STEMATA Interview with Child & Adolescent Mental Health Counselor on Psychology and STEM Education
May 7 | Written By Sophia Mai
Transcript:
Sophia: Hello, and welcome to a STEMATA interview with DP, a child and adolescent mental health counselor. We're excited to have you here today to discuss psychology, mental health, and the importance of STEM education. Before we begin, could you please introduce yourself, tell us what you specialize in, and share some of your goals?
Deepshikha Patra: Hi, I'm Deepshikha Patra, you could call me DP. And I am a developmental psychologist, and I'm also a trained mental health professional. I basically work with children, and I do psychotherapy psychoeducation, with parents as well. So that's just about me.
Sophia: To begin, how is it COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health of children and adolescents, and what steps can be taken to support them during these challenging times?
Deepshikha Patra: So COVID-19 hit really hard, and it led to a lot of difficult circumstances for families, especially kids. There were newborn fears, there was a lot of uncertainty, basically, a lot of social interaction was cut down because of the lockdown. And when the lockdown was lifted, the transition became really, really hard and tough for kids, because they were again, going back to society, going back to schools, and there were a lot of behavioral difficulties that we're seeing. And, of course, because of COVID-19, a lot of people and families lost their loved ones, and there were financial crises. And children kind of saw all of these things that we, we basically protect our kids from these situations or these crises, but they were witnessing it happening in the house, they were seeing their parents really, really worried. And this kind of crept in and, you know, induced a lot of fear and anxiety in kids.
Sophia: What advice would you give high school students interested in pursuing a career in mental health?
Deepshikha Patra: I would say, firstly, to be aware of what you really wanted to do in life, what you really like. So the first step would be to understand what you are very comfortable with. So for example, are you comfortable talking to other people, because you know, to get into this field, you need to be a very, very good listener, very good observer. So if you have those skills, and if you can work with people, yes, that would be a good start, a good point, or to maybe select a profession that is completely in line with working with people. And then, of course, you need to develop a lot of skills. Some people, as we say, are born with it, but you can, there's nothing that you can't do. So having a growth mindset to develop the skills of maybe communicating with other people, listening to them, having empathy, and understanding what people go through, is where we can start. And then of course, if you really want to go into the counseling field, you can have a talk with the career counselor, they can kind of help you understand the kind of universities or training or even the finances that you would require to go into the sector, and how long it is going to take you to ultimately reach there.
Sophia: What skills do you feel are important in the STEM field, and as a psychology educator and school counselor in the past, how did you help students develop these skills?
Deepshikha Patra: I was working in a school as a counselor and I was also training kids with skills. And I personally believe that having that mindset of a lifelong learner is very, very important. So the kinds of career options in jobs that we see today may not exist 20 years or 30 years down the line. And it's very important that we instill skills in students, so that they're ready 20 years later, 30 years later to be able to learn and adapt to newer circumstances or job opportunities. So skills basically, that are very, very important and are in line with STEM field are you know your problem-solving skills, creativity, your analytical skills, your communication, social interaction, having interpersonal and interpersonal skills. So and I've been focusing on these skills with my students, because these are very, very important to help them adapt to be more resilient in terms of the ever-changing job market and career choices, and the kinds of challenges that society throws at you. So these are very, very important to be up to date.
Sophia: How do you see the future of STEM education and the role of developmental psychology and shaping it?
Deepshikha Patra: So I think it's kind of bi-directional. So when looking at, you know, developmental psychology, basically you're working with people, your understanding growth and development and STEM field is very, very crucial because when they are working with people, we are working with all sorts of people, we are working with people who are neurodivergent, we are working with people who are also kind of struggling with everyday functioning, and how STEM can contribute to this field is through technologies, we need technologies that would help people learn better, to have more, you know, to enhance functioning in daily life, and also develop the skills, the skills that I was just talking about because these skills are very, very important. So when we talk about executive skills, it's basically your prefrontal brain, which takes time to develop, it gradually develops till we reach maybe the age of 25,26. And the last skills that we develop are executive skills, which are like decision making your organization skills, and STEM field really, really promotes these skills and gives the opportunity to build on these. And this is very, very crucial. So no matter which field you go, be it STEM or any other these skills are core, we need them to be successful in whatever we do.
Sophia: What challenges have you faced in your work and how have you overcome them?
Deepshikha Patra: Mental health and psychology can be sometimes difficult to understand. And we do have communities that may not trust these fields completely, because these might clash with cultural ideologies or practices, and they may not, you know, consider this to be their first choice. And, of course, this field has a lot of, you know, it's as simple as you know, something that you can't see something that's not tangible, it's more difficult for people to understand it. And that is what the major challenges have been around the trust issues of people with this field. So one of the ways that I think the counseling field and the psychology field has been evolving is becoming more multicultural, where, you know, the steering is with the people with the clients. So it's not just about me or other counselors cause just preaching about counseling techniques, which can be, you know, great for your well-being. But the power comes from clients, so by, you know, being more multicultural, and respecting others' views on perspective and integrating those, and making use of strength-based techniques. So if you're spiritual, it's great. Now, how can we integrate your spirituality into counseling, to strengthen your capabilities? That's the roundup kind of outlook, that the field is adapting to make it more friendly.
Sophia: Finally, how can organizations like STEMATA support the mental health and well-being of high school students interested in STEM fields?
Deepshikha Patra: Yeah, very interesting that that's my favorite question so far. Your organization might already be doing a lot of these things. I think first if I look back at my childhood, I've always been scared of mathematics. Now, the first thing is to kind of make these fields very, very friendly, to remove that fear, and to make them more relevant to daily life. So you know, I often joke with my friends that a lot of the theorems or the theories that I've learned, I don't know how to apply it to my real life. So why should I even learn them? So I think making it user-friendly, making it more relevant, taking out that fear out of I mean, from the kids about these three fields would be really, really helpful. The other would be to provide a maybe, you know, volunteering opportunities where students can hands-on see what happens in these fields. Because, again, a lot of it is very abstract. So when you see mathematics, all of it is abstract. So to be able to do some hands-on work, and apply it in daily life through maybe volunteering opportunities or mentorship, these can come and this can become more concrete for them, which would be easier to comprehend and apply. And apart from that, I think, promoting inclusion because, again, there might be inhibition in taking STEM fields considering many people might think it's more expensive. Maybe it takes a lot of years, maybe it's not for me, because maybe I don't come from a specific background to, you know, take up these roles or jobs or educational areas. So maybe making it more inclusive, where people no matter their backgrounds, they can still have this motivation of, you know, pursuing these fields.
Sophia: Thank you so much for your time and insights DP, it was a pleasure talking to you about mental health and STEM education. And we hope this interview has been informative and valuable for our audience. If you have any final thoughts or comments, please feel free to share them now.
Deepshikha Patra: Yeah, I think that's about it. And I also feel that you're doing a great job. I think you have been a motivation to a lot of people. I was kind of looking at your website and the kind of work you do, it's really, really nice. So I would just say all the best wishes to you for what you're doing, and making something that people might be scared of or may have some, you know, inhibitions to go into or preconceived notions about making it more approachable, people-friendly, student-friendly. It's a tough job to do. But I think you're doing a great job so young.
Sophia: Thank you. Once again, thank you for joining us today and we wish you the best in your future endeavors.
Deepshikha Patra: Thank you so much for inviting me.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this blog on STEMATA, and I hope you found value in the content! Feel free to comment on this blog, share with others, and follow me on Instagram @stemata.learning for updates on when I come out with new blogs, videos, and more! Follow DP on Instagram @a.brown.counselor if you are interested in her work as a child and adolescent mental health counselor.
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