by Dr John P. John, NIMHANS, India

• Studied working memory and response inhibition in people with schizophrenia

• Used secondary fMRI data obtained from participants performing an n-back or Stroop task

• Conducted meta-analyses using GingerALE and compared regions of brain activation with healthy controls

• This meta-analysis helped consolidate existing evidence and highlighted the need for standardisation of procedure for fMRI studies

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TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS

1. Single Session Therapy (SST) with Prof. Windy Dryden (26 hours)

2. 6-week Training for Bereavement and Grief Counselling with Dr John Wilson (18 hours)

3. Pluralistic Therapy; Relational Depth & Goals in Therapy with Dr Mick Cooper (21 hours)

4. Trauma-informed Approach to Psychological Interventions with Syam K Ravindran, CORE (12 hours)

5. Existential therapy with Dr Ernesto Spinelli (6 hours)

6. Working Successfully with Men in Therapy with James Hawes (6 hours)

7. Internship in Clinical Psychology with Fortis Healthcare and Sukoon Health (50 hours)

8. Workshops on Therapy and Social Change (9 hours)

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ORGANISATIONS

1. Graduate Member, British Psychological Society, Membership No. 509219 (Jan ‘20 - Present​)

2. Member, Therapy and Social Change Network - An emerging organisation exploring the interface between therapeutic ideas and practices and social justice perspectives and actions (Mar ‘23 - Present)

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ACTIVITIES AND VOLUNTEERING

1. Co-founded ‘F.E.E.L.S.’, an organisation that raised awareness of emotional well-being at Edinburgh; Organised an art exhibition at the University of Edinburgh and another at an independent venue as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF); Recruited and managed over 15 volunteers from various nationalities and backgrounds (Oct '18 - Jan '20)

2. Volunteered at Best Buddies (The University of Edinburgh), a non-profit organisation creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Sep '18 - Mar '20)

3. Member of Students’ Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN), Chennai helping conserve the vulnerable Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) (Jan '12 - Present)

4. Rajya Puraskar Scout (Governor’s Award) with The Bharat Scouts and Guides - the second-highest award in India for exemplary social work, health literacy, and community participation (Jan ‘07 - Apr ‘13)

 

REFERENCES

1. Dr Karen Goodall, Senior Lecturer and Master's Dissertation Supervisor, University of Edinburgh
   karen.goodall@ed.ac.uk

2. Mrs Aishwarya Ramesh, Co-Lead (CIMHS), Senior Research Associate, BALM
    aishwarya@balm.in 

3. Mrs Gem Harris, Service Manager, Carr Gomm
   gemcroft@hotmail.com