Profile Summary

Medical Qualification: MA Psychology (Clinical), Dip. Clinical Research

Designation: Consultant, Clinical Psychology

Years of experience: 10 years

Areas of expertise:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Mood Disorders
• Thought Disorders
• Stress & Infertility
• Stress & Adjustment Disorders
• Neuropsychiatry

Introduction:

Ms. Maherra Desai is an Honarary Consultant - Clinical Psychology at the Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre. She is a medical researcher and visiting faculty at the Department of Psychology at S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai and at the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Ms. Maherra has received extensive training in Client-centered therapy as per the Robert Carkhuff model, Rational Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (RECBT) from Albert Ellis Institute NYC, Transactional Analysis (TA), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) from Vancouver Couple & Family Institute in Canada, Eye Movement Desensetization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, and Mind-Body Program for Infertility from its founder Dr. Alice Domar. 

Ms. Desai has co-authored: The Coronavirus - What You Need to Know About the Global Pandemic (published by Penguin Random House 2020). She has been a speaker/panelist for various programs and workshops, including TEDx event, IPS-IAPA conference, IAPA-BPS conference, BPA conference, to name a few. She has also appeared on multiple news channels and online platforms, including Al Jazeera, India Today, CNN Network 18, Times Now, NDTV 24x7, NDTV India, Aaj Tak, Forbes India, amongst others. Interviewed by journalists - Barkha Dutt, Anil Dharker, Shiv Aroor, Marya Shakil, Vishnu Som, amongst others.

Awards & Publications:

Awards:

• Ms. Kuppa Prashanthi Vishwanath Prize for securing highest marks in Entire Psychology Counselling & Psychotherapy at M.A. Examination, SNDT Universit
• Best Student for Diploma in Clinical Research course at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
• Meritorious achievement certificate for 5^th highest aggregate at the TYBA examination, University of Mumbai
• Mr. Hadi C. Tyabjee, J. J. & G. J. Lalwani and Hilloo Scholarship for 2^nd highest aggregate at the TYBA examination, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

Publications:

• Parikh S, Desai M, Parikh R (2020). The Coronavirus – What You Need to Know About the Global Pandemic. Penguin Random House
• Agarwal A, Mukherjee A, Kumar G, Chatterjee P, Bhatnagar T, Malhotra P; PLACID Trial Collaborators. (2020). Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (PLACID Trial). BMJ, 2020 Oct 22;371:m3939. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3939. Erratum in: BMJ. 2020 Nov 3;371:m4232. PMID: 33093056; PMCID: PMC7578662
• Kapadia M, Khambaty M & Diwan Z. (2016). The prevalence of depression among female students in Arts and Commerce Courses in Mumbai. Bombay Psychologist, XXXI, No. 1 & 2: 76-81
• Kapadia M, Desai M, Parikh R. (2020). Fractures in the framework: Limitations of classification systems in psychiatry. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 22(1):17
• Desai M, Kapadia M & Parikh R. (2019). Yoga and Meditation in Promoting Mental Health. Acta Scientific Neurology, 2.9 (2019): 41-46
• Khambaty M, Parikh R. (2017). Cultural aspects of anxiety disorders in India. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 19(2):117-126
• Desai M, Rajeshree S, Sapre A, Kalika M, Shah U, Ravat, S. Subjective Memory Complaints in Temporal Love Epilepsy: What contributes to an Experience of Memory Dysfunction? 20th Joint Annual Conference of Indian Epilepsy Society and Indian Epilepsy Association, New Delhi. 2019
• Khambaty M, Kapadia M. Depression and ways of coping among female college students in Mumbai. 24th Annual Conference of Bombay Psychological Association, Mumbai. 2017
• Jiwani S, Sonawalla S, Srinivasan M, Ajmera T, Nigwekar M, Khambaty M, Shah P, Parikh RM. Eating Attitudes Among College Students in Bombay: A Study of 3300 Students. 166th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, San Francisco. 2013

Memberships:

Memberships:

• American Psychological Association
• Bombay Psychiatric Society
• Bombay Psychological Association
• Indian Epilepsy Association