With a relational and humanistic approach in mental health counselling, Apeksha works with clients living with grief, neurodiversity, suicidal ideations, family/ marital concerns, anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns. Exploring the nuances of her queerness and how it transforms her relationship with dance, she had recently moderated an insightful panel discussion at Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad on “Art and Queerness”. A solo traveller and a Marvel and Pixar fan, she prioritizes self-care despite her super hectic schedule.
“We can’t always choose the music life plays for us but we can choose how we dance to it.” – Unknown.
This inspirational saying so beautifully describes Apeksha’s exploration of her passion for dance, her choice of mental health profession and her openness about her neurodivergent and neuro-queer selfhood. Her own journey of asserting her neurodivergent and neuro-queer self to the world had never been a cakewalk. While battling it out for herself during adolescence, she never had that emotional support. “I want to provide that safe space to my clients and to be that support,” she says. Since last four years, Apeksha has been running a private practice as a trauma-informed and queer affirmative therapist.
A trained Bharatnatyam dancer for more than 17 years (Over 1000 stage performances in her kitty), this sports enthusiast began indulging in other modern genres such as Freestyle, Bollywood and Contemporary as well. The youngster is currently exploring the nuances of her queerness and how it transforms her relationship with dance. She has performed at Namma Pride events, International Film Festival, Bangalore International Art Festival 2016, ISKCON Brahmotsava, Nadaneeranjanam, World Dance Alliance Festival, MTV campus dairies among others. She is also a mentor for gender, sexuality and queer affirmative practices at the International Centre for Peace Psychology, Kashmir.
When Apeksha dances like nobody’s watching her, she is dancing just for herself
On some cloudy and rainy days, when the window in Apeksha’s room sieves the natural light through its closed curtains, it’s an apt backdrop that creates a defined silhouette of her body. On other days, when lighting reveals her face, it’s the sparkle of joy in her eyes and a sweet smile steeped in simplicity that brightly illuminates her expressions. When Apeksha dances like nobody’s watching her, she is dancing for herself to her heart’s content, looking into the front camera of her phone that plays the mirror. From the trending What Jhumka? to the latest remix feat of the classic Piya Tose, any song can spontaneously set her body flow into a rhythm. A rhythm of twisting, twirling or getting into a split… And once she is happy with the video recording of her dance piece, she posts it on her Instagram page. The social media platform has been an effective medium where she expresses her thoughts and stays connected with her close circle friends and acquaintances.
A trauma-informed therapist with a humanistic and relational approach
Apeksha is more inclined towards mindfulness and self-compassion based practices. She follows a relational approach in counselling through a feminist and humanistic perspective. She relates to her clients’ experiences and often joins in with a genuine response: “Hey, you know what! I have gone through something very similar and can completely resonate with what you’re saying.” Such relational two-way conversations make her an empathetic therapist, who is not merely well-informed in her profession but also a sensitive human being with varied lived experiences of dealing with trauma.
Apeksha emphasizes the importance of safe spaces when grappling with challenges of various types of nurodivergence, including ADHD. Many people resort to masking or camouflaging to cover up their symptoms for years to gain social acceptance from family and peers. She believes in empowering such clients by guiding them to connect with support groups and communities, which play a major role in healing.
She also sees a considerable improvement in the awareness of mental health concerns in the last couple of years. “People are finding more safe spaces to talk and there is a better awareness and acknowledgement of trauma in one’s life than earlier. “I often hear people using words like anxiety, trauma, red flag and gas lighting in conversations these days,” she says.
Moderating a recent panel discussion on art & queerness
Apeksha had recently moderated an insightful panel discussion at Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad, hosted in collaboration with Telangana Delphic Association, on “Art and Queerness: A Dialogue on Identity, Expression, and Social Change.” The two panellists were Expressionist dance performer and drag queen Patruni Sastry and Kathak dancer Vaibhav Kumar Modi. Apeksha raised concerns regarding references made in the earliest literature on performing arts to conforming to certain beauty standards and also steered the discourse around art as an instrument of social change. As a queer person herself, Apeksha questions the orthodox notions of gender, expectations of beauty standards and prescribed stage appearance in the ancient approach. While she has participated in many online discussions, this was her first offline experience, which she felt was very significant and authentic. “I know many dancers who are doing quite well for themselves but they do not come out in the open with their queerness because of the fear of getting ostracized in the professional community.”
Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad has been providing an inclusive platform to LGBTQIA+ events even in the past. With her passion for dance and profound experience with clients living with trauma, neurodiversity, suicidal ideations, interpersonal /relational difficulties, family/marital concerns, anxiety and depression among other mental health concerns, Apeksha was the perfect fit for moderating the discussion.
A solo traveller who loves hanging out with her besties
Self-care got to be a top priority for every individual, more so for a mental health professional. And Apeksha is mindful of it and also makes every effort to listen to her body. “Recently, I have started with boxing bag workout; it is so cathartic and I am totally enjoying that,” she says.
“I have also been going on solo trips, which really helps me unwind and I have a peaceful time there. My profession demands a lot of giving. Hence, once in a while, I prefer to go on solo trips, where I do not have to think about anyone but myself. I love spending that quiet, alone time. I hardly use my phone when I am on trips, and I have made some beautiful and wonderful memories, and had loads of fun. However I also wish to take more trips with friends this year. That would be fun as well,” she adds.
“I believe in emotionally investing in my friendships. They are an integral part of my life. My close friends are my priority and I am so grateful that I have them in my life right now. I cannot find words to express how beautiful that love is. I am also proud of myself for allowing myself to form these beautiful interpersonal unique relationships that I share. All my interpersonal relationships – family, friends, clients, buddies, acquaintances, strangers, folks on the internet, and everyone who I engage with, in whatever capacity, do have an impact on me,” she elaborates.
Big time into Marvel and Pixar movies, Apeksha also loves watching cheesy rom-coms, thriller movies and TV shows in her spare time.
Fluent in English, and conversational in Hindi and Kannada, Apeksha mostly works with young adults, adults and adolescents. Apart from therapy practice, she conducts workshops and webinars on topics related including neurodiversity, sexuality counselling, setting boundaries, navigating through emotions and interpersonal relationships, getting in touch with feelings, work-life balance and conflict resolution. She also has experience of teaching and running a listening circle.
To contact the therapist, click the social media handle below:
Email: apeksha.dt@gmail.com
