Leading Counselling & Psychiatry Services in Dubai

Dr.Shaju is a Specialist Psychiatrist with 18 years of clinical experience in Psychiatry. He obtained his Specialisations in Psychiatry from prestigious medical colleges in India. He is experienced in offering both outpatient and inpatient services for behaviorally ill clients.

In addition to his MD from India, he is a specialist Aero medical examiner in Aviation psychiatry with certification from Flying medicine, UK and accreditation from GCAA, UAE. He is a fellow in Indian Psychiatric society. He is associated with various corporate like Emirates airlines, RTA, Arabtec, Dulsco, Empost, AL Naboodha, AL Ghurair to cater their mental health needs.

He was instrumental in conceptualizing and implementing school health program – CARE (Child & Adolescent Resource Enhancement) and also a post graduate course in psychiatry during his previous tenure at Cochin in India. He is a regular speaker at various national and international professional and public fora. He regularly conducts workshops on various topics related to mental health. He is very active in mass media communication programs on mental health including, print media, radio & T.V channels and social networks. He is the founder of first ever social network group for mental health professionals in UAE- ‘Beautiful Minds’.

Specializations

• Mood disorders especially Depression, Anxiety disorders like Panic disorder, Stress related issues, Sleep problems, OCD, Psychotic disorders, Sexual problems, Women and Child mental health issues.

Other Services Offered

• Pharmacological management.
• CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy).
• ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention).
• Psychotherapy, Hypnosis, Aversion Therapy, ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy).
• OCD (Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder).
• Deaddiction.
• Child Guidance.
• Family, Marital & Couple Counselling.
• Suicide Prevention.

Education

• MBBS : Calicut University.
• DPM & MD: Kerala University
• Aviation Medicine: Flying medicine UK.

Membership & Affiliations

• Fellow, Indian Psychiatric Society: FIPS
• Aeromedical examiner: GCAA,General Civil Aviation Authority

Iva Vukusic, is a psychologist and psychotherapist with a rich experience working with clients of various age, cultural origins and psychological conditions. To Iva, a psychotherapist serves as a facilitator of desired change, helping clients living up to their potential. She highly believes in the potential of strength-focused holistic approach and multidisciplinary care when dealing with mental health issues. She sees psychotherapy as a platform for learning and discovering one’s abilities, and an opportunity to extract solutions from one’s own experience and finding creative unique ways of coping with difficulties. She prefers brief solution-focused psychotherapy at all levels of human complexity by proven procedures through a step-by-step dialogue or indirect hypnotherapeutic approach. Utilisation of peoples’ resources, using any given channel of communication, hypnotic processes and creative techniques, is one of Iva’s key approaches.

Iva is fascinated with the complexity of the human psyche; passionate about constant discovery, learning, challenging herself and fighting the prejudice about mental health issues. Quoting Iva: “I have been through hours of diverse personal psychotherapy to learn about its efficacy. It is easy for me to relate to emotional pain. I am not easily shocked or disgust. As the Latin saying goes: ‘Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto”, which translates into “I’m human and nothing human is alien to me.’”

Specializations

• Individual, family and group psychotherapy.
• Mood disorders.
• Major Depression.
• Anxiety disorders.
• Psychotic disorders.
• Stress-related and somatoform disorders.
• Conduct disorder.
• Substance and behavioral addictions.

Education

Psychotherapy Diploma, School of Cybernetics and Systems Therapy, University of Rijeka – Rijeka, Croatia.

Master of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka – Rijeka, Croatia.

Bachelor of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka – Rijeka, Croatia.

Training of Trainers (ToT) Community-based mental healthcare, Croatian Institute of Public Health (Zagreb, Croatia), in partnership with The Trimbos Institute (Amsterdam, Netherlands).

Externship in Emotionally focused couples’ therapy, International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally-Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) – Rijeka, Croatia.

Professional Certificates

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), Naklada Slap Center for Education and Research – Zagreb, Croatia.

The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Naklada slap Center for Education and Research – Zagreb, Croatia.

Wartegg Drawing Test, Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Zagreb, Croatia.

Dr. Girish Banwari is a psychiatrist with over 10 years’ clinical experience in both government and private settings in specialised psychiatry clinics as well as tertiary care, multispeciality hospitals. He has worked as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at reputed medical colleges in India for three years, and was extensively involved in teaching undergraduate medical students along with being a faculty member of the postgraduate psychiatry training program.

His academic inclination saw him present scientific papers and conduct symposia in numerous conferences and seminars, with many “Best Paper Awards” to his credit. Additionally, he has many publications in indexed journals. He has served as a peer reviewer in international medical journals such as Sexual Health (Australia), BMJ Case Reports (UK), East Asian Archives of Psychiatry (Hong Kong), and Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health (South Africa).

Specializations

Conducting extensive diagnostic interviews and treating a range of psychiatric conditions –

• Schizophrenia/psychosis
• Bipolar Disorder
• Major Depression
• Anxiety Disorders (Phobias, Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Acute and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Dissociative Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Somatoform Disorders
• Sleep Disorders
• Sexual Dysfunctions
• Addictive Disorders (Dependence on nicotine, alcohol, and others substances of abuse)
• Eating Disorders
• Childhood-onset Disorders (ADHD, Learning Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Autism, Enuresis, Tic Disorders)
• Cognitive Disorders (Dementia, Delirium)

Pharmacological management of psychiatric conditions in children/adolescents, adults and the elderly, with emphasis on rational use of psychotropic medications.

Psychotherapeutic approach to conditions such as mild to moderate depression and anxiety, phobias, obsessions, grief, relationship issues, adjustment problems etc.

Anger management, behavioral approaches to manage stress, relaxation training.

Well-versed in giving modified ECT, and trained in administering rTMS (when such facilities are available).

Education

M.B.B.S. from NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad, India.

M.D. (Psychiatry) with a Gold Medal from BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, India.

Membership and affiliations

Life Fellow of the Indian Psychiatric Society.

Associate Member of the Indian Association of Private Psychiatry.

Dr. Kirin Fiona Hilliar is an Australian psychologist experienced in Forensic, Clinical and Organisational Psychology.

Passionate about empowering and enabling clients to better understand and take control of their own lives, she delivers one-on-one and group treatment programs, as well as training courses, community outreach, and psycho-educational seminars and workshops.

Dr Hilliar has worked closely with hospitals, clinics, educational institutions and government entities. She has also contributed to various publications and made presentations on topics such as Suicide Prevention, Vicarious Trauma, Personality Disorders, and Assessing Violence Risk.

Specializations:

• Individuals facing emotional and behavioural dysfunction due to genetic, biological, psychological, and social causes
• Individuals dealing with addictions of various types including substance misuse, alcoholism, excessive online gaming, sex or pornography
• Individuals seeking personal and professional development
• Couples who aim to improve their relationship through better communication, as well as by rebuilding trust, setting boundaries, and alleviating conflicts

Dr. Hilliar also provides:

• Assessments for recruitment and employee development
• Child protection assessments
• Offender assessment, rehabilitation and treatment
• Treatment efficacy evaluations
• Research design
• Cognitive assessments
• Therapeutic frameworks including CBT, DBT, RNR (risk, need and responsivity), The Good Lives Model, and Stages of Change

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from University of New South Wales, Australia
• Master of Psychology (Forensic), University of New South Wales, Australia
• Bachelor of Psychology with First Class Honours and University Medal from University of New South Wales, Australia
• British Psychological Society Level 1 & 2 Certification: Occupational Ability and Occupational Personality

Board Certifications or equivalent:

• Community Development Authority (CDA), Dubai
• Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
• Australian Psychological Society
• Association of Psychological Science, USA
• British Psychological Society

Ms. Jyotika Aggarwal is a clinical psychologist with extensive training from premier mental health institutions across India and the USA. In her seven years’ experience as an emotional health practitioner, she has helped clients of varied age groups to address a broad spectrum of concerns.

Ms. Aggarwal is empathetic and sensitive to her clients’ inner turmoils, and strongly believes that everyone deserves to lead the best life they can. She specializes in assessing clients, and providing integrated therapies to suit their individual healing requirements.

Specializations:

• Individuals dealing with chronic stress and other emotional issues that result from stressful day-to-day lives.
• Individuals aiming to enhance their personal, social and professional lives.
• Adolescents and young children who feel misunderstood by their peers, family, teachers, and others in social settings, and are facing difficulties in managing their emotions.
• Children and adolescents with conditions such as ADHD, learning difficulties, or physical challenges.
• Individuals with issues such as low-self esteem, negative body image and other personal insecurities that hamper their day-to-day functioning and emotional wellbeing.
• Families/individuals seeking a more balanced, open and communicative parent-child relationship.
• Couples and families who aim to improve their relationship through better communication, as well as by rebuilding trust, setting boundaries, and alleviating conflicts and divergences.

Education & Certification:

• M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Mumbai – India
• Specialisation in RE-CBT from Albert Ellis Institute, New York (Indian Affiliation)
• Certification in REBT (Anxiety and Depression with Children) – Albert Ellis Institute, New York (Indian Affiliation)
• Diploma in Human Recourses from Welingkar Institute of Management (India)

Membership:

• Bombay Psychological Association

Ms. Resha, is a counsellor at LifeWorks Holistic Counselling Centre. She is a Canadian Certified Counsellor and a member of the Canadian Counsellor and Psychotherapy Association. She is also licensed as a Social Counsellor from Community Development Authority in Dubai. Having worked in Canada, Kuwait and Dubai, she brings with her extensive multicultural experience in clinical and educational settings.

She has presented numerous psycho-educational workshops, lead professional development sessions and has contributed to several media publications. Ms. Erheim conducts counselling in both English and Arabic with a diverse client population using an eclectic approach. She enjoys empowering her clients in making positive changes in their lives and reaching their full potential.

Specializations:

• Adult Psychology
• Crisis intervention
• Family Therapy
• Experience in several therapeutic frameworks (including CBT, DBT, SFT, insight oriented and humanistic approaches)
• Couples and families aimed at improving their relationships by rebuilding trust, setting boundaries, develop their communication, alleviate their tensions and divergences, decries conflicts and enhancing connection between members.
• Special interest in a range of issues including:
  • Anxiety issues
  • Depression & low mood
  • Stress management
  • Self-esteem & self-identity issues
  • Anger Management
  • Relationship issues
  • Family Conflict
  • Communication
  • Assertiveness training
  • Adjustment issues
  • Grief, loss & Bereavement support
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Borderline Disorder
  • Life skills and Personal empowerment

Certifications or Equivalent:

• Social Counselor (CDA)
• Canadian Certified Counselor (CCC)
• Member of Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
• Member of Middle East Psychology Association (MEPA)

Education:

• University of Ottawa, Canada-Masters of Education in Counselling (M.Ed.)
• York University, Canada- Bachelor of Arts, specialized honors in Psychology (B.A. Hons.)

Languages:

• English, Arabic

Dr Anna Grazia Lecca is an Italian trained Psychologist with a UK training in Clinical Psychology. She has more than 20 years of experience in health and clinical settings working with a variety of clients.
Dr Anna Grazia Lecca works towards achieving a steady emotional balance and a progressive life transformation in a gentle process that focuses on the energy of acceptance and compassion and on the power of forgiveness and love.

Specializations

• Young and adult individuals who are experiencing temporary life crisis that may lead them to anxiety, apprehension, feelings of worthlessness, anger or emptiness, difficulties in maintaining stable and close relationships, feelings of detachment and people avoidance, low mood levels, excitement, or mood swing and other kind of distress.
• Couples and families aimed at improving their relationships by rebuilding trust, setting boundaries, develop their communication, alleviate their tensions and divergences, decries conflicts and enhancing connection between members.
• Adolescents and their families dealing with the emotional turmoil as the children move towards his/her independence. I support them in their search for identity and new experiences, while helping them in developing control over their impulses, taking responsibility for their own actions, decisions and consequences.
• Groups, particularly group art therapy, to help people to reduce stress and manage their emotions. The creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to develop interpersonal skills, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve their personal insight.

Board Certifications or Equivalent

• Italian Professional Body of Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist (Chartered).
• Italian Professional Body for Behavioral Mental Health Practitioners.
• European Association of Transactional Analysis.

Education

• PhD in Clinical Psychology – School of Psychology – Faculty of Medicine and Health and Life Science University of Southampton (UK)
• PsyD Transactional Analysis School of Clinical Psychology – Pontifical Salesian University of Rome (Italy)
• Master Degree in Clinical Criminology and Forensic Psychology IFOS – Postgraduate Institute for Health Professions in partnership with “La Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy)
• First Honours Degree in Psychology – Psychology Department – University of Urbino (Italy)
• First Honours Degree in Behavioural Mental Health Practitioner – Health Professional Training School – USL 21 Cagliari (Italy)

Languages

• Italian, English, French, Learning Arabic