From the
Founder’s Desk
The Journey
The zest for designing electronic circuits coupled with a strong reasoning mind motivated me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. After graduating with a strong academic record, I was all set to start my corporate career as an engineer. However, life had different plans – I was diagnosed with third stage cancer in the nasopharynx.
The Big ‘C’witch
After a two-year hiatus due to cancer treatment and rehabilitation, I pursued my passions- teaching and electronics, and joined my alma mater as a lecturer. The experience of teaching and interacting with my students was very enriching, and I felt privileged to be working with such impressionable young minds!
I had a deep desire to make a difference in the world of cancer care. I joined ‘Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), as a volunteer and ‘Uncancer India’ as a Community Coordinator. I actively engaged in cancer awareness campaigns to address the myths and stigma attached to the ‘Big C’. The process of empowering and guiding patients and caregivers in their battle against cancer has been a gratifying one.
My encounter with life’s challenges, experience as an educator, and my work with CPAA and Uncancer India helped me develop a strong inclination towards the field of psychosocial-oncology, health psychology, counseling, and psychotherapy. I had undergone a complete transformation at a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. I moved from the field of engineering to pursue my inner calling – I switched to counseling psychology.
From One West Coast to Another
I completed my Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, in 2017. To further hone my counselling skills and knowledge, I moved to California, USA to pursue Master of Arts in Counseling from Santa Clara University (SCU). I had an amazing opportunity of taking classes and training with experts from different schools and theoretical orientations of counselling.
I have studied a myriad of therapeutic modalities – Humanistic-Existential therapy, Psychodynamic therapy, Attachment Theory, Music therapy in Oncology, Mindfulness-based Therapy, Emotion-focused – Grief, Loss, and Trauma Counselling, Relationship and sexuality counselling, Multicultural Counselling, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and others.
Gaining education and training from both the eastern (read India) and western (read the USA) world has set me on the path of being culturally humble. Knowing that each client has unique needs and concerns, I believe in being flexible and adaptive to meet my clients where they are at. Though I primarily use the humanistic-existential approach in my counselling, I integrate evidence-based therapeutic interventions and techniques from different schools that may be the best fit for my client.
On a Musical High
Another passion since childhood, which was also a very effective pain killer and a soothing companion during my cancer treatment, was MUSIC. Having trained for thirteen years in Hindustani Classical vocals and having graduated with a Visharadh, I had always wanted to explore the effects of Music and Raga-therapy in pain management and mental health of patients with cancer.
I lived this dream at SCU, carrying out an independent research project to study the therapeutic benefits of music on patients and survivors of cancer. I explored the impact of the western model of Bonny’s method (Guided Imagery and Music), and the Indian model of Raga therapy on the psychosocial wellbeing of patients and survivors of cancer.
Hello, Crisis Line!
I was a telephone counsellor at Contact cares in Bill Wilson Center, Santa Clara – a 24-hour crisis and suicide hotline center.
Being an empathic and attentive listener, I provided a safe and cathartic space for callers dealing with suicidal and homicidal ideation, self-harm, anxiety and depression, loneliness and isolation, and other mental illnesses.
I also provided psychoeducation, resources, and referrals for callers and their caregivers. Helping callers with brief therapy and relaxation techniques to alleviate their distress and anxiety levels was a fulfilling experience.
The Genesis
Over the years, I have come a long way from designing and wiring electronic circuits to studying and working with the nuances of how human minds are wired.
My thirst for knowledge, experiential learning, and making a difference was instrumental in the genesis of “Inner Calling – Tune into your Self.”
Moving from a world of binary logic to a spectrum where there are no rights or wrongs,
I found my Inner Calling!
What’s yours?
Vinod Mudliar
Counselling Psychologist