Get to know Sabah.

City & Background

Sabah Shaikh (They/Them) is a mental health counsellor from Goa who practices online.

They're 28 years old, identify as Queer, and have been practicing since 5 years.

English, and Hindi are some of the languages they know, and hourly fee is (₹) 2,000.

Education

They have the following qualifications: Master's degree in Counselling Psychology.

Additional qualifications: Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice Transactional Analysis With Gestalt Work Accredited Gestalt Therapy.

Why they became a therapist.

"Growing up, while the availability of quality mental help was scarce already, those catered specifically for minorities were little to none. This is when I understood that if I cannot find quality help, I should try to build it for myself and others. I always knew I wanted to help and offer my strengths as I understood myself and my path better. I quickly understood that being a counselling psychologist was the best way I could align my strengths …"

What they'd like a client's first session to be like.

"Essentially, the feeling of comfort, safety, and security with the therapist and the therapy space. The comfort one would need to then smoothly build their safe space within the therapeutic relationship is invaluable and needs to start from day 1. While this is not a goal to be accomplished in just one session, I look forward to initiating it from the first session."

How they make their practice a safe and affirmative space for queer and trans* folx.

"Along with trying to continually inform myself of how to be there for my clients better through literature, courses, workshops, etc. that focus on gender beyond the binary and essentially beyond the cis-gendered and heteronormative lens, I also work with every client who identifies anything but cis-het to understand what they would seek from the therapeutic relationship and then working on how to best provide that affirmative space to them. I …"

Areas of concern they address in counselling.

"Under my company Mehfooz, I work with diverse populations but specialize more into concerns around minorities. Mehfooz is an Urdu word synonymous with safety, comfort, and dependability. It reflects my aim to create a safe space beyond societal restrictions set around minorities of caste, religion, sexual orientation, and gender norms. I aspire to expand upon the feeling and emotion that comes with feeling Mehfooz, regardless of the nature of the …"

A Quote Sabah Resonates With.

""We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day." - Brad Meltzer"