About Dr. Shefali Batra

Psychiatrist and Cognitive Behaviour Therapist

Dr Shefali works with individual, couples, and groups. Staying in tune with trends in the science of behaviour, she uses technology in her practice of mindfulness and cognitive techniques. She takes on multiple roles – as a doctor, therapist, guide, coach, mentor, trainer, blogger, author and more.

Negative thinking leads to painful emotions and points us to adverse lifestyles and derogatory choices. Mindfulness can act as a key to personal and professional success – something she lives through her own interest in yoga, meditation, cookery, art and animal charity.

Dr Shefali offers medical consultation, mindfulness training, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and other individual and group approaches. Powered by empathy, patience and the willingness to listen, she aims to promote positive living in order to prevent psychological turmoil.

In The News

download Are you addicted to your phone?

download You may have a problem

download How to talk to your kids about gender identity

download Is that you in the mirror?

download How to manage your social anxiety

download Give love a chance

download Are you orbiting your ex?

download How to survive a rough patch

download Taking the ‘in-law’ out of ‘mother daughter’ relationship

download Workplace harassment: No excuse

download Mental health and modern technology

download Blind devotion to deified leaders

download How to bounce back after being laid off

download Coping with divorce

download Is panic part of your daily life?

download Self care rituals

download Women compulsively feel regret

download Rise of the non-married spouse

download Stop staring at women

download Time to pause your video game

download How books can uplift your mood

download Monotasking is the latest mantra

download Youngsters haunting exes on social media

download How to forgive your cheating partner

download New ways for millennials to say good-bye

download Is your partner cheating on you digitally?

download Nightmares and how they affect you

download Developmental blocks in children

download Behaviour basics in children

download Mind over matter

download Know thy selfie

download Is sex on your mind all the time?

download Dr Shefali Batra’s tips for happy married life

download Narcissism- Me, Myself and I

download Destruction therapy

download What’s love got to do with it?

download Only digital sex please

download How to talk to your child about periods

download Eat with your mind

download Why is Mumbai boiling over?

download Children’s online activities

download Hold your kids hand as they surf

download Kids accessing Internet porn

download Please tell us we’re not headed for splitsville

download Far from home – boarding schools

Research and Authorship

Are the glucose uptake changes in Cannabis Dependence similar to Schizophrenia? An FDG PET Understanding (Presenting Author). Award winning paper of the Dr AV Shah Award at the 39th Annual Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society WZB October 2008
Academic Performance in Relation to Family Functioning and Supplemental Teaching in a Municipal School setup (Presenting Author). Award winning Poster at IACAM (Indian Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health) Biennial Conference November 2007
Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Schizophrenia- An FDG PET Study (Co-Author). Award winning paper of the Dr JC Marfatia Best Paper Award at the 57th ANCIPS (Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society) Chandigarh, January 2005
Neural Effects of Cannabis: An FDG PET Study (Co-Author). Award winning paper of the Dr AV Shah Best Paper Award at the 38th ACIPS-WZB (Annual Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society Western Zonal Branch) October 2005
Neural Effects of Cannabis: An FDG PET Study (Co-Author). Paper presented at the BPSS (Bombay Psychiatric Society Silver Jubilee Award) Paper Session at the 58th ANCIPS (Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society) January 2006
Understanding the burden and management of psychiatric Illness in General Practice (Presenting Author). Dr AK Naik Award Presentation at the BPS Annual day (Bombay Psychiatric Society) April 2005
Psychiatric Referrals in General Practice (Author). Paper presented at the 58th ANCIPS (Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society) January 2006
Attitude towards Psychiatry in General Practice (Author). Poster presented at the 58th ANCIPS (Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society) January 2006
What the GPs say may go a long way (Author). Article in the 58th ANCIPS souvenir (Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society) January 2006
Sexuality and its Disorders (Co-Author). Chapter in the textbook Psychiatry in Asia
Sub-Investigator, Study Coordinator and Rater for Phase III Clinical Research Trials at K.E.M Hospital (International Multi-centric Studies for INDs)

Awards & Recognitions

Dr A.V. Shah Award (Author) at the 39th ACIPS WZB (October 2008)
Best Poster Award (Author) at IACAM-CON Conference (November 2007)
Dr JC Marfatia Award (Co-Author) at the 57th ANCIPS (January 2005)
Dr AV Shah Award (Co-Author) at the 39th ACIPS WZB (October 2005)
Sharda Vasant Desai Golden Jubilee Medical Award, III MBBS (October 1999)
Melarani Jaygopal Mohla Medical Prize, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr Parab Memorial Medical Prize, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr AL Nair Gold Medal in Medicine, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr PF Soonawala Gold Medal in Medicine, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr AL Nair and Venkatrao Prize in III Medicine, MBBS (October 1999)
BYL Best Medical Student Prize, III MBBS (October 1999)
Rose D’Souza Prize in Surgery, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr AL Nair and M Venkatrao Prize in Surgery, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr RL Prize in Surgery, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr VK Nair Award in Surgery, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr Gopa Kothari Prize in Preventive & Social Medicine, III MBBS (October 1999)
Pfizer Medallion in Medicine, III MBBS (October 1999)
Dr Dongarshi A Karla Prize, II MBBS (April 1998)
Dr VB Bhave Memorial Prize, II MBBS (April 1998)
Dr Prema Murthy Prize in Microbiology, II MBBS (April 1998)
Dr HA Maniar Prize in Forensic Medicine, II MBBS (April 1998)
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Prize I MBBS, (October 1996)
Dr AL Baliga Prize, I MBBS (October 1996)
Dr SB Parchure Prize in Physiology, I MBBS (October 1996)

Journal Publications

Are the effects of cannabis dependence on glucose metabolism similar to schizophrenia? An FDG PET understanding, Parkar SR, Ramanathan S, Nair N, Batra SA, Adarkar SA, Kund P, et al. Indian J Psychiatry 2011; 53:13-20.
Cannabis dependence: Effects of cannabis consumption on inter regional cerebral metabolic relationships in Indian population, Parkar SR, Ramanathan S, Nair N, Batra SA, Adarkar S, Pandit AG, et al. Indian J Psychiatry 2010; 52:236-42.
Regional brain metabolism in schizophrenia: The influence of antipsychotics. Seethalakshmi R, Parkar SR, Nair N, Batra SA, Adarkar SA, Baghel NS, Moghe SH. J Postgrad Med October 2007 Vol 53 Issue 4.

Clients

Naval Dockyard Mumbai

Mumbai Police Force

ICICI Bank

Reserve Bank of India

Bharat Petroleum Corp

Hindustan Petroleum Corp

Cipla

Janssen Cilag

Johnson and Johnson

Pfizer

Unichem Laboratories

United Health Care

Transperfect Language Solutions

McAfee India

Jet Airways

Wellinformed Health Services

Parirakshana Foundation

Classique Hospitality

GD Somani Memorial School

Balvikas Modern School

Gopi Birla Memorial School

Armed Forces Medical College

Zee Education

Thought for today

There are things you can control, and those you can’t. The challenge is to see the difference and make your choices accordingly.

How you feel, matters.

Core Values

Commitment
– to make a difference

Quality
– approach to wellness

Integrity
– in words and actions

Respect
– for feelings and emotions

Accountability
– for customised help

Accreditation & Memberships

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Case Study: Schizophrenia

BackgroundAnupama (name changed for anonymity) 27 year old unmarried female, working as a helper in an office was brought to the clinic by her family members for evaluation of abnormal behavior that they had been noticing in her over the past few months.

Symptoms

Off late Anupama had stopped talking much to her family (parents and sister) and seemed to be lost in her own world. She stayed awake in the night because she believed the neighbors were plotting against her family and were keeping a watch on their moves so she stayed up at night in the fear that they’d break into the house. She kept windows locked and always suspected that she was being watched and reacted with tremendous fear and apprehension.

Loss of reality

Anupama could constantly hear the voices of neighbors as a running commentary 24 hours a day. (This was not real, the neighbors were not talking to her; it was imagined.) She also believed there were invisible video cameras installed in her house with which they kept constant vigilance over her family. At one instance she also tried to hammer the wall to break the imaginary camera that had been installed within it by the neighbors (so she suspected)

Effect on her life overall

She refused to eat food, as she believed these persecutors (neighbors) had poisoned it. She survived on biscuit and wafer packs which she would open by herself, to make sure that it was not tampered with, or poisoned by her perceived tormentors, of whom she was extremely fearful. Anupama received a memo from her workplace since she couldn’t take orders or instructions well. She was always sitting by herself and gesticulating as if she was talking continuously to some unknown invisible person around her. When questioned by someone, she would invariably look away and pretend as if nothing had happened.

Management

Anupama had frank delusions and hallucinations. Her suspiciousness was coloring her functioning and performance in all areas. She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and started on medication. Cognitive techniques were used a while after some suspiciousness had gone down. This was targeted at breaking her false belief about the neighbors. The family and friends were getting very worked up, hence they were given psycho-education that this was not pretense or a supernatural force; it was a mental illness which could be treated.

Progress and recovery

Anupama took her medication regularly. She showed some improvement within a month’s time and the hallucinatory behavior stopped. She stopped suspecting the neighbors although the thought crossed her mind sometimes. She resumed work and is now on regular medication. She does get stressed at times but it is within her logical control and she is in touch with reality now.

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