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Cover of "Displaced: Refugees, trauma, and integration within nations"
Photo of Dr. Shaifali Sandhya at The University of Chicago

PHOTO: DR. SHAIFALI SANDHYA

EXPLORE YOUR SECOND MOUNTAIN

Speaker, Author, Psychologist

Dr. Sandhya's interview on refugees, migration, and displacement on NPR/PBS
Dr. Sandhya speaks at the International Women's Associates in Chicago
Dr. Sandhya's interview on PBS

PBS Interview

Shaifali Sandhya speaks on how refugee trauma affects their integration 

Dr. Sandhya at Chicago's International Women's Associates

Dr. Shaifali Sandhya is an internationally acclaimed author, public speaker, and expert couple and family therapist. She has collaborated with hundreds of couples and families across cultures on rebuilding their relationships. Her areas of expertise are intimate relationships, forced migration, and physician wellness and her clients are doctors and couples. She is the author Displaced: Refugees, trauma, and integration within nations (Oxford University Press, 2024) & Love Will Follow: Why the Indian Marriage is Burning (2009, Penguin Random House). She is available as a keynote speaker on migrant mental health, resettlement and its impact on local communities, and forced displacement. 

 

Education: Dr. Shaifali Sandhya is a US and UK-trained psychologist. She earned a PhD. in The University of Chicago, US as a Mellon Fellow and an M.A in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK as a Cambridge Commonwealth Fellow and Rajiv Gandhi Fellow. She is the Chair of the American Psychological Association's Division 52, International Committee of Women (2021-2023).   

Why Therapy?: A Letter to Clients

Are you feeling: down, depleted, or discouraged?; unable to relax?; life is in limbo?; discomfort at not being where you think you ought to be?; not as happy as you should be?, and despite your professional success, unsettled?

Do you also believe that you can experience more - more happiness, positive self-esteem, and a better you...? In our unprecedented times and in the discontent they churn, I invite you to explore your soul and to embark on your adventure of self-exploration by scheduling your appointment

I am a skilled psychologist seasoned in drawing out inner matters to help you break impasses in your life and relationships. My clinical services provide solutions and strategies for individualscouples, and families for their relief, restoration, and growth. Whether it is working with you to repair your broken heart, parsing existential dilemmas, developing a greater insight into your symptoms, or curbing familiar-but-unproductive patterns in practical ways, I provide a compassionate and caring environment where your repair and healing can begin. 

 

I have over twenty years of experience in curating growth, recovery, and success of individuals and families. My multicultural expertise has been honed through interviews with hundreds of diverse individuals, interracial couples, and families spanning two decades from Greenland to India to the Faroe Islands... 

Services

Positive Testimonial for Dr. Sandhya

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TESTIMONIALS

Anthony Ong

Professor

Cornell University 

"In Love Will Follow, Shaifali Sandhya provides a sound, humane, and empirically grounded framework for interpreting how modern-day Indian couples wrestle with tradition, societal changes, and ultimately how they create something “new.” Written with a high level of sophistication, the book is nonetheless extremely accessible and full of deep insights about human behavior as well as useful suggestions for how to apply them in everyday life."

— Dr. Anthony Ong, Professor of Human Development, Cornell University, USA

Ninette Kelley
Author

People Forced to Flee: History, Change and Challenge

In this insightful book, Shaifali Sandhya sheds light on a critical but often overlooked aspect of refugee well- well-being: mental health. Drawing from the lived experiences of refugees whose journeys have been shaped by suffering and resilience, Sandhya illustrates the importance of psychological well-being to their physical health, learning and employment. Importantly, the book offers valuable insights and actionable solutions on how to how strengthen refugee settlement services. It also provides a powerful reminder that in providing better care to refugees, we also strengthen our communities. 

Anthony Chambers
Professor
Northwestern University

"As evidenced by the historic election of the first biracial Indian and Black Vice President, Dr. Sandhya’s book is the perfect book at the perfect time! She explores and provides clinical wisdom for the understudied population of Indian Couples. Given the tumultuous times we are all living in with regards to race relations, this book comes at a time when the profession is craving for more culturally informed writings. This book is a must read for all graduate students and practicing clinicians looking to be a culturally informed therapist!"

In the Press

Dr. Sandhya in The New York Times
Dr. Sandhya is interviewed by Fox TV
Dr. Sandhya in The New York Times
Dr. Sandhya features in US News, 'Nobody Knows my Heart Is Crying'
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