Get to know Shobhika.

City & Background

Shobhika Jaju (She/Her) is a mental health counsellor from Goa who practices online and offline. They practice in Margao.

They're 34 years old and have been practicing privately since 11 years.

English, and Hindi are some of the languages they know, and hourly fee is (₹) 1,400 - 2,500.

Education

They have the following qualifications: MA Applied Psychology (Spl. Clinical) .

Additional qualifications: Advanced Level REBT From AEI, New York QACP Certified Career Counsellor.

Why they became a therapist.

"I have been wanting to become a psychologist since 11th grade. You can say, it was my first love and practically the only thing, I felt I was good at. There was something about those classes in 11th grade, which made me fall in love with the subject."

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

"I want my clients to go back feeling validated and affirmed. It’s important that we all acknowledge that our lived realities are ours, and therefore, completely valid. And no one should make us feel otherwise."

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

"I have been trained in the queer affirmative practices. One of the things done for online sessions, is that in the intake form we have kept the gender option as open & not given the binary categories of male or female. At the physical space, we have displayed my training certificate in this domain, displayed books & other reading materials for clients to access."

Areas of concern they address in counselling.

"I largely work with individuals in the age group of 20 to 45. However, my key focus areas are- - Anxiety - Stress - Relationship issues - Marital difficulties - Post partum mental health - Life transitions and adjustment issues "

A Quote Shobhika Resonates With.

"Imperfection inspires invention, imagination, creativity. It stimulates. ~ Jhumpa Lahiri (In other words)"