Guest session with Dr. Ritika Yadav

By Tani Bansal

Dr. Ritika Yadav is a clinical psychologist with a dual doctorate degree in the field. She has completed two international research and is a specialist in counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy. She is associated with different government initiatives to improve the condition of Indian women in the rural areas. She is also the Chairperson of the Inventivepreneur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), one of the Premier Chambers in India.

She is fascinated by our country’s rich culture, literature, spirituality and travel. Further, Dr. Yadav is actively involved in cultural, social, and charity initiatives as part of the Inventivepreneur Foundation. She is also working on a concept to create a human library in order to promote a community support group.

Recently, Dr. Yadav visited Apeejay School International, South Delhi. I wish to thank her for her visit. She enlightened us about the domain of psychology, its related fields, and how she feels inclined towards it.

In the beginning of the session, she asked students about their understanding of psychology. She listened to each one of them patiently and then began to explain further. She said, “Psychology is a study of the brain and human behaviour”. Then, she showed us how our mind works and how it affects our body.

She also provided an example, “When we are angry, our blood pressure and heart rate shoots up which indicates that psychology is integrated into biology. It impacts us in our daily life.”

She showed us a descriptive presentation on the sub-disciplines of psychology that includes family, sports, business and forensics. This inspired students to think deeply about opting for psychology as a profession. Also, we discussed why the field is not famous in India as it is around the world.

To formulate a stronger opinion about the role psychology plays in our lives, she played a game with us. She introduced us to different emotions and asked us to write about them.

She further discussed the topic about careers in psychology. She also related some interesting facts such as in India, there is only 1 psychologist for a hundred thousand people. In 2017, an estimation of the burden of mental health conditions for the states across India revealed that as many as 197.3 million people require care for mental health conditions. This included around 45.7 million with depressive disorders and 44.9 million who suffer from anxiety disorders.

Before ending the session, Dr. Yadav gave us a small activity to do. She told us to write a letter to our future selves and give advice on what our careers should look like. This was a great activity and I felt that it helped me decide what I will do in the future.

My takeaway from the session was that we should always be aware of different professions. We must learn from them and respect each other. I feel that this session inspired me to take up psychology when I grow up.