“It was the day I chose psychology as my major when life started changing” expresses, Dr. Sakshi Seth Grover, an organizational and . We’re sure many of you can relate when we say she was fascinated by the fact of her turning 20, but to reach there, takes a lot of vigor. Though Dr. Sakshi wanted to give a shot in the mathematics field, destiny had other plans and she ended up pursuing Psychology from Delhi University.
She always had a dream of being “self–made” and thus, decided to bridge the gap present between the theoretical and practical world of psychology by starting COGNIZAVEST, an organization that aims to normalize mental health and provide an enriching experience through various workshops, internships, and certificate courses. Participating in such activities will surely build your basics and CV too! Let Storiyaan take you through Sakshi’s experiences, her insights on psychology as a subject and career, and how her organization is a mode of spreading awareness about psychological disorders and their diagnosis too!
DR. SAKSHI SETH GROVER- THE ERA OF COMFORT TALK
Interview
Questions and answers
Growing up, you must have had your own battles to fight. Can you tell us about some of the issues that lay an impact on you and how you overcame them?
Everyone has a struggle story and so do I. There was no difficulty from my parent’s side as I was always fascinated about having the prefix of a doctor before my name. It was difficult for me to finalize if I was actually ready to face such hardships. Another major thing is being a female in Indian society and full filling the gender stereotypical expectation. At the age of 26 people still plan for a career and looking at my younger cousins getting married and friends already being well established in their paths, I used to think I am too late to achieve my goals.
You mentioned that after you enrolled for Ph. D. you noticed the gaps in the field of psychology. Can you elaborate on these gaps and how they affected the students?
In India, we only have clinical and counselling psychology. Even if we see right now we do not have a good number of institutes that talk about military psychology. People are still rigid about taking clinical psychology because they believe that it is only about disorders and people are still in doubt about the use of CBT DBT. There is no creativity in the field of psychology in India and we are not using analytical skills to make this subject develop. For it, the maximum we can do is make people educated about how things need to be done.
What were some of the major obstacles that came your way when you initially started COGNIZAVEST?
The first thing was finance. It was a small organization I started and was not funded much. It was just me, my brother, and my husband who pooled money and stated this. The second thing was making people aware. Next was explaining to people what I am doing as the concept of organizing workshops and education programs was not something popular. And then one major obstacle was reaching out to people.
When you first moved to Surat, the culture shock was an added issue. Can you tell us what were some of the major changes that you had to bring about in your life and how did you power through?
When I shifted to Surat, it presented me with a very open market. Yes, it was difficult because people were not aware of it. In Delhi also people were not aware of it but the condition was worst in Surat. It took time for people to know me because I started immediately after marriage and Surat is a place where you require contacts but I was focused because I wanted a career and in Surat psychology was not popular enough. So it motivated me to familiarise individuals with how psychology works.
What were some of the pet peeves that you had about your new job and how did Cognizavest help you during this period?
I think as a female I had certain pet peeves when I got my first job- They asked after how many years will I plan a baby, so I wondered whether having a child will affect my capabilities. Also, they did not have good resources for practicing psychology. But I gradually overcame them all and decided to give my best at whatever I do.
What turned out to be the best aspect of being your own boss?
Well, I can be as creative as I want to be. I can run my organization with the ethics I always wanted to project. I could empathize with my employees because I was in that position once. So it helps me make policies for organizations that are very employee-friendly and being an organization- psychologist, it was something you could rely upon me for. I could develop things I wanted to, and that just makes me contented and satisfied.
What are the long-term goals of COGNIZAVEST?
COGNIZAVEST’s long-term goal is educating people about mental health, filling the educational gap we have in the industry, and providing pocket-friendly service because people are charging too much money for it. It should not be considered a luxury but should be available to everyone who requires it. Though we are an organization, we are not making a profit at a very large amount. The fact is we have always focused on ourselves rather than competing with someone else.
What are some of the programs and courses that you offer and how can interest readers get in touch with you?
We have different workshops which are usually for one to three hours on different topics. We also offer internships and training programs for different fields like counselling, clinical and more which give off-the-job training. Then we have certificate courses on different types of therapies. And also have certificate courses in SFT, premarital counselling, family therapy, and more. There is an internship and training course on the basics of psychology that can be done by anyone. We also have a diploma course of 6-12 months affiliated with ICPM, a great opportunity for anyone willing to take part in it.
Looking back, do you wish you had done anything differently and would have yielded better results for you?
According to me, everything is just going fine. I feel I am doing my best and it has been a wonderful journey till now. Live life with no regrets!
Quick 5
1. Your role model – No role model.
2. Your favorite book – Secret and Power of the unconscious mind.
3. Your dream vacation – Anywhere where I am away from gadgets.
4. One piece of advice for the Gen Z – Be patient and wait for the best to happen and every dream will be fulfilled.
5. COGNIZAVEST for you is….. – My first child.