Tag: therapy
Secrets, Safe Zones, and the Fine Print of Therapy
You’re baring your soul, talking about your ex, your boss, or that thing you swore you would never say out loud. And suddenly, a thought creeps in with apprehensions about whether or not it is safe to share such personal information. Therapy…
Psychiatric diagnosis – A necessary double-edged sword
When we start training as residents in psychiatry, it can be a bit disconcerting as to how medicine is practiced here as compared to all other branches. While a general physician, orthopaedic surgeon or cardiologist can confidently display an array of scans, …
Beyond Therapy: growth through psychosocial rehabilitation
As a psychologist in practise I often find my clients making breakthroughs, recognising patterns and even developing insight on maladaptive coping but not sustain that progress due to certain maintaining factors outside of therapy. And watching them show progress is very gratifying…
Understanding Deviant Behaviour in Teenagers through the Netflix Show Adolescence
All anyone has been talking about lately is the Netflix show Adolescence. So, out of curiosity, I decided to give it a watch. The show follows Jamie, a 13-year-old boy facing serious consequences after violent behaviour towards one of his female classmates.…
Hooked on the Net: Signs and Treatment for Internet Addiction
At a day and age like this, the only time a notification gets ignored, is if it is from an ex! Our lives are increasingly lived online, both professional and personal, making the boundary between healthy use and harmful dependence grow disturbingly…
Understanding Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Gender-Specific Patterns and Behaviors
When we think of narcissism, we often imagine a loud, self-important figure dominating every room, hungry for admiration and praise. While this portrayal reflects some core features of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), it’s far from the whole picture, especially when we take…
Inner child healing – a scientific viewpoint
On the days when the going gets hard, one thing I always remind myself is that I’m living my 16-year-old’s “Best Case Scenario”. And this statement pushes me more than any motivational playlist or incentivised to-do list out there. Knowing that my…
How to develop a secure attachment style in adulthood?
As Chennaiites we have no concept of a good weather day but in the off chance that we do get one of those, my favorite way to spend it would be people-watching at a park. It’s almost like relationship theatre. Each couple…
Micro-aggressions: Identifying And Responding To Them
“If I say, I’m so lucky I’m married to such a nice guy, they will say oh what a nice guy Surya is, and if he says I’m so lucky I’ve married such a nice woman, they will still say …oh what…
Let’s talk about sexuality!
For something so natural, sexuality sure does come with a lot of hushed whispers. Many of us grow up receiving mixed messages about it from condom ads being skipped over to sex-education being limited to bad/good touch, but rarely discussed in a…
Voyeurism – A psychological perspective
Watching strangers live under constant surveillance, stripped of privacy, while millions of eyes dissect their every move in the name of entertainment, may sound like some absurd masochism but the preferred term is Bigg Boss/Bigg Brother. We see the contestants strategize, fight,…
LGBTQ+ and ‘Coming out’: Effective Tools From a Psychologist
I have been attending the pride march every year since I was 16, and the understanding my parents have of the LGBTQ+ community has been growing over the years. Although the awareness has improved significantly, till date they feel the need to…
Lavender marriages in India, rebranded!
Happily, ever after! I’m at that phase of life where, the people around me are either getting married or looking to. From deciding on caterers to picking the perfect venue, it’s a long list of wallet-emptying chores that most of my friends…
Gender Dysphoria and Mental Health
What would it feel like if you were forced to wear clothes that were three sizes too small? Your movements restricted, every breath making it a little too tight, the fabric pulling and tugging at you in ways that feel completely wrong.…
IQ Assessments In Children
Imagine three children trying to watch the cricket match happening over the wall. While two of the three kids were tall enough to watch the match with an unobstructed view, the other shorter kid was on his toes trying to catch a…
Everything you need to know about goals in therapy!
I am a huge film enthusiast so I love reading about film and the art of storytelling. The Call to Adventure is a crucial storytelling moment, marking the point when the protagonist is invited (or forced) to leave their ordinary world and…
5 Helpful Behavioural Activation Strategies for Depression
During exams in school, I vividly remember my friends and peers hoping and praying that the teachers our papers would go to, are in a good mood while evaluating. It was quite funny at the time because regardless of how poorly we…
Navigating the Spectrum: A Journey Through Mental Health and Connection
The Life of the Party I used to be the life of the party. My laughter echoed through hallways, my voice rang out in a crowd, and I had a knack for making friends wherever I went. In my early teenage years,…

