Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Pinkal Panchal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Pinkal, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

“From Dental to Mental ” : My Transition from Dentistry to Mental Health Advocacy

My life took an unexpected turn, about eleven years ago. As a practicing dentist in India, I had always been ardent and compassionate. After marrying a fellow dentist residing in the United States, I moved to the States. However, I found myself unable to pursue my career due to licensing and visa restrictions. Thereafter, my challenges got worst. I lost myself in a cycle of domestic violence that lasted for eight years. I was isolated from family, friends and my passion. In those darkest moments, I finally decided to discover myself, marking the beginning of my transition from Dentistry to Mental health advocacy.

The decision to divorce opened doors to unforeseen uncertainty. As a dependent visa holder, leaving my ex-husband meant risking everything I had built in the USA. However, I navigated those challenges through the support of my parents. Under the guidance of my attorney, I filed for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a brave step that affirmed my stay in the country independently. The overwhelming two years of legal battles plunged me into depression, a mental health distress I fought with the help of psychotherapy. This experience unveiled profound insight. I discovered the potency of psychological support in healing and empowerment.

Committed to turn my pain into purpose, I decided to go back to school for psychotherapy. Today, I am a proud psychotherapist, focused on empowering immigrant women and families navigating domestic violence and immigration hurdles. The career switch, was an epiphany that changed everything for me. Witnessing the journey of these empowered survivors of domestic violence, not only affirms the might of mental health care but also fuels my drive to help many more strugglers.

My trajectory is underpinned by personal trials and triumphs. This journey from dental to mental health care, stands as a testament to resilience and the commitment to aid those in parallel paths. The defining moment was one of overcoming adversity and finding a calling that not only healed me but also enabled me to empower and change lives of many.

Pinkal, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Are you feeling “depressed”, “worried”, and “anxious” navigating through life transitions? Do you feel stuck in the past? Is your emotional distress due to your relationship, trauma, grief, or sexual identity? Do you feel, I/We have tried everything, but nothing seems to work. Are you tired of giving explanations about your culture and immigration challenges? Are you looking for a non-judgmental and a safe place to unravel your life stories? If so, this is the therapist who wants to help individuals, couples, and families by meeting them where they are at, and instilling hope and positive resources within them.

I believe every individual is equipped with strengths and resources. I can help you find your unique strengths to tackle your distress. Talking only about problems can make you feel stuck. I use EMDR, attachment, strength-based and solution focused approach while helping individuals create an action plan to navigate through current and future life challenges.

I may not know you yet, but I sure can validate your unique struggle as a child, teenager, couple or a family. Through 11 years of experience in health care, it has been my mission to provide care. My time to help you, is now! Allow me to be your navigation system to help you reach your goals. Remember, you are the experts and drivers of your lives!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

While practicing dentistry, the lesson learnt was the approach of fixing teeth was strikingly much similar to fixing a car. Both the processes include diagnosing the problem and removing the decay. If people were cars, fixing people’s problems would be easy. Check the engine, find the cause of the trouble, replace the faulty part and move on. What I had to unlearn during my transition was that people are not machines.

Focusing on problems and their causes is a great way of getting cars back on the road, but it’s not much used when I was trying to help people move forward and make changes in their lives. During administering psychotherapy interventions, I noticed that focusing on problems turned my clients into an expert in what’s wrong. To become an expert in what’s right individuals have to start thinking about solutions. Solutions talk encourages people to think about what’s right.

People have all the resources they need to make their solutions happen. Some of the resources are inside them like previous experiences. Others resources lie within easy reach like support from other people. It is all about building on past success. If something works, do more of it and if something isn’t working do something different.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

My response to the contemplation of choosing the same profession of psychotherapy will be a resounding, yes! This conviction stems from a calling that aligns with my intrinsic desire to facilitate healing and growth in others. Psychotherapy is not just a profession for me but a way to give back to the community by engaging deeply with diversities within human psyche. It is a career that not only helps me to help others but also demands continuous education that I value immensely in my professional and personal development.

Transitioning from dentistry to psychotherapy was indeed challenging but enriching. The shift provided an unparalleled insight into transformative power of mental health care on human behaviour. The ultimate reward lies in these magical moments of transformation when I witness my client’s calling towards resilience and self healing. These moments of transformation are not just victories for my clients but are also profoundly satisfying for me, reinforcing my career choice.

Practicing psychotherapy indeed has it own challenges. It is rewarding but requires significant resilience and self care. Moreover, the field of psychotherapy has undergone significant evolution. It now requires integrating advance technologies with holistic approach to resonate with broader audience, transcending traditional barriers and stigma. The three prong approach of self care, resilience and continuous evolution excites me, to go to work everyday and provide continuous effective care.

The potential for tailoring techniques to the unique requirement of the clients within this field aligns with my personal ethos of adaptation. Therefore, affirmatively if I were to go back I would choose practicing psychotherapy again. Perhaps this time around with even greater enthusiasm, armed with the knowledge of the significant impact it can have on self, individuals and community at large.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laurasteelepsyd.com/staff/staff-1/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapyreflectionsbypinkal?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/pinkal-panchal-b80157270
• Other: Personal Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/pinkalpanchal?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr email : [email protected]