Meet Neha Chawla, LCAT, LP, FIPA | Psychoanalyst & Leadership Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Neha Chawla, LCAT, LP, FIPA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Neha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I decided to start my own business because I felt that I had a lot to offer. I wear many hats and enjoy utilizing various parts of my mind, from creative to intellectual and the infinite in between! I provide a variety of services including therapy, supervision, instruction, mentorship, coaching and organizational/leadership consulting.

With a background in fine art, digital design, marketing & PR, I proceeded to delve into the world of mental health and wellness by completing various requirements to become a licensed Creative Arts Therapist as well as a licensed Psychoanalyst. I have worked with many individuals creatively and therapeutically in multiple settings including mental health clinics, hospitals, schools, universities as well as hospice. In addition to creative arts therapy and psychoanalysis, my training has included various therapeutic modalities including, mindfulness practices, psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral/dialectical behavior therapy and trauma informed therapy. I provide services to those experiencing challenges arising from psychological trauma, abuse, chronic/progressive or terminal illnesses, loss, bereavement, relationship conflicts (personal & professional), divorce, parenting challenges, gender identity, prenatal/postpartum depression/anxiety, job/career dissatisfaction and much more.

In the last few years, I have expanded my business to include organizational and leadership consulting services after completing certifications from MIT Sloan School of Management in the areas of cultural competence for global business as well as neuroscience informed practices to help leaders significantly improve how they engage with and motivate others, make better decisions, and improve personal and organizational performance. I am able to integrate and utilize various methods to help enhance, elevate and evolve organizational/leadership development & resilience including, research based applied neuroscience practices, principles of organizational psychoanalysis, mindfulness practices, creative arts therapy concepts and behavioral techniques. I have successfully worked with leaders in the fields of marketing, tech, music & entertainment, research, health care, finance, education and politics.

Being a Fellow and Member of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA), I am committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive business by creating a safe and meaningful space for all individuals with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and life challenges.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
It has been a long journey to get to this place. However, the trials and tribulations have been as valuable as the wonderful experiences. I believe that we are an amalgamation of every single moment and experience prior to this one… whether we like it or not! Unfortunately, we cannot hit the “delete” button on our “negative” experiences. Consciously or unconsciously, it all resides in the brain and body. It’s all well and good if it doesn’t impact your life. Great! But if you’re constantly finding yourself stuck in certain dysfunctional relationship dynamics & situations, self-defeating thought processes about yourself, others and the world that leaves you anxious, depressed or burned out, then, you need to acknowledge and address the impact of your experiences. We weren’t born with these patterned ways of doing and being. You may not be aware of all the unprocessed and unformulated things that are standing in the way of your success and contentment that reside within you and not always outside of you.

The good news however, is that all that is internalized can be made conscious and worked through. But the ‘working through” is crucial. Simply saying to ourselves, “I’ve moved on” doesn’t actually make it so. There is a process and yes, it takes courage and effort to be vulnerable. But it’s worth it. We deserve to free ourselves of all that weight we’ve been carrying around and live the lives we desire. As human beings, we have no other option but to adopt a growth mindset and work on expanding our emotional endurance for complex thought processes. We cannot escape the discomfort of complexity and ambiguity no matter how much we attempt to control things. No one has absolute control. But we do have “influence”. We can make a series of mindful choices and hope to influence the best possible outcome. Accepting that we will always be learning and that we actually have the capacity to learn and grow until the very end is both humbling and essential. The problem arises when one believes that they are some kind of “finished product” and know everything they need to. That’s a deep, dark and lonely hole in the ground to be trapped in.

What sets me apart from others? I practice what I preach. I have worked on myself and will continue to no matter what. I will always be open to learning, being wrong and being my most authentic self with you. And, I admire and respect others who do the same.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am without the amazing training and education (BFA, MA and Post-Master’s Certifications) that I received at Pratt Institute, New York University, The Psychoanalytic Training Institute of the Contemporary Freudian Society and more recently, MIT Sloan School of Management. The instruction, supervision, coaching and mentorship that I have received from these educational institutions has been profoundly meaningful and transformative. I am also very humbled and grateful for all that I have learned from every single client I ever worked with. Whether the challenges were personal or professional, their undying trust in me, capacity for self-reflection, self-observation, collaboration and authenticity has been nothing less than motivating and inspiring. It has been a privilege to receive referrals to collaborate with and help their friends, family members and colleagues who vicariously trust me because of their recommendations. It is this very transformative experience that I seek to share with others.

Website: https://www.nehachawla.org/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehachawla-psychoanalyst/

Other: nehachawlanyc@gmail.com