Meet Asian Australian psychologist, Dr Megha Rupa.

We know that it's not always easy trying to work out which therapist we might like to work with: Because the decision isn't just about where they're located and when they're available, but there's a bit more of a human, relational element to the decision too.

So here at Shapes and Sounds, we want to help make that process just a little easier.

Every month, we'll be introducing a therapist from the Asian Australian Mental Health Practitioner List to help you gain a bit more insight into who you feel might be a good fit for you or someone that you know.

This month we're excited to connect you with Dr Megha Rupa who is a clinical psychologist working at Victorian Counselling and Psychology Services (located in Melbourne, and offers Telehealth sessions Australia wide). We hope you enjoy connecting with Dr Megha below!

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1. What led you to choosing psychology as a career?

“From Little Things Big Things Grow”- this line from a song best describes how it happened for me. In my early teens, psychology felt like such a meaningful and relatable subject, and on followed the next 13 years of my life, formally studying it. The knowledge of clinical psychology that I gathered along the way, intersecting with my personal and lived experiences over the years has added authenticity in my own life and given me a lot to offer to clients who might come to see me.

2. What is your unique cultural heritage?

I was born and raised in South India and migrated to Melbourne in 2014.
 

3. What are your areas of specialty and what kind of frameworks do you work from?

I work within an eclectic mix of insight-oriented therapeutic modalities. I believe that patterns get established early in our lives. When these patterns do not work for us anymore, our psyche signals them as anxiety, depression, physical health issues, relationship problems or emotional ups and downs. In my practice, I deeply value the effectiveness of a safe and caring environment for clients to explore, understand, and work through their innermost thoughts and feelings; so they can use them to adapt to the current challenges in their lives. I work towards helping people be in touch with their true selves, so that they can be happier within, and find meaningful and satisfying ways of relating to others and the world at large.

4. What kind of clients are you best able to support?

I work with individual adults, couples and adolescents striving to lead a richer life, with greater emotional health and rewarding interpersonal relationships. I am Q+ affirmative, social justice and trauma-informed; and have a special interest in working with clients from minority groups and a range of cultural backgrounds. I work with individuals facing a variety of challenges, including:
• Trauma and abuse
• Troubled relationships
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Loss and grief
• Work stress
• Physical symptoms that are otherwise medically unexplained

5. If you could be your own therapist right now, what do you think you would say to yourself?

I actually think I would find it quite hard to be my own therapist. Psychotherapy is strongly based on a relationship between the client and the therapist. And it is within this relationship that fresh perspectives get generated. My own training recommended clinical supervision and personal therapy, and I am thankful to those relationships which have been powerful. I believe everyone could use a therapist at some point in time.

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Connect with Dr Megha via our Asian Australian Mental Health Practitioner List HERE.

Alternatively, if you feel like Dr Megha may be a good fit for someone that you know, be sure to forward this page on to them too. Let us continue to not only support ourselves but all those around us too!

If you require urgent assistance, please do not contact Dr Megha or any of the practitioners on this list. Instead, please call emergency services on 000 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Shapes and Sounds does not recommend or endorse Dr Megha Rupaor any of the practitioners listed on the Asian Australian Mental Health Practitioner List.

Please always consult your GP before making changes to your mental health care plan.