1.Tell us about your background and journey.
Aligarh is my native place, and I received my primary a
s well as secondary education from Welham Girls School, Dehradun. Later, I went on to finish my graduation and my post-graduation degree in Psychology from Aligarh Muslim University. My last degree was a Ph.D. and now I hold over two decades of experience within the field of Psychology.
2.What led you to take up this career path?
I took up Psychology as I was extremely fascinated and intrigued to see people behave differently from one another. From a young age, I would often notice that people reacted differently to the same situation, or event. This made me want to understand what could make them different. I also took up Psychology because I wanted to become a better and more self-aware person. I was quick to realize that the only way I can do so is by understanding the psychology of behavior.
3.What are some common myths in society about psychology?
Some of the common myths that I still find prevalent among people regarding the field is that they still believe that psychologists and psychiatrists are the same professionals. Despite so much exposure, there exists ambiguity regarding the role as well as the need for a psychologist.
Sometimes, I still hear people asking me if I can read their minds, some are even hesitant in front of me as they think I know what they are thinking, some people also think we can predict the future. While others still do not consider Psychology to be a science. Most people commonly believe that a psychologist's career scope is limited to working in the hospital.
4.How can people practice mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the simple art of non-judgmentally observing and participating in one’s surroundings. This means one must be simply present in the given moment. People can therefore practice mindfulness by giving the attention and the respect the moment or action deserves which needs their commitment, priority, and desire to be mindful. To improve all this ability, we have multiple exercises such as breathing exercises, yoga, strength training, and writing journals as it makes us more mindful of our actions.
5.What are your tips for people who want to practice this profession?
For individuals who are looking forward to this profession, I want them to know that it is a very serious business of dealing with the psyche of people. It requires commitment in the form of studying and it is also an ongoing process of learning by oneself. There are no perfect models or solutions. We work a lot with probability, and it is extremely important to be compassionate, kind, and to even understand as well as continuously work on oneself.
With self-work, as a professional, one can avoid any transference, judgment, suggestion giving, and be more participative by providing support to the client. It is essential that you walk your talk and gain exposure through the opportunities. For instance, I have worked in hospitals, prisons, corporates, educational institutes like schools and universities, with the government, with various communities, etc. I understand the more you interact with different people, the more you will be able to understand the behavior of others across the world, in different environments and settings. The more exposure you get to deal with people coming from various diversities, and settings, the larger perspective about behavior.
One also needs to be more proactive by continuously reading more, attending webinars and workshops. One needs to be a student to keep up with the growth. Be serious about this profession since we are dealing with people’s feelings and emotions. Everything is important, no feeling can be trivialized. We also need to maintain our professional code of conduct. Hence, please get serious and be more proactive.
6.Is work-life balance a myth or reality according to you?
Work-life balance is a reality I practice very effortlessly. In the past 29 years, I have learned the ability to switch on and switch off, so when I counsel, my focus is my patient. But as soon as I walk out of my clinic, I can focus on myself and my personal life.
7.How can one manage stress according to you?
Dr. Kohli has also been a member of the POSH committee for the Press Information Bureau of India, a volunteer therapist at Tihar Jail, and a life skills coach at the Gurgaon prison and Aligarh prison. She is ex-Censor Board member of India member. A prolific writer, Dr. Kohli, is a keynote speaker at World Depression Conferences across the globe. She frequently speaks at corporates such as Google, and leading universities.
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