One of India’s youngest psychotherapists, she is a young girl with a passion for helping people deal with their day to day stress, and more severe emotional and psychological problems, that most often than not, remains untreated in a lot of people. A healthy mind, or taking care of mental health, is often the key to a person’s happy survival, and yet in India, it is, unfortunately, the most untreated problem of today.

Yes, indeed, the popularity of various mental health interventions, such as psychotherapy, various forms of counselling, and psychoanalysis have increased in India over the last decade, primarily because of the average person’s need to seek professional help in dealing with mental and emotional distress, and yet, statistics will tell you that, as far as mental health goes, people remain largely ignorant and shy of seeking help.

So what makes Saloni Vyas, a 24 year old psychotherapist, and the youngest in India, take up this profession? Let’s learn more about Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) from Saloni, in a conversation with Paroma Sen-Basu.

What inspired you to choose cognitive therapy and REBT counselling as a profession?

I started reading Dr. Albert Ellis’s work on the subject when I was 19 years. So it’s safe to say that my interest in the field goes a long way. Nothing made more sense to me, than believing that we are responsible for the way we think and feel.

The difference that belief brought to my life, the empowerment it gave me, is undescribable. In reality, if everyone accepts this theory, we can all live well.

My interest steadily grew in the field over the years, and I knew I had to help people through this therapy.

It is immensely fulfilling to work directly with people and their problems. Because, at the end of the day, you tend to feel that you have done something worthwhile.