Our team comprises of professionals who are variously qualified as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, developmental psychologists, occupational therapists and consultants.Some of them are dually qualified as arts based therapists, expressive arts and movement therapist and family therapists .
Many have also done trainings and certifications in techniques like Sensory Integration Therapy, Oral Placement Therapy, Narrative Therapies, Solution Focussed therapies etc.
We are ably supported by an administrative team and support staff at both centres.
Dr Shelja Sen
Child & Adolescent Psychologist & Family Therapist and Author. MPhil & DClinPsych
Delhi
Dr Shelja Sen
Dr Shelja Sen (MPhil, DClinPysh) is a therapist, a writer, a story weaver and co-founder of Children First. She is the author of the critically acclaimed books, All You Need is Love: The Art of Mindful Parenting and Imagine: No Child Left Invisible and her new book Reclaim Your Life: Going beyond silence, stigma and shame in mental health. Shelja is a TED speaker and a columnist with Indian Express. She aligns herself with collaborative practices that honour the dignity of the person and work at developing richer narratives. She believes that we need to work at building ecosystems that nurture emotionally safe spaces for children and youth at home, schools and the larger community.
Ankita Khanna
Psychologist and Arts Based Therapist, Head of Services, Children First, Gurgaon
Gurgaon
Ankita Khanna
A child of the mountains, Ankita holds a Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Delhi, with a specialisation in Clinical Psychology. After finishing her masters in Psychology, she worked as a School Counsellor at The Shri Ram School, Gurgaon, for four years, before moving into full time work at Children First. Ankita currently heads the Children First Gurgaon Centre and now has more than a decade of experience in assessments, psychotherapy, teacher training, and group work. She also practices as a certified Arts Based Practitioner and a Village Music Circles™️ Facilitator, using the arts, such as music, drama, storytelling and dance, for therapeutic benefit with children and young people. Ankita loves all things homegrown and handmade, clever words, art, and a good cup of coffee.
Jonaki Arora
Psychologist, Coordinator for Clinical Services, Coordinator for Communities That Care
Delhi
Jonaki Arora
Jonaki loves working with children and enjoys their company more than adults! Through her work as a psychologist she hopes to connect with children, and help them find a safe space to share their difficulties and explore their strengths. She has done her Masters in Educational and Developmental Psychology from Monash University, Australia. Jonaki loves to laugh, read, travel, eat and play.
Niharika Kaul Bhattacharya
Psychologist, Coordinator Profiling Minds, Coordinator Manju Bharat Ram Rainbow Project
Delhi
Niharika Kaul Bhattacharya
Niharika is a counselling psychologist and absolutely loves working with children and young adults. She has a postgraduate degree in counselling psychology, with a specialization in educational psychology. Niharika's passion lies in cognitive and psychoeducational assessments. Niharika is also a college counselor and has done a course in college counselling from Oxford University. Niharika loves books, photography, travel and dogs!
Sandra Jose
Counselling psychologist and Arts-based Therapist, Coordinator for Clinical Services
Delhi
Sandra Jose
Sandra is a counselling psychologist. She not only loves being aorund children but is also passionate about working with them. Her zeal and inclination towards using different art forms in therapeutic work with children has motivated and driven her to complete a course in Arts-based Therapy. She enjoys shopping, Bollywood music, drama and theatre and is secretly ambitious about doing theatre performance on stage some day!
Bhavya Kulshreshtha
Bhavya is a psychologist who thinks of children fondly as her "tiny humans" who deserve care and safe spaces where their voices can be heard. You'll often find her drawing/painting with the children. She also loves to sing and to read. She believes in the immense potential of each child and aims to nurture and build on it. Bhavya has a Master's degree in Applied Psychology (Specialization in Clinical Psychology) from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Her current work includes individual sessions, group work and assessments.
Harshita Kaushal
Harshita is a Counselling Psychologist from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She loves exploring the different narratives of children and their families, because she believes that there is untapped potential in each child that needs unmasking. She is always on the lookout for light in places that are believed to have none. She enjoys a good book and a good joke, vividly imagines strange scenarios and narrates them with equal enthusiasm. One of her frequent sources of joy is imagining an all inclusive world, and she believes that there is strength in keeping that imaginative vision alive while working towards it.
Kasturi Chetia
Kasturi is a Clinical Psychologist and holds an M.Phil from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. She has a keen interest in Gestalt, Existential and Psychodynamic psychotherapy along with special interest in the areas of trauma and sexual abuse. Unique clinical cases always inspire her to learn more and therefore provide better care and inputs in her quality of work. Outside the professional sphere, she loves animals, shopping and is quite a Bollywood buff with an affinity for everything masala and rom-coms. Guessing songs by tune is her special skill closely followed by a zeal to try new places to eat and satisfy her culinary cravings. Off late, she has a new-found love for travelling which she pursues with equal passion.
Sanjana Mishra
Sanjana is a psychologist who enjoys learning about new and diverse things, and believes that the best learners and teachers in the world are children. She loves being around them and learning from as well as working with their unique narratives and worldviews. She also loves dogs, cats, reading, music and science! Sanjana has an MA in Applied Psychology (Specialisation in Clinical Psychology) from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Soumya Jagatdeb
Soumya is a Psychologist who loves the company of children and believes that they teach you so much about life and living. Drawing from a quote from one of her most liked movies, 'Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more', she believes that every person deserves kindness, especially children and nothing is bigger than the power of hope and resilience in any narrative. Soumya also likes to read and reflect, indulge in good music and movies and enjoys the rains a lot. She holds an Honors degree in Psychology from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi and a Master's degree in Applied Psychology (Specialization in Clinical Psychology) from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Thwisha Bajpai
Thwisha is a psychologist who has always been inquisitive about human behaviour and likes to learn and explore diverse methods to understand it's dynamic nature. She believes that every child has the right to be heard and creating spaces for their well being is the path towards building a healthy community. In addition, she's extremely passionate about dogs, photography and reading. She holds a degree in M.Sc Clinical Psychology from Christ University, Bengaluru.
Yamini Kaul
Yamini has finished her postgraduation with a specialization in Clinical Psychology. She has experience working with children and adolescents on the spectrum. She is curious about the way children look at the world. She believes in allowing life and people to bloom and unfold at their own pace. She believes in working with acceptance and near the ZPD. Yamini loves beaches, travel and all kinds of play.
Aishwarya Chawla
Aishwarya believes that children are the hands by which we take hold of the future. Quoting from her favourite Disney character, Winnie the Pooh, she feels that “sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart”. During her interactions with children, she has been exposed to their expansive inner worlds which she feels need to be explored. According to her, listening to children’s stories and thickening their narratives helps unleash her inner child. Her interests include reading for pleasure, going to the gym, cooking and spending time with her furry friends. She has completed her Masters in Applied Psychology from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai with a specialization in working with children, adolescents and parents, for which she was awarded the Institute’s Gold Medal.
Khwaish Sharma
Khwaish holds an MSc in Clinical Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London and has trained in Expressive Arts Therapy, crisis counselling, Hatha Yoga and Kathak. Rap and Hindustani classical music and the smells, sounds and sights of new places make her the happiest. Integrating any form of art in all her work, Khwaish is passionate about bringing art and psychotherapy together and the inclusion and integration of people and their stories have been at the core of what she does. As a psychologist, she aspires to put in a sincere attempt to minimise the extent to which certain experiences interfere with the existence of young people, who can make a real difference to the future of the world.
Lavina Nanda
Developmental Psychologist and Therapeutic Play Practitioner, Head of Developmental Centre
Delhi
Lavina Nanda
Lavina feels blessed that she can make some of her loved interests like toys, stories, music, art, jumping and laughing, a part of her work. While she feels development and healing is a life long process, she also believes in the magic of ‘early intervention’. Through her work, she hopes to create safe zones for children, young people and parents to explore their strengths and work on their difficulties. She enjoys travelling and has an appetite to experiment with everything edible!
Ritu Shree
Developmental Psychologist and Expressive Arts Therapist, Coordinator for Developmental Therapy services
Delhi
Ritu Shree
Ritu is an explorer, tree lover, dancer, scrap artist, storyteller, yogi, and a student for life. She finds herself most embodied when she is playing, creating, imagining, and simply improvising with children. She pursued her Masters in Clinical Psychology from University of Delhi and then went on to do Masters in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Antioch University, New England, USA. She believes in simple yet creative ways to bring about positive emotional, social, and cognitive changes in children and their families.
Soumini Menon
Developmental Psychologist and Arts Based Therapist, Coordinator for Developmental Therapy services
Gurgaon
Soumini Menon
Soumini is a Developmental Psychologist, who loves discovering the voice of the children through their play, and helping the inhibited ones find their hidden play. Teaching and training is in her core, and she loves finding different ways to explain what it is our children experience, need and yearn. Recently through her own personal journey of motherhood, she has started working as a Parenting Therapist, helping parents cope with their daily struggles and celebrate their personal victories. She has done her graduation from Delhi University, India; and post graduation from Essex University, UK and a Fellowship in Clinical Psychology from AIIMS, India. A self-proclaimed fashion addict, she is a trained classical dancer and is forever ready to shake a leg or two. When she manages to find some time between baby and work, she loves to spend her time blogging.
Tanvi Sehgal
Developmental Psychologist, Associate Coordinator for Developmental Therapy Services
Delhi
Tanvi Sehgal
Tanvi is a developmental psychologist with a Masters from the Anna Freud Centre, UCL, London. A lateral thinker in the true sense of the word, she is not content to take things at face value and loves to question, synthesise and experiment with ideas constantly. Her soulful presence allows her to truly tune in to children and help them feel instantly held, ‘seen’ and grounded. Her ‘zen’ temperament is also greatly valued in the team, especially as she is an island of calm when things get chaotic! Tanvi has a quirky sense of aesthetics and design, and enjoys all things wholesome and flavourful.
Ashima Kandwal
Ashima is a developmental psychologist with a background in counselling psychology. Ashima tries to embody a balance of quiet self discipline along with a calm, reassuring presence. Her style of intervention is effortlessly intuitive and described aptly by her team as “she just gets it without us having to explain it”. Add to this her ability to speak with undeterred authenticity and objectivity. A true mountain girl at heart, she loves long walks and treks and is a badminton player!
Sukarma Dawer
Sukarma is a Developmental Psychologist who joined the team with experience in child assessments and adult counselling. However, it was her core belief in the power of intervention that steered her towards becoming a developmental therapist. As an interventionist, Sukarma brings in the perfect balance of groundedness and playfulness, seriousness and giggles, and an infectious presence that makes children naturally gravitate towards her. She balances this beautifully with being able to take a systemic perspective with children and families. She is a peace loving soul who is highly creative, loves beach trips, singing and all things pink and pretty!
Sukriti Agnihotri
Sukriti believes in the magic of individual agency and thinks that the first step of intervention with children and young people is respecting it. Being a part of emerging narratives of little ones is the most beautiful experience for her, which is why she loves working as a developmental psychologist. She views psychology as inherently interdisciplinary and enjoys engaging with texts from other fields that enrich her learning. She shares this passion with music and is also a trained Hindustani classical vocalist.
Aditi Sharma
Aditi is a Developmental Psychologist with a masters in Psychology from University of Delhi. She loves to engage with children and considers them to be bundles of joy and positivity. Her playful and cheerful nature helps her to connect with them easily. She aims to create an atmosphere of love and acceptance for children wherein they can reach their highest potential. Her strengths include critical thinking, perspective taking and a strong sense of empathy, which she brings beautifully into her work. She enjoys reading, writing, watching movies and travelling. She also considers herself to be irrevocably in love with dogs.
Akansha Rastogi
Akansha is a developmental psychologist who finds joy in working with kids. She has a background in counselling psychology and 3 years experience working with children and adolescents in school setting. She loves reading, traveling and is an adrenaline junkie. She finds spending time around children energising, and attributes it to their innocence and free spirit. Her goal is to be able to provide safe spaces for children where they can just be. Akansha is passionate and takes pride in her work. She has a positive outlook towards things and is a keen learner.
Sukanya Chakraborty
As a Developmental Psychologist, Sukanya believes children are the most competent scientists, who are on their quest to figure out the world around, and in the process challenge and question our existing beliefs and values. She loves experimenting with new cuisines, listening to diverse opinions, reading all sorts of genres and travelling as much as she can in the hopes of broadening her perspective and never stop learning.
Tanmay Kapahi
Tanmay is a developmental psychologist with a Masters from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. She has experience in working with children in varied settings, including the school setting and community based organisations. Being an “aunt”/partner-in-crime to 4 little ones within her immediate family, Tanmay rejoices in the company of children and loves to engage with them. She considers herself a music lover, with a passion for singing. She also enjoys reading, travelling, and watching movies and tv shows.
Saisha Sawhney
Saisha is a developmental psychologist who recently finished her masters at the Anna Freud Centre at UCL. She wants to dedicate herself to mental health awareness and betterment through compassion and understanding of children’s needs. To paint her complete portrait though we cannot but mention her therapeutic love for diving where she is already a PADI certified rescue diver and her affable effervescent mingling personality.
Rabani Soni
Rabani is our developmental psychologist at the Gurgaon center. Rabani did her MSc from University College London, post which she worked as a Case Manager at ACE (Autism Center for Excellence). She also went to Africa to volunteer in a school that works on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis. She is a happy-go-lucky soul, who tries to find fun in whatever she sets out to do, and is extremely curious about her surroundings. She is a quick learner and a beach lover. Rabani is in love with South Korea and is on a mission to hunt down all the places in India which serve Korean cuisine.
Noor Us Sehar
Noor is an artist, a writer and an Occupational Therapist, graduated from IPH, University of Delhi. She loves reading books, trying new forms of arts & crafts and helping kids learn through fun-filled therapeutic activities. She does assessments, works with the younger kids in the developmental center and totally believes that kids teach you a lot more than anything else. In her words, each child has its own rainbow which they carry with them and given the optimum conditions and space every child is certainly capable to brighten up the world with their vibrant colors
Kanika Goyal
Occupational Therapist, Coordinator for Occupational Therapy Services - Gurgaon
Gurgaon
Kanika Goyal
Kanika is a fun-loving, joyful, compassionate and courageous girl. She loves to be around children and feels very happy about working with them as an Occupational therapist. She connects with the pure and little hearts and tries to bring out the best in them. She is very passionate for her work and concerned for people in her family and surroundings. She tends to make everyone around her very comfortable. She has worked with children of different age group and in different clinical and school settings and feels content when they respond positively.
Kavita Joshi
Kavita is an occupational therapist who loves to play, interact with children and spend time with her family. She is an artist and has keen interest in music and dance which she incorporates in her work too. She believes in living life to the fullest. For her, small moments of joy mean the most.
Bhavna Aswal
Bhavna is an occupational therapist who loves working with children of all age groups. Children love her company because of her playfulness in therapy sessions. She is a spontaneous, enthusiastic and creative therapist who believes every child has a innate spark with which they can create Magic. She loves to travel and retreat herself with mountains, beaches and good food. She likes to live life to its fullest.
Ritika Gogia
Ritika is an occupational therapist. She completed her Masters in paediatrics from Jamia Hamdard University. She loves to work with children of all age groups. She believes every child is unique and all they need is little more love, care and happiness. She is industrious, caring and creative. She loves to travel, explore new places is a complete foodie!
Heena Khan
Heena is an occupational therapist graduated from Jamia Hamdard University, New delhi. She is very passionate about her work , and is sincere and punctual. She loves to play with children as she believes in making a connect with child . Her hobbies are to explore new places and playing sports. She's also passionate about dancing and acting. She believes in the philosophy of time spent playing with children is always cherished.
Mukul Vij
Mukul is a hard-working, determined and well-motivated Occupational Therapist. He has done his Bachelors degree from National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities (NIPPD) formerly known as Institute for the Physically Handicapped(IPH). He is a music lover and likes to sing and play the guitar. He is our own in-house guitarist! Kids love when Mukul sings to them and they are able to connect with him so easily. He is playful and adventurous. He is also a foodie and has a big sweet tooth.
Etti Kotnala
Etti is a trekking enthusiast, closet poet, artist and an Occupational Therapist. She graduated from IPH, University of Delhi. A book lover, she swears by the words- "books are always better than their movie". She loves engaging kids through a fun-filled approach and kids soon become fond of her because of her child-like enthusiasm. She considers herself lucky to be working with children as playing with them keeps her stress at bay. Her ability to find a silver lining in everything brings a lot of positivity in the team.
Ritu Mittal
Ritu is an Occupational Therapist at our Gurgaon centre. An insightful and friendly person, she believes in patiently listening to people. She loves to play and interact with children. She loves to spend time with her family and friends. She has lots of positive energy and believes in living the small moments of life!
Pulkit Chaudhary
Pulkit is the youngest member of our team, recently graduated from PDUNIPPD (formerly IPH) as an Occupational Therapist. His interests range from music to travel to sports, having played the piano and the guitar, travelled extensively and played and even coached football. Pulkit is always ready with a one liner up his sleeve and keeps everyone buzzing, although they might be a bit hit and miss at times. His eagerness to learn and connect with each child is what stands him in good stead for a very bright future.
Dr Amit Sen
Director, Senior Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. MD, MRCPsych, CCST in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Delhi
Dr Amit Sen
Dr Sen is a co-founder of Children First and has been practicing child psychiatry for over 25 years. He proudly believes that he has ADHD. As a child, Dr. Sen started by wanting to become a bus driver, changed to a doctor at an epiphanous moment, was driven to become a footballer through adolescent years, dreamt of being a rock star during medical college days till he realized that he had no talent for it, and finally reconciled to become a doctor after all. After finishing medicine from AFMC Pune, he went to NIMHANS Bangalore for an MD in Psychiatry and had a blast for the next 3 years. A longish stint in Newcastle UK made him serious about life and proud of his country. Besides growing his family, he managed to get another 2 qualifications, one of them being in child and adolescent psychiatry. Working with children, the football and rock music, dreams and aspirations, have all come together for him. Through the myriads of magical and fulfilling experiences, Dr Sen feels that he has developed empathy over the years and can connect to children and their families. In doing so, he hopes to make a difference, however little, in their lives.
Dr Kavita Arora
Kavita is a co-founder of Children First and loves to connect with children and young people.She is of the firm belief that youngsters today are far smarter and quicker to learn and evolve than previous generations! She is curious about new perspectives, and prefers a question to an answer. She happens to be qualified as a psychiatrist, but would prefer to be a DIY guru. She loves the ‘web’, reading, movies, travelling , photography and most of all ,a good joke!
Dr Pramit Rastogi
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, MD (Psych, US) , DM (Child/Adolescent Psych, US )
Delhi
Dr Pramit Rastogi
Dr Rastogi completed his medical college from the University of Delhi (UCMS and GTB Hospital) in India. He then moved to the USA to obtain a Masters in Public Health with a focus on Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2007. He completed his Adult Psychiatry (~MD) at Georgetown University Hospital (2008-2012) and his super-speciality training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (~DM) at Johns Hopkins in 2014. Since then, Dr Rastogi had been working as an Assistant Professor and Consultant at Kennedy Krieger Institute and teaching at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, USA. He returned to India early this year to fulfil a long-cherished dream of contributing to the field of children's mental health, with the goal of improving accessibility and quality of care. Dr. Rastogi's interest in Child Psychiatry stems from his experiences with his younger brother who has a severe intellectual disability. Dr Rastogi’s professional interests include anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder and children with a variety of developmental disabilities. He is a motivated educator and wants to train the next generation of child and adolescent psychiatrists
Ann Phillipose
Ann is a counselling psychologist working in private practice and as a consultant for the W.J.Clinton Fellowship. She loves working with and through the narratives surrounding body image, adulthood and couple relationships. She also has a deep inclination towards the existential framework. Ann enjoys going to the theatre, reading, travelling and adores Leonard Cohen!
Dr Nidhi Rawal
Dr Rawal completed her education from Johns Hopkins University where she obtained a Masters in Public Health with a focus on Childhood obesity, Systematic reviews and Critical analysis of journal articles. To pursue her interest in Gastroenterology, she completed her 3-year Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital. She was also working in the capacity of Associate Consultant at Mt Washington Pediatric Hospital and Kennedy Krieger Institute, heading a specialized clinic for children with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders, especially Autism. She is now practising as a Consultant in Pediatric Gastroenterology, at Max Hospitals, as well as Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research in Delhi. Her professional interests are chronic abdominal pain, chronic idiopathic constipation, Celiac disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Allergic (Eosinophilic) Disorders of the gut, Feeding difficulties as well as Failure to Thrive. She envisions a state of the art Center of Excellence in Pediatric Gastroenterology so that all services are available to families under one roof.
Pooja Jain
Pooja handles the front desk and appointments at Children First. She has two year's experience in administration and front desk work, and has an MBA in Healthcare Administration. Managing clients and families in a hassle free manner, while staying cool and calm, is her unique quality. She loves cooking and is fond of different varieties of food; she also enjoys art and craft and keeps adding her special, creative touches to the CF notice boards. At Children First, the kids, families, and staff alike know Pooja for her vibrant energy, lovely smile and super helpful, super efficient temperament!
Sunil Rastogi
Sunil is an accountant with over 15 years of experience working with individuals, as well as small and large businesses, assisting them with their financial, accounting, and tax needs. He's been with CF since its conception! Always ready for a party and a good laugh, Sunil lives in Delhi with his wife and a lovely daughter.
Hinotoli Chisho
Hinotoli manages the front desk and appointments at Children First, Gurgaon and helps everyone who comes through the door. Born and brought up in Nagaland she has been working in medical and healthcare industry for more than 7 years. Her friendly smile and patience make her a joy to work with. When she is not working, she enjoys a variety of hobbies such as stitching, cooking, watching movies and travelling to new places.
Kavita Karki
Kavita manages the front desk and appointments at Children First, Delhi. She is a post-graduate in Commerce from Bharti Vidyapeeth University. She has been working in medical and healthcare industry for more than 5 years. Her support includes scheduling appointments, answering phones, billing, resolving issues/complaints, checking in visitors, and maintaining visitor logs—while driving the achievement of business goals in front desk support roles with Children First. She loves travelling to new places and is fond of dancing. The joyful spark and charm on her face disseminate positivity in every aspect.
Rakhi
Rakhi handles the front desk and appointments at Children First. She is a graduate of Kamala Nehru College and has three years of experience in administration and front desk work. Her responsibilities include managing clients and families and addressing their concerns on a day-to-day basis. She loves to play Cricket and also enjoys travelling to new places.
Shilpa Kapoor
Shilpa has five years of experience in front desk and administration. She did her B.Com from Delhi University. She loves travelling to new places, cooking, and listening to music. She is also very playful with children and loves being around them.
Avikali Assumi
Avikali Assumi is our front desk administrator in our Gurgaon branch. Having completed her diploma in Nursing, she worked in with the National Family Health Survery in a medical project and as a health investigator. She loves listening to music, travelling and finds peace in the hills.
Asha Singh
A universal favourite at CF, she has been with us for three years now, although how we managed before that, we have no idea! Innately caring and motherly with an eye for detail, she has a connect with each and every CF member and child, and helps us keep things neat, clean and orderly even in the midst of chaos.