Kaustubhi Shukla

Wrote five scientific papers based on the research studies conducted by C3 in Aurangabad district of Bihar and Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand on following topics- Depression among adolescents, Internet Addiction in adolescents, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and findings among Indian adolescents, Life Satisfaction levels of adolescents and Substance abuse and related risks for adolescents in rural India.

1. Conducted 2-day on-site field investigator's training for baseline Quantitative study on adolescent mental health that was being conducted at Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand.

2. Conducted Qualitative study interviewing and conducting focused group discussions with multiple stakeholders viz students, faculty, counselors, Asha workers, ANMs, Panchayat members and healthcare department representatives and education department representatives

3. Analyzed the data collected in Quantitative study using SPSS and submitted a comprehensive Quantitative and Qualitative study report.

• Center for Catalyzing Change (C3) is a non-profit which works with
  adolescent girls and women in India coming from marginalized
  society, in the space of adolescent and youth development, gender
  equity and reproductive health and rights.
• Under one of their youth projects, they plan to support schools and
  children of Aurangabad, Bihar in the mental health domain.
• For this purpose, they aim to conduct a field study by administering
  5 standardized psychometric tools, viz, WHO (Five) Well-Being
  Index (1998 version), The CRAFFT Questionnaire (version 2.1 + N),
  Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Students' Life Satisfaction
  Scale (Huebner 1991) and Internet Addiction Test with 2400 students
  studying in grades 6 to 12.
• I conducted a 1.5 days-long virtual training of the field investigators on
  the tools. When the data has been collected I will interpret the data from the SPSS output, which will then be used to compile a detailed quantitative analysis report and handed over to the parent organization by October 2023.

• The Yoga Institute is the world's oldest organized yoga center.
• As a teacher I teach practical & theory for 200 Hours TTC (Teacher's Training Course) as allotted by the institute.

• I conduct Psychology OPD for approx. 3 hours per day, 3 days every week in the capacity of a Visiting Consultant (Clinical Psychology). My work involves conducting psychometric assessments, counselling for psychosocial problems like marital challenges, couple's challenges, work-place related stress, relationship problems, learning difficulties and developmental delays, substance-abuse related problems, personality and behavioral challenges.
• Currently two research projects are in-progress for which data collection is underway since 2018. Titles – Motivating factors in voluntary blood replacement donation. And, Psychosocial causes of relapse in alcohol addiction.

• Series of webinars were held with a total of 300+ employees of the company on the topic "adapting to workplace requirements Post-Covid."
• Group Discussions to discuss the physiological and mental stressors faced by the participants (company employees) in the aftermath of long Covid were discussed.
• Practical exercises to identify emotions, neutralize negative emotions and reimagine one's self in the workplace were offered.
• Concepts like mind-body connection (psychoneuroimmunobiology), nutritional balance, meditation and cognitive triad were also explained.

• Joined the institution as Clinical Psychologist employed under the department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences. PSRI was a super-speciality hospital at the time of my joining and specialised in tertiary care of patients suffering from liver and kidney diseases only. The department offered liaison psychiatry and liaison psychology services in the Out-Patient Department [OPD], In-Patient Department [IPD], Intensive Care Unit [ICU], Dialysis Unit, Blood Bank and as a complementary service to all employees.
• In adherence to my job description I assisted the HOD in his ongoing research projects, observed his OPD sessions and accompanied him on his IPD, ICU and Dialysis unit rounds.
• Prepared case files of each patient seen in private or as a joint referral for both Psychiatry and Psychology services.
• I also conducted Psychology OPD for 4 hours per day, 6 days every week in the capacity of Consultant (Psychology).
• In 2015 I assisted the HOD- Dr. Shridhar Sharma - in his research on ‘Contribution of Ancient Hindu Medicine to Modern Psychiatry’ by visiting the ancient 'Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar' and collected research material through Literature Survey of ancient texts available in the library, including Atharvaveda.
• In the wake of 2015 Nepal Earthquake I proposed an in-depth study of Disasters and Coping. 4 major disasters from the recent past, viz, Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Bihar Floods, 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami and 2015 Nepal Earthquake were studied. The paper titled ‘Coping with Natural Disasters: An Anecdotal Study' was published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry in 2016.

• Fomento Scholars provides deserving students from Goa an opportunity to pursue high-quality engineering education in the U.S.A. at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Started in the academic year 2014-2015, every year 5-6 students are sent to SDSMT. Students pursuing grade XI Science in Goa are selected through an extensive procedure.
• In 2015 I was invited to join the selection committee, detect gaps in the selection procedure and introduce necessary psychometric assessments to ensure foolproof selection, better adjustment and excellent academic performance.
• After discussions with the program coordinator from SDSMT Personality test (MBTI), Emotional Maturity Scale by Y. Singh and M. Bhargava and Adjustment Inventory for College Students (AICS) by A.K.P. Sinha and R.P. Singh were assimilated in the selection process.
• The said psychometric tests were administered to 25+ candidates shortlisted for the FS15-16 batch. Another 9 students of the FS14-15 cohort already studying at SDSMT also underwent the assessments and areas for improvement, viz, personal adjustment, social adjustment, emotional adjustment, etc. were cited and counseling support was provided on the basis of those findings.

• Make A Difference is an NGO that teaches children living in orphanages and shelter homes in 19 cities of India. These classes are conducted by volunteer teachers over the weekends. Each volunteer pledges to teach the students designated for one academic year, 4 hours per week.
• Having volunteered as a teacher and as a Centre Head the management offered the role of Director Operations and entrusted me with the expansion of organizational operations to more cities in North India.
• As part of the role I trained city-teams (fellows) to conduct volunteer recruitment drives in colleges and IT companies.
• Communicated with and partnered with over 30 child-care institutions in 6 cities of North India.
• Enrolled over 1,500 children in the three flagship projects of the organization.
• Trained approx. 150 city-team representatives (fellows) and 1,000 teacher volunteers over a span of two years.
• Managed beneficiary relationships to ensure child-retention and maximize program impact.
• Negotiated with institutional caregivers to ensure smooth program delivery and minimize volunteer-teacher attrition.
• Enforced adherence to established operational processes for delivering exceptional projects.
• Leveraged network to secure new institutional and societal partnership opportunities.
• Performed objective and rigorous research to assess and manage program impact and outcomes.
• Collaborated with board to set strategic direction and implement long-term plans.

• Mentor Together is an NGO founded in the incubator of the Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. It ran a flagship project for youth-mentoring in the cities of Mysore and Bangalore of India.
• I proposed a social entrepreneurship and social leadership-focused mentoring project which was piloted over a span of 7 months in the city of Bangalore.
• High-potential youth belonging to low-income families were shortlisted using interview method, initial focused group discussion was held to understand their social milieu and aspirations.
• As a second step potential mentors were shortlisted, interviewed and matched with the mentees.
• Through the course of the remaining pilot project these mentor-mentee cohorts identified problems in the communities that the mentees belonged to and implemented a social entrepreneurial project that addressed any one social issue using either technology, human intervention or a hybrid model.
• These projects were designed using Design Thinking framework, viz, Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test, with the help of an expert Design Thinking trainer and eventually implemented by the cohorts of mentors and mentees in the identified geographies.
• Finally focused group discussion was held to review the process, impact, involvement, learnings and future course of action.
• A project report was prepared and submitted in the name ‘Impact Together’. The program structure was assimilated in the organization’s flagship project - ‘Mentor Together’ - in the subsequent operational cycle.

(Block internship placement in fulfilment of the requirement of the Masters in Psychological Counselling curriculum and training at Christ University, Bangalore, India.)

• As trainee counsellor conducted one-on-one counselling sessions for students aged 13 to 18 years old (grade 8 to 12). Students either approached directly or were referred by class teacher.
• Conducted life-skills and communication classes for students of Grade 10, 11 and 12 on topics like time-management, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication, teamwork and cooperation, importance of values and so on.
• Helped School Principle with his Post-graduation research project thesis on stress among adolescents, by helping analyze the data using SPSS software, interpreting it and finally report-writing.

• Taught Cambridge English School Curriculum to adolescents aged 12-16 years living in St. Patrick’s Boys Home, Bangalore, India. These adolescent boys were 'at-risk youth' who were either separated from their families of origin or left in the institutional care by semi-governmental agencies and/or parents and relatives of the ward.
• One month into the program I was appointed as the ‘Centre Head’ (a city-level operational role) to oversee the operations of the organization (Make A Difference) at the institution (St. Patrick's Boys Home) for that academic year, like, ensuring class regularity, managing attendance register, motivating volunteers, conducting after-class-debrief, democratically designing weekly lesson plans along with the teacher volunteers and communicating the same to the authorities.
• With the consent of the Centre Authorities in collaboration with another NGO (Bookwallah) the volunteers of our shelter home set up a library and study center at St. Patrick's Boys Home, Bangalore in the academic year when I served as the Center Head of the home. With this library as the model to emulate, in the subsequent academic year Make A Difference launched a full-fledged 'Library Project', wherein more than 20 libraries were set-up by volunteers in 15 different cities.

(Block internship placement in fulfilment of the requirement of the Masters in Psychological Counselling curriculum and training at Christ University, Bangalore, India.)

• ‘BOSCO MANE’ is a half-way home for run-away and destitute children and also children rescued from train stations and factories. As a child counsellor (trainee) it was my responsibility to profile each rescued or found child or adolescent/youth who was brought to the home. The profiling form is provided by the state government. As part of the profiling process we form rapport with these children before interviewing and profiling them.
• Thereafter a case discussion was held with the superintendent at the institution. Following this discussion, we (superintendent and I) would submit a (POA) Plan of Action for each child profiled. Each child was either repatriated into their family of origin, provided they consent for the same, with the help of the state police of the state the child belonged to, or, rehabilitated by sending them to a state-run child care home, if they expressed a wish to stay back in the institution.
• Three months into this internship I was called by the institute director to support the staff at their Youth home (BOSCO Yuvakendra). A group of 10 youth (male), aged 15-20 years, who were at the time in conflict with law and under reformation were identified for Group Work and Therapy. I designed and implemented sports and drama-based group-work to aid healthy habit formation, effective communication, English grammar and speaking fluency, emotional healing and moral development.

• After completion of my high-school studies (Grade-12) I offered tuition classes to 5 children aged between 4 to 10 years old on all subjects, viz, English (Language), Hindi (Language), Social Studies (Social Science), Mathematics, Science, Environmental Science, Drawing & Art and General Knowledge.
• Three students continued to take tuition classes from me for the next 3 years (till 2010). So, while doing my undergraduate studies I taught home tuitions.
• One of my student is in the final year of her Medicine degree right now. Second student completed her degree in Bachelors of Commerce and is pursuing Masters of Commerce now and the third student completed his degree in Bachelors of Business Administration and is currently preparing for MBA entrance exam.

• A New Delhi-based NGO that aimed to film a docu-drama capturing the problem of Child trafficking and flesh trade in South-East Asia was conducting an in-depth research to collect facts and data.
• I volunteered by visiting ‘Child Welfare Committee’ office (Delhi) to interview the chairperson, access archives and records during my college Summer break.
• During the months that followed I also participated in street plays on weekends, to create awareness about the initiative undertaken by the organization and to raise funds for filming the project.
• Eventually the film was shot and released under the name ‘The Holy Wives.’