Sheetal Sanghvi is one of the most amazing counselors and therapists who love helping children and teenagers to live happy lives by building emotional and mental health.
The world is paving the way towards modernity and growth in various fields. In the modern world, mental and emotional health is taboo. Counselors and therapists come as a savior for people who may not understand their thoughts, behavior, and concerns.
Icy Tales is in conversation with Sheetal Sanghvi about her journey, struggles, mental health, therapy, coping mechanisms, affirmations, mindfulness, and much more.
Q) How was your childhood? Can you tell us about your childhood and growing-up years?
Sheetal Sanghvi: My childhood has been very optimistic. I have played a lot of outdoor games. It was a good balance of life, enjoying festivals and playing outdoors. I was quite popular in my friend circle; they used to share all their secrets with me if they had any issues.
In my 9th or 10th standard, I had a lot of pressure as I was continuously thinking about how I would choose a career option as my math was quite weak, and then I realized that psychology would match my personality. I took psychology, and then I topped in my master’s. I want to say that one should always do what one likes.
Q) What do you consider to be your top three strengths and weaknesses as a therapist?
Sheetal Sanghvi: As a therapist, I am a very good listener and can interact with all types of parents. My observation skills are amazing. In the service industry, I frequently meet people with different temperaments. Therapy usually lasts for a longer time. The therapist has to give one hour to the child. The therapist’s life is like a clockwise thing. We find it very difficult to accommodate somebody on the spot as the therapist’s life works clockwise.
Q) How do you empower your patients and guide them to realize their inner strengths to deal with life’s difficulties?
Sheetal Sanghvi: I am a counselor, and every counselor has their forte when they deal with the population. I am an art-based practitioner and therapist. I always use the medium of art to conduct various tests on my clients.
First, I try to understand the students’ current patterns and what art the students are inclined towards. Based on that, I plan my session in such a way that while doing my session, I try to find their strengths and help them to focus on that and supposing if there are any improvement areas, then gradually we focus on their improvement areas also.
I believe we all have some art, and if we identify that special quality, it becomes easier for us to solve various problems. I try to identify students’ strengths and help them focus on that particular strength.
Q) When you encounter difficulties, what are your current coping mechanisms?
Sheetal Sanghvi: In day-to-day life, firstly, I am a fitness enthusiast. My day starts with my workout, and I love to do yoga. My workout is one of the ways to cope with anything and everything. On days when I am not able to work out, which hardly happens, that time I feel a little incomplete.
Exercise and meditation are two things that help people cope with most of their life problems. If nothing works, communication works for solving various life problems. If you are facing some issues and cannot find and understand the solutions, you can connect with someone around you.
You can talk to someone and come up with solutions. For me, my husband is the biggest support system. If I can solve or identify any problem, then I communicate with my husband and try to find solutions to problems.
Q) You are the co-founder of Sanghvi Child Care Centre. Can you tell me something about the care center? What pushed you to come up with the Sanghvi Child Care Centre?
Sheetal Sanghvi: Sanghvi, a child care center, is owned by my husband and me. My husband is a pediatrician, and I am a child counselor, so we decided to find this center. Earlier, I used to work in school as a counselor.
I realized that mental health is still not considered a priority, and it is taboo. While working in the school, many students felt reluctant to enter and would think twice before entering. So I decided I wanted to have my set up so that when a child comes, the child must come freely.
The parents of the children coming for counselors also feel really happy with the Sanghvi child care center. My husband and I started realizing that the child needs both emotional and physical needs. We both felt that if we would bring our expertise together, then it would be best for the children and their families.
Q) Can you tell me some strategies and mindsets you use to provide effective counseling guidance to clients?
Sheetal Sanghvi: It is my protocol that when I meet many clients who are teenagers or children, I always ask their parents to meet me first or before the child because I believe in taking the child’s case history and background of the child. After talking to the parents and understanding what will make the child feel the most comfortable, I design the entire plan for the child.
Many people think that art-based therapy is just painting and drawing as they are unaware of the concept of art-based therapy. The therapies are all about mixing forms of art. In the first session, I make the strategies and my next strategies for my upcoming sessions.
The art-based therapy is when you can use drama, stories, role play, and many more, we combine a lot of techniques depending on what kind of child is in front of you. Accordingly, I plan my session after considering various factors and aspects.
Q) What is your biggest challenge as a therapist or counselor?
Sheetal Sanghvi: The biggest challenge is awareness and taboo toward mental health. You can see there are two kinds of coins. There are two types of parents: one who speaks everything very openly and another who may not.
Some parents may not want the world to know they have visited a therapist or counselor. The parents may be very open to the idea that my child is going through some mental health issues. I think! The biggest challenge is the parents’ importance to academics, but most parents may not look at the child’s mental and emotional health or needs.
Sheetal Sanghvi inspires many people, especially women willing to conquer the world. Sheetal Sanghvi epitomizes simplicity, courage, beauty, and knowledge. A woman with a golden heart and great communication skills is Sheetal Sanghvi.
Last Updated on by ritukhare
