Interview by Andreea Boyer // Edited by Chris Charles of Idol Features
Dr. Nabhit Kapur is a world renowned psychologist, author, and social sector entrepreneur, who has earned many accolades during his career. He is the founder of the Peacful Mind Foundation, an organization aimed at empowering individuals to “take charge of their own wellness and to make psychology a household term.”
Dr. Kapur has lectured and campaigned throughout the world on subjects such as learning disabilities, mental health issues among children, mothers, and teachers, and he has brought awareness to issues that are commonly misunderstood. He has also authored books on grapho-psychology, the science of analyzing handwriting.
Andreea Boyer: Professor Dr. Nabhit Kapur, you are named as Son of Africa, first Indian Peace Laureate in Africa, and Most Influential Psychologist globally by FAAVM Canada. What has been your motivation for the start of your career and your volunteer work as a psychologist?
Dr. Kapur: I started to study psychology in my high secondary when it was a new subject. At that time, it was just a very new topic which came about and I, not knowing it, went to study it. During the course of my studies, I was so fascinated by it that I wanted to take it as my passion to study psychology further.
Andreea Boyer: What inspired you?
Dr. Kapur: Getting into higher education, my interest developed to make this field known to everyone as it deals with human beings and the psyche. Psychology is understanding behavior and what causes behavior. So, I made it a point that I have to tell people about this science, not only from a subject of expertise, but also as a way of life.
Andreea Boyer: What can you tell the readers about your global projects and work? What are your activities?
Dr. Kapur: My organization, Peacful Mind Foundation with myself involved, work globally in the Middle East, Africa, etc. The major activity globally which we do is “global youth mental health forum,” which is based on the concept of psychological first aid wherein we train youth and people dealing or not dealing with psychological sciences to identify psychological issues before they irrupt and become aggravated. It’s a concept to train people into various identifying features of anxiety, depression, sadness, etc. Also, we train how peer support can help reduce psychological issues, etc.
Andreea Boyer: What is most important for you as a psychologist regarding your patients?
Dr. Kapur: I don’t call them patients, they are clients. The way the treatment varies in degrees and sessions is important. A simple case, like just a session to understand your own interest or aptitude, might be just a one hour session, but a severe case like cognitive blocks due to anxiety, is a long term process. In all these sessions, various techniques are used like therapies, psychometric analysis, observations, etc., but all these techniques also depend when they are to be used. The sessions are again classified in degrees.
Andreea Boyer: Do you see any progress in the mental health of the clients?
Dr. Kapur: Obviously, progress is seen if the clients are regular. Some drop out, some continue the therapy. In the psychological sessions, most important is consistency of the sessions and the regularity of the client with cooperation from both the ends.
Andreea Boyer: Is there any difference between the mentality of the people in India and the mentality of the people in other countries?
Dr. Kapur: No difference. Yes, there is a difference in accepting psychology and little resistance.
Andreea Boyer: What are your prospects for the future?
Dr. Kapur: My prospects for future is to work for humanity and to make psychology a household term. There are numerous obstacles in the progress, but still I will move ahead and in this journey I have many who have helped me in Africa, India, the USA, and Australia.
Andreea Boyer: You have won many awards. Can you name a few?
Dr. Kapur: I have won Indian Samman Award, Africa Peace Laureate, Ghana Peace Award , Friend of Africa, etc. to name a few close to my heart.
Andreea Boyer: What is your advise for all readers on the subject of “mental health”?
Dr. Kapur: I would like to impart this piece of advice: Mental health is not a disease, it’s a part of you. Share your mental health as we share other health issues and get treated with and for it. Speak about it, share it, and if no one is there, refer to a psychologist. Don’t live with it.
Andreea Boyer: What are your recommendations for everyone during stressful situations?
Dr. Kapur:
1. Speak out and share.
2. Work towards a solution, not digging in to the problem.
3. Make a flow of events.
4. Divert for a while from the situation.
5. Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
6. Keep a positive attitude.
Thank you, Dr. Kapur. We wish you continued success.
See and learn more on Dr. Kapur and his work at:
PeacfulMind.org
His Linkedin Profile
His Facebook Fan Page
Instagram
