Clinical Psychologist, Counseling Psychologist, Licensed Professional Counselor and Psychotherapist
Clinical Psychologist, Counseling Psychologist, Licensed Professional Counselor and Psychotherapist
My name is Afrah Arshad and I am a Clinical Psychologist. I have completed my Masters in Beaconhouse National Institute in 2021 in Clinical and Counselling Psychology. I am a competent, compassionate, and empathic counselling psychologist with extensive experience in mental health and well-being. My area of expertise is adolescent counselling, with effective communication and a solution-oriented approach. I have over five years of experience in my field. I have worked privately as a Counselling Psychologist at Medcrest HealthCare Centre, Lahore. I had also worked with special needs children at the Shadab Training Institute for Special Education, Government of Punjab, where I was the lead Psychologist, providing psychological assessments of children with neurodevelopment disorders, and designing management and implementation plans.
During my specialisation at the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Drug and Rehabilitation Centre for Adults, I have handled patients with drug addictions; conducting one-to-one sessions, group therapies, and family counselling. I also have experience working with mild to severe drug-induced psychosis, OCD, and other mental disorders.
Furthermore, I have been providing online therapy sessions to my clients and running my private wellness centre for over two years.
As a Psychologist, I often use a student-centered approach in counseling; tailoring strategies to address academic, social, and emotional challenges.
A student-centered approach in counseling emphasizes the individual needs, experiences, and perspectives of the student. My main focus is on building a supportive and collaborative relationship, empowering the student to actively participate in the counseling process. This approach involves tailoring interventions to the unique circumstances and goals of the student, fostering a more personalized and effective counseling experience.
And that is my counselling philosophy as well. *person-centered therapy* developed by Carl Rogers. It emphasizes creating a non-judgmental, empathetic, and genuine therapeutic relationship. The belief is that individuals have the capacity for self-awareness and positive growth, and the therapist's role is to provide a supportive environment for clients to explore and understand themselves.
The techniques that I use is cognitive-behavioral therapy, goal-setting, and skill-building to enhance coping mechanisms and resilience.
Recently, I was honored to be part of the greatest show on Pakistan Television (PTV) highlighting the role of Technology in Mental Healthcare. The program emphasized at the importance of individuals reaching out to therapists if they are facing mental health issues. Nowadays, online counselling services and telemedicine is on the raise which is helping us to raise awareness among people through social networking, including mental health issues. The advantages and disadvantages of technology were elaborated in depth.
Lastly, I have worked at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) – a worldwide known university in Pakistan, which gave me a lot of experience of working with adolescents and a vast background. My responsibility at LUMS is not attributed to counselling only, but to provide workshops, webinars and various activities focusing on mental health within the campus. I am working as a full-time Student Counsellor under the supervison of Dr. Tahira Haider.
- Beaconhouse National University in 2021
- Student Counsellor - LUMS (2019 - 2022)
- American Psychological Association certificate since 2023
- Pakistan Association of Clinical Psychologists certificate since 2023
