Research & Training-Heart2Mind

Research & Training

Heart2Mind is dedicated to conduct scientific research that examines the effects of psychological practices on mental health and wellbeing. While there are studies in the scientific literature on the beneficial effects of a variety of mental health and training programs, our main target is to provide our services to different communities i.e. through mental health awareness programs, workshops, seminars for different communities and in rural areas, schools, for under privileged population, prisons, sex workers etc. We have tied up with grass root level government & non-government organisations. Building resilience in individuals, their networks, and their communities transforms people’s wellbeing and improves our society and economy.

Training for Professionals

Heart2Mind works with different multi-national and national organizations and corporations to provide confidential employee assistance services, mediation and conflict resolution, career and fitness for duty assessments, and specialized training programs. Our clinical staff features highly experienced psychologists and social workers for the evaluation of psycho-educational issues, career assessment, custody and divorce, community work, research and development.

Heart2Mind provides consultation and training in different issues. We closely work with mental health professionals, social workers, artists and laypeople. Our current services include:

Online/Offline workshops for corporate, communities and mental health professionals
In-service training for corporates and mental health professionals
Motivation, Personality Enhancement Programs, Training, Attitude, Wellbeing etc.
Individual and group clinical supervision
Consultation for working people in a group, community and organizational settings

Heart2Mind's Research Team, however, is open to potential research collaborations and can be reached at contactus@heart2mind.com.

Anxiety is mix of feelings of excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry. In general, “Anxiety” is normal and healthy emotion but when a person regularly feels inconsistent levels of anxiety, it become a mental disorder. Occasional, short period of anxiety is productive and it helps us to avoid danger and take meaningful decisions in our life. Anxiety disorders diagnosed in different ways. Generalized anxiety is a chronic disorder involving excessive, severe worry, tension, and long-lasting anxiety often without nonspecific life events, objects, and other provocations. Panic disorder refers to sudden attacks of intense terror and intense fear that peak within a few minutes is characterized as the panic disorder. These attacks can lead to shaking, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and breathing difficulties. Social anxiety or phobia includes a range of feelings such as fear of intimacy, stage fright, and anxiety around humiliation and rejection. However persistent, pervasive anxiety disrupts one’s daily life, whether at school, work, home or with friends, can be the sign of an anxiety disorder. These disorders alter how a person processes emotions and behave also causing physical symptoms.

Depression is classified as a mood disorder. Depression is complex disorder that involves many symptoms and described as feelings of sadness, loss, or anger that interfere with a person’s everyday activities. It interrupts sleep and interferes with daily activities in some cases which includes low appetite, weight loss and in some cases it contributes to weight gain. Depression is associated and often accompanied with anxiety. There are two types of depressions, one is major depressive disorder and the other is a persistent depressive disorder. The first one is the more severe form of depression. It is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness that don’t go away on their own. A persistent depressive disorder is a milder, but chronic, form of depression. It affects cognitive abilities such as inability to concentrate, difficulty in completing tasks, delayed responses during conversations, and in some cases disturbed sleep patterns are observed, resulting insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleepiness, not sleeping throughout the night.

Phobia is an extreme, irrational fear of a specific object or situation. “Phobia” is classified as a type of anxiety disorder. Normally phobias are believed to be learned emotional responses. If a person is a victim of phobia, he/she may experience a deep sense of anxiety or panic when he/she face the source of his/her fear. These fears may be related to certain places, situations, or objects, which are connected to something specific. Most of the people know their fear is irrational, self-made but still they’re unable to do anything about it. Phobia can be a hindrance at relationships, work, school and in personal relationships, etc. Different distressing events can bring on a phobia. There is a common and disabling symptom of phobia such as panic attacks. It includes rapid speech or inability to speak, dry mouth, nausea, elevated blood pressure, a choking sensation, shaking, chest pain, dizziness, speeding heartbeat, etc.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is chronic mental health problem characterized by different obsessions, which lead to compulsive behaviours. In this mental health condition, people can experience unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations which are called obsessions and show different types of unusual behaviours that drive them to do something over and over which is called compulsions. People try to escape from such thoughts so they carry out the behaviours to get rid of the obsessive thoughts. These upsetting thoughts or impulses repeatedly occur. The anxiety associated with suppression leads them to engage in compulsive behaviours to decrease their anxiety. Some symptoms include fear of infection or germs with related compulsions of cleaning and washing hand, floor, etc. Obsessions related to perfectionism with related compulsions of doing, repeatedly, the same work. This creates other psychological difficulties among people.

Trauma is the response to a severely distressing event that controls a person’s ability to adjust in the environment, causing feelings of helplessness, diminishing their sense of self. Trauma generally obstructs a person’s ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences. A traumatic event can cause physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological harm to the person. The person experiencing the distressing event may feel threatened, anxious, or frightened and may not know how to respond. Some of them may be still in denial about the fact that such an event had occurred. In maximum cases, there are no visible signs, but people may have serious emotional reactions. When the symptoms last more than a month and it affects the person’s ability to work properly, as the person may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Not every traumatized person develops PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD are panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts and feelings, drug abuse, feelings of being isolated, and not being able to complete daily tasks. The person needs support and time to recover from the traumatic event and regain emotional & mental stability.

Eating disorder is a condition related to persistent eating behaviour. It is a psychological condition characterized by unhealthy, obsessive eating habits. The eating habit has a negative impact on your health, emotions, and ability to function in important areas of life. Anorexia nervosa (voluntary starvation), bulimia nervosa (binge-eating followed by purging), and binge-eating disorder (binge without purging) are the most common eating disorders. Very common behavioural signs of anorexia include extreme dieting, obsessive food rituals, and secretive behaviour. On the other hand bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder in which the individual binge-eating excessive amounts of food, followed by purging. They generally have an intense fear of weight gain and often suffer anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem. Binge-eating disorder is extreme overeating as a result, those with the disorder are usually overweight to obese. With regular treatment, client can return to healthier eating habits and sometimes reverse serious complications caused by the eating disorder.

In Bipolar disorder client experiences extreme inconsistencies in thinking, mood, and behaviour. People who have bipolar disorder commonly go through periods of depression or mania. They may also experience frequent shifts in mood. A person suffering from Bipolar disorder usually have feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest in once pleasurable activities such as sex, behavioural changes, fatigue or low energy, problems with concentration, decision-making, or forgetfulness, restlessness or irritability, changes in eating or sleeping habits, suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. Symptoms of mania may include long periods of intense joy, excitement, or euphoria, extreme irritability, agitation, or a feeling of being "wired", being easily distracted or restless, having racing thoughts, speaking very quickly, excessively goal-directed, having little need for sleep, unrealistic beliefs about one's abilities, participating in impulsive or high-risk behaviours such as gambling or spending sprees, unsafe sex, or making unwise investments, etc. With regular treatment, the client can return to healthier lifestyle.

Strong relationships are continually nurtured with care and communication. Different study says the ability to form a stable relationship starts to form in infancy, where the child is very much attached to his/her care taker who is being a constant support and reliable person to the baby. Although relationships can take many forms, certain traits have proved to be especially important for healthy relationships. We can see failed relationships happen for many reasons, and the failure of a relationship is often a source of great psychological anguish. Most people have to work consciously to master the skills necessary to make relationships endure and flourish.

A person with an addiction is a victim of chronic dysfunction of the brain system that involves reward, motivation, and memory. The rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeat the activity, despite detrimental consequences. At addiction, your body craves a substance or behaviour, especially if it causes a compulsive or obsessive pursuit for reward and least bother about the consequences. Some addiction symptoms are, unable to stay away from the substance, lack of self-control, have an increased desire for the substance or behaviour, lack of an emotional response. An individual’s addiction may involve the use of substances such as alcohol, inhalants, opium, cocaine, and nicotine and other new forms of substances or behaviours such as gambling. These addictions have an increased possibility of being accompanied by mental health conditions such as mood swings, depression, and anxiety. Substance use and gambling disorders not only engage the same brain mechanisms, but they also respond to many of the same treatment approaches. These addictions can seriously influence your daily life. There are different researches that say the people experiencing addiction are also prone to cycles of relapse. Addictions if not quit, will typically worsen over time, they can lead to permanent health complications.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by core symptoms of inattentiveness, disorganization, distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity causing impairment of functioning. This is the most common childhood mental health problem. Some difficult symptoms include a concentration on schoolwork or other tasks, may daydream frequently, and being forgetful about completing tasks. In some cases, they become disruptive, defiant, or have trouble getting along with parents, peers, or teachers. Children who struggle with hyperactivity and impulsivity often have severe behavioural difficulties too which is very difficult to manage.

Conduct disorder diagnosed in children characterized by a pattern of antisocial behaviours that violate the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms. This is diagnosed when children show an ongoing pattern of aggression toward others, and serious violations of rules and social norms at home, in school, and with peers. These rule violations may involve breaking the law such as breaking serious rules, such as running away, running from home, skipping school. Severe aggressive behaviour causing harm, such as bullying, fighting, or being cruel to animals, lying, stealing, or damaging other people’s property on purpose etc.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause difficulties in social, communication, and behavioural challenges as well as the presence of restricted and stereotypical behaviours. Children having autism have different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things. They might repeat certain behaviours regularly and might not want to change in their daily activities. The major symptoms are visible during early childhood and typically last throughout a person’s life. It includes limited interest, not look at objects when another person points at them, have trouble relating to others, avoid eye contact and want to be alone, unable to understand other people’s feelings, prefer not to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to, not attentive, some-times curious about others but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them. There is a very common symptom, repetition or echo words or phrases said to them, repeated actions, unable to follow a routine, etc.

Learning disorder is a set of difficulties children faced in one or more areas of learning, even when overall intelligence or motivation is not affected. They face, difficulty in telling right from left, difficulty in reversing letters, words, or numbers. In maximum cases they have difficulty doing tasks with the hands, like writing, cutting, or drawing, they have difficulty in understanding the concept of time, measurement, size, and shape, they have difficulty in understanding other's instructions or staying organized and lack of coordination presence when moving around. Some examples of learning disorders are Dyslexia- reading difficulty, Dyscalculia- difficulty in mathematics, Dysgraphia- writing difficulty. Due to their frustration because of unable to cope with different activities they develop emotional and behavioural disorders. Properly diagnosing each disorder is crucial, so that the child can get the right kind of help for each disorder.

Language and speech disorders can make it hard for a child to succeed in school. Properly diagnose a child’s disorder is crucial so that each child can get the right kind of help. Some examples are there with language and speech development, including speech disorders- difficulty with forming specific words or sounds correctly. Struggle with making words or sentences flow smoothly, like stuttering or stammering. Language delay – the ability to understand and speak, develops more slowly than is typical. Language disorders such as Aphasia (difficulty in understanding or speaking parts of language due to a brain injury or how the brain works). Auditory processing disorder (difficulty in understanding the meaning of the sounds that the ear sends to the brain). These children may feel frustrated that they cannot understand themselves and others, which makes them feel helpless and withdraw.

Counseling is a combined effort between the counselor and the client. It is a professional relationship that inspires and empowers people such as, families, individuals, children, and groups to accomplish mental health issues, education, wellbeing, quality of life, and career goals. Counseling helps people with physical, emotional, and mental health issues improve their sense of well‐being, relieve feelings of distress, and resolve crises. It focuses on how people function both personally and in their relationships at all ages. It has been focusing on typical life stresses and more severe issues with which people may struggle as individuals and as a part of families, groups, and organizations. Counselors can see clients with varied cultural backgrounds. Our counselors will reduce the clients confusion, allowing them to make effective decisions leading to positive changes in their attitude and/or behaviour. In maximum cases, counseling is a preparation for action both for behaviour and internal thoughts and emotions. The main aim of counseling is to assist the clients to make their own decisions, reach their own action, and act upon them.

Cognitive-behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy, which helps an individual to change negative, unnecessary unhealthy ways of thinking, feeling, and behaviour. This therapeutic method aims to help the clients to identify and explore the ways their emotions and thoughts can affect their actions. Our therapists understand these patterns and will help the clients to start learning to reframe their thoughts more positively and helpfully. The main focus of CBT is problem-solving, and the goal is to change the participants thought patterns to change their responses to difficult situations. It can improve their quality of life. This technique is appropriate for children, youth, senior citizens, and individuals, families, and couples. It is highly effective and can be applied to a wide range of mental health issues and conditions. The goal of these techniques are to replace unhelpful or self-defeating thoughts with more encouraging and realistic ones. CBT’s main goal is to get the clients actively involved in their treatment plan so that they understand the ways to improve their lives is by adjusting their thinking and their approach to everyday situations. Our therapists will work with the clients to find those that work best for them.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a modified form of cognitive therapy that integrates mindfulness practices. The main concept of mindfulness is living in the present moment. Results showed that this technique is very effective at reducing and helping people cope with pain, anxiety, and depression.The goal of mindfulness training through meditation and breathing exercises is to increase their ability to be calm, to think clearly, and to manage stress. This technique teaches meditation techniques as well as basic principles of cognition, such as the relationship between the way they think and how they feel. This exercise allows the clients to move away from automatic negative responses towards an understanding that there are other ways to respond to situations. One who practices mindfulness observes thoughts and feelings without reacting to them. By regular practice of this technique of meditation, clients can use the technique whenever they start to feel negative emotions.

Among other therapeutic approaches, Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is a type of therapy that focuses on improving specific behaviours such as social skills, learning skills, communication, reading, and academics through positive reinforcement. ABA is effective for children and adults with psychological disorders in a variety of settings, including schools, workplaces, homes, and clinics. It has also been shown that consistent. ABA can significantly improve behaviors and skills and decrease the need for special services. ABA is based on learning based approach. This is goal oriented so our therapists evaluates a client’s behavior and set treatment plans to help improve the communication and behavior skills necessary for success in his/her personal and professional life. Our ABA therapists can also provide training to parents, caretakers, and teachers.

Play Therapy is a form of therapy which sometimes used with adults and primarily used to help children to explore their lives and freely expressed thoughts and emotions. That’s because children may not be able to process their own emotions or articulate problems to parents or other adults. In this therapeutic method normally takes place in a safe, comfortable playroom. In this process very limited rules are imposed on the child, encouraging free expression and allowing our therapist to observe the child’s choices, decisions, and play style. Our trained therapists will use playtime to observe and gain insights into a child’s problems. Our therapists will then help the child explore emotions and deal with unresolved trauma and other associated problems. The goal is to help children learn to express themselves in healthier ways, become more empathetic, and discover new and more positive ways to solve different problems in life. Some of the proved benefits of play therapy are empathy and respect for others, developing coping strategies and creative problem-solving skills, stronger social skills, taking more responsibility for certain behaviors, stronger family relationships, etc.

Art Therapy is a medium of self-expression through artistic creation, it has therapeutic value for those who are seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and their personalities. The major role of art therapy is to understand the roles of colour, paint, texture, and other forms of art that can play in the therapeutic process and how these artistic outcomes can help reveal one’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Art therapy helps the clients to decode the nonverbal messages, symbols, and metaphors to found through these art forms. Art therapy are different types such as drawing, painting, collage, colouring, or sculpting to help people express themselves artistically and examine the psychological and emotional undertones in their art. This therapy can be helpful for children, youth, and old people to explore themselves and improve their self-esteem.

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is a form of expressive therapy, it looks at the correlation between movement and emotion. Dance movement therapy is the evidence-based use of dance and movement in therapy for maintaining physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual integration of individuals. This therapy has the potential to activate, stabilize, and recovery in the context of prevention and rehabilitation. Dance movement therapy is also called movement psychotherapy in which no single fixed type of movement style used within this therapeutic exposure. The actions, fluidity, and movement are interpreted more like a language to communicate conscious and unconscious feelings. Dance range from traditional dances like Odishi to more elusive forms of movement like yoga and stretching to calm the body. Through dance movement our therapists use different movements to help participants achieve emotional, physical, social, and cognitive enhancement that helps the client to reduce stress, eating disorder management, improve body image, and improve self-esteem. Dance movement therapy can play an integral role in helping them reclaim an authentic connection between their actions and words.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy. It provides clients with new skills to manage painful emotions and decrease conflicts in relationships. This therapy focuses on providing therapeutic skills in four key areas. Firstly, mindfulness, which focuses on improving an individual's ability to accept and be present in the current moment. Secondly, distress tolerance which is driven towards increasing a person’s tolerance of negative emotion, rather than trying to escape from it. Thirdly, emotion regulation that covers strategies to manage and change intense emotions that are causing problems in a person’s life. Fourthly, interpersonal effectiveness consists of techniques that allow a person to communicate with others in a way that maintains self-respect, and strengthens relationships. In DBT our therapists will help the patients to stay motivated, apply the DBT skills within daily life, and address obstacles that might arise throughout treatment.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is focused on helping clients to change irrational beliefs. This therapy is a short-term psychotherapy that helps to identify self-defeating thoughts and feelings which replace them with healthier and productive beliefs. The REBT’s main focus is to help the clients to understand how unhealthy thoughts and beliefs create emotional distress which, in turn, leads to unhealthy actions and behaviors that interfere with their current life. If we can understand and identify our negative thoughts and actions, we can change and replace them with more positive and productive behaviour. This allows us to develop more successful personal and professional relationships. For the management of difficulties, our therapists will work with the clients to identify their beliefs and rigid thought patterns that are holding them back. With the help of different mental exercises, the clients get to know how to reduce their negative thoughts and responses, and replace them with healthier, more constructive, and self-accepting thoughts. DBT is used successfully to treat people experiencing depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.

Mental Health

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