Shaifali Sandhya, PhD. 

COACHING FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG ADULTS & INTERNATIONAL FAMILIES​​

Welcome!

 

Raising emotionally healthy children in today’s fast-paced, high-performance world is challenging—especially for families navigating global transitions, elite academic pressure, and digital overwhelm. But early intervention is the game-changer to a successfully adapted and performing child.

 

Dr. Shaifali Sandhya offers private, evidence-based therapy for children, adolescents, and parents in Delhi’s international school community.​

 

At CARE FAMILY CONSULTATION, we recognize the rich, deep and expansive inner world of your child. We treat your child and their concerns with sensitivity and respect. We provide core mental health life skills for your children to succeed in a complex world; such skills will continue to prove handy as they grow and prepare for many other transitions in their life, successfully.

 

Many significant concerns can go unnoticed in childhood. Anxiety disorders for example, often go untreated while children suffer, as anxiety can be missed or misinterpreted in children and teenagers. It can be misdiagnosed as "bad behavior" "being argumentative" or "attention-seeking behavior" or "having a temper tantrum" or a phase that needs to be outgrown by your child. Untreated medical problems can become severe issues in children. In children who are ostracized given their gender identity, for example, experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicides and suicide attempts. Dr. Sandhya offers sessions focusing on a variety of mental health strategies for children to discover more about their inner lives and communicate their needs in constructive ways. 

 

Besides students in Chicago and the USA, Dr. Sandhya's clients also includes school children from several  international schools, such as:

 

• New Delhi, India - American Embassy School (AES); The British School (TBS); Step by Step School)

• Bangalore, India - International School

• Mumbai, India -  Dhirubhai-Ambani International School;

• UAE - GEMS; 

• Other IB, IGCSE, and AP-based institutions ​

 

Whether your child is dealing with anxiety, perfectionism, peer stress, or identity confusion, therapy can provide the support they need to thrive—academically, emotionally, and socially.

​

Common Concerns We Address

 

✅ School anxiety and academic pressure

✅ Digital dependency, gaming, and social media fatigue

✅ Emotional dysregulation or angry outbursts

✅ Family conflict and breakdowns in communication

✅ Cross-cultural identity and third-culture kid stress

✅ Social withdrawal or peer struggles

✅ Adjustment after relocation or international moves​

✅ Bullying    

✅ Emotion regulation concerns

✅ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

✅ Panic attacks  

✅ Social phobia  

✅ Depression  

✅ Problematic peer relations​

✅ Sexual-identity concerns

✅ Trauma

✅ Post-traumatic stress disorder​

✅ Stressors such as parents' divorce​

✅ Emotional resilience 

⸻

 

Dr. Shaifali Sandhya is a globally recognized international psychologist specializing in child, adolescent, and parent–child therapy. With extensive experience supporting families across cultures, she helps children and their parents navigate anxiety, trauma, school stress, digital overwhelm, and family conflict. Her warm, evidence-based approach supports emotional resilience, stronger family bonds, and healthier development in young people. She has deep experience in working with third-culture children, expat families, and high-achieving students, Dr. Sandhya creates a calm, private space to help your child manage anxiety, perfectionism, screen dependency, or family transitions.

 

She is also an acclaimed author and speaker on family wellbeing, migration, and mental health. Her most recent book, Displaced: Refugees, Trauma, and Integration within Nations (Oxford University Press, 2024), explores the psychological toll of migration on families. She has served as Chair of the American Psychological Association’s International Committee of Women (Division 52) and is trained in the U.S. and U.K. with a PhD from The University of Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Cambridge.

​

    •    🎓 US- and UK-trained Clinical Psychologist (PhD, University of Chicago | M.A., University of Cambridge)

    •    🌍 Culturally Fluent – extensive work with expatriate, diplomat, physician, and globally mobile families

    •    🤝 Discreet & Confidential Care – trusted by HNW individuals and professionals

    •    🧠 Evidence-Based Approach – CBT, family systems therapy, and mindfulness-based tools tailored for young people

    •    🕊️ Therapy that fits your child’s world – IB/AP alignment, flexible scheduling, virtual sessions available

 

​📞 For Appointments

⸻

 

How Coaching Works

    1.    Private Intake Session Via Zoom

A confidential 45-minute conversation to understand your concerns and determine fit.

    2.    Individual or Family Sessions (we recommend 12)

    3.    Tailored Strategies

    4.     Practical, culturally sensitive tools for emotional resilience, academic balance, and family connection

     5. Pragmatic outcomes: emotional regulation, academic resilience, improved family communication

     6. Weekly 1:1 therapy for children or teens, with parent guidance or family therapy, as needed

 

⸻

 

Schedule a Confidential Consultation

 

If your child is navigating the pressures of an elite academic environment—or your family is in transition—reach out today for teen therapy or parent-child counseling for Indian and Dubai-based parents. Therapy can provide the anchor your child needs to flourish.

 

📞 For Appointments

​

⸻

 

VIGNETTES (Names and other identifying details have been changed) 

 

 Aria, 15, New Delhi – Academic Anxiety & Sleep Deprivation

​

Aria, 15-years old experienced extensive parental expectations leading to pervasive anxiety about board exams. She had difficulty falling asleep, waking early, and trouble concentrating. Her therapy course focused on a 12-week CBT targeting catastrophic thinking. She also learnt good sleep hygiene routines, and relaxation training. Over 10 weeks her sleep improved to 7–8 hrs/night. Her test anxiety reduced by 50%; started relaxing evening routines before exams

 

⸻

 

Robin 17, Dubai – Social Media-Induced Body Dysmorphia

​

Robin, 17-years old experienced intense dissatisfaction with his face and body, influenced by “looksmaxxing” trends. He tended to avoid social interactions, and exhibited a low mood. His therapy course included 16 sessions of CBT focused on body image, challenging comparisons

 and a digital detox plan with self-compassion exercise. Robin showed reduced mirror-checking and Instagram usage, reducing the time spent in those activities by half. He was able to re-engage in sports and peer relationships. 

 

⸻

 

Sofia, 14, New York – Depression, Ecogrief, & Climate Anxiety

 

Sofia, 14-years old experienced persistent sadness, loss of interest, and had trouble sleeping. She expressed a fear regarding climate change, and hopelessness. Therapy course included 

 20 sessions of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) with environmental themes. She explored her interest in getting involved and local sustainability efforts and group volunteering

Sofia's depressive symptoms dropped significantly as she reconnected with friends through activism and regained her sense of purpose. 

 

⸻

 

Deepak, 16, Mumbai – Digital Addiction & Academic Stress

 

Deepak,, 16-years old reported poor sleep, impatience, irritability from excessive online gaming/phone use and declining grades. His therapy course included psychoeducation, family media-use plan, weekly support sessions. He explored the use of time limits, and alternative offline hobbies. Deepak's phone usage cut from 6 hrs to ~2 hrs/day with improved mood, focus, and grades, and reconnected with family

 

⸻

 

Nina, 13, Chicago – Generalized Anxiety & Perfectionism

 

Nina, 13-years old reported chronic worry about school, sports, and friendships. She felt over-responsible and critical of small mistakes​. CBT Helped Nina With with academic stress. Therapy included 14 sessions of CBT with exposure to uncertainty. It also included parent training for anxiety management and reduced pressure. 

Nina's anxiety scores dropped by 40% as she began embracing “good enough” over perfect and more social spontaneity. 

 

⸻

 

Jaya, 18, Dubai – Substance Experimentation & Emotional Distress

 

Jaya, 18-years old reported usin inhalants (“safe high”) with peers due to social pressures. She also reported mood swings, irritability, and fear of being judged. Coaching included motivational interviewing and psychoeducation. She started participating in school-based prevention group and restored trust with parents. At the end of coaching, Jaya had stopped completely inhalant use

and joined a peer-led teen group which also assisted in an improved mental health status for her. 

⸻

​

Morgan, 14 years old, Stress Due to Panic Attacks

​

Morgan is 14-years old and recalls, her first panic attack when she was 6 years old. At that time, she did not recognize it as that. She recalls having chronic headaches and throwing things about and generally, "being very bad." Her mom recalls her being "very frustrated  with daily activities" and "uncontrollable crying." Being in unpredictable situations made Morgan very frustrated and she sought therapy for the full-blown hyperventilation attacks she had been suffering from in the last few years. In therapy, Morgan seeks to understand how to manage her stress better, to communicate better, juggling her homework with her hobbies, and to find her own solutions to managing her anxiety better. ​​

​

Haley, 11, "I'm a Girl but I think I was meant to be a Boy"

​

Haley is 11 years old, good at school with grades usually in the A range. Recently, Haley has started to question her sexual identity and told her parents that although she was born in a female body she didn't "feel like a girl." Haley reports that she started to feel "different" when she was 8 years old but "hid her feelings from everyone." Haley's parents are going through a difficult time with her father's alcoholism a source of many recent arguments. Haley's mother seeks therapy for Haley to determine whether it is the challenges of adolescence or whether Haley is struggling with "something more biological." She is concerned about Haley making a decision "that could impact her for the rest of her life," and feels that if Haley is indeed transgender, "how to equip myself with knowledge of the next steps in accessing care, knowledge and support for transgender children." ​

​

Lola, 10, "I want those thoughts to never come back"

​

When Lola was 10-years old, her best friend Abigail started to pull away from her. As she was Lola's only friend and one whom she had known since kindergarten. She tried to make Abigail laugh, ply her with gifts, and talk to her. She wanted to ask Abigail "why" they couldn't be friends, but over time Abigail's treatment of Lola became more mean. Other class mates noticing Lola's frustration started to make fun of her and bully her. At first Lola was confused, then bewildered and scared. One day at school, "I started to think of hurting myself," shares Lola. Nights were the worse for Lola, as she couldn't fall asleep so engrossed was she with thoughts of hurting herself. As those awful thoughts started to build, her grades began to suffer and she could not share this with her mom as she thought "my mom would be mad at me for losing my friend." Lola's goals in therapy are: "I want those thoughts to never come back," to find some coping mechanisms, and to read more Harry Potter books. ​

​

Mikey, 12, "I am making careless mistakes"

​

Mikey is in 6th grade and when his grades started to dip, his parents worried that he was making careless mistakes by not reading questions properly, leaving questions unanswered on his weekly quizzes, or leaving the reverse side of the form unanswered. Mikey was easily distracted, got bored of activities, and his mind seemed to be "elsewhere" so questions needed to be repeated to him. In therapy, Mikey's goals are understanding the source of his "muddleness," good time management, and skill-building in better organization. 

​

RESOURCES. FAQ FOR CHILD AND TEENAGE MENTAL HEALTH 

​

Recent 2025 News on Youth Mental Health

​

    •    Social media fuels global youth mental health crisis, with 1 in 7 adolescents affected   

    •    Lookmaxxing trend: spike in body dysmorphia among teen boys  

    •    U.K. survey: 1 in 4 young adults face anxiety or depression (2024 data) ()

    •    Delhi study: 20% of teens sleep-deprived; 60% show depression signs  

​

1. Why ‘Looksmaxxing’ is Putting Teen Boys at Risk (Parents.com)

​

Teen boys are increasingly falling prey to “looksmaxxing,” a TikTok-driven trend that promotes extreme efforts to improve appearance—ranging from skincare to dangerous DIY facial enhancement. This obsession fuels body dysmorphia, anxiety, and disordered eating. Parents and clinicians are urged to recognize subtle behavioral signs and intervene early.

#TeenBodyImage #Looksmaxxing #MentalHealthForBoys #YouthCounseling

 

2. One in Four Young People in England Has a Mental Health Condition (The Guardian)

​

A new NHS survey reveals that 25.8% of young people aged 17–24 in England suffer from conditions like anxiety, depression, and OCD. The gender gap is stark—over one-third of young women are affected. Suicidal ideation and self-harm are on the rise, with less than half accessing treatment. The study signals an urgent need for accessible, youth-specific mental health care.

#YouthMentalHealth #AnxietyAwareness #SelfHarmSupport #MentalHealthClinics

 

3. One in Five Adolescents in Delhi Is Sleep-Deprived (Times of India)

​

A recent Delhi-based study shows that 20% of teenagers are clinically sleep-deprived, while 60% show signs of depression. Contributing factors include academic pressure, screen time, early school timings, and poor sleep hygiene. This lack of rest negatively impacts cognitive function, emotional balance, and long-term development.

#TeenSleepHealth #DelhiTeens #AdolescentPsychology #ScreenTimeAwareness

 

⸻

 

🧠 Additional Mental Health Resources for Children and Teens

 

For parents and young clients in India and Dubai, you can reference and adapt global best practices:

    •    CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – UK model): Offers school-integrated therapy, family counseling, and early intervention—an ideal reference for building holistic care programs in South Asia and the Middle East.

    •    The Jed Foundation (U.S.): Specializes in youth resilience, suicide prevention, and digital wellness. Consider translating some of their practical tips into culturally tailored content for your audience.

    •    YoungMinds (UK): Provides accessible resources on body image, screen addiction, anxiety, and navigating conversations with teens. Promoting similar tools in India/Dubai can help normalize therapy.

    •    Sleep Guidelines for Adolescents: Recommend 8–10 hours per night; inadequate sleep has deep ties to emotional dysregulation and academic decline. Share local sleep hygiene strategies that parents can implement at home.

    •    Screen Use vs. Screen Addiction: The American Academy of Pediatrics notes it’s not just screen time, but how it affects daily life. Promote awareness through workshops or Instagram Reels on managing “tech stress.”​​

​