Counseling and Training Team

Dr. Diana Monteiro obtained her Ph.D. in Counselling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi, USA and worked as a licensed psychologist (in Tennessee, USA) before returning to India in 2008. Her ardour for providing psychological services made her initiate The Hyderabad Academy of Psychology in Vikrampuri, Secunderabad in 2009. At HAP, Dr. Monteiro and her team of hand-picked counsellors practice counselling, conduct courses and workshops, and supervise other counsellors-in-training. Dr. Monteiro was also the counselling psychologist at NALSAR University of Law from September 2013 till December 2017.

Dr. Monteiro comes across as someone who's intelligent, accomplished and warm, a top-notch trainer and counsellor, and fun to be around. She inspires her trainees with her undying passion for Counselling Psychology.

Dr. Monteiro is often invited both locally and internationally to conduct out-reach programs. Her seminars and workshops have covered a variety of topics, which when presented in her gregarious style (so well known in the twin-cities) are often said to be inspiring. Her specialty areas include working with adolescents and adults, suicide prevention, relationship concerns, communication and multicultural issues. She is adept at treating mental health issues from a positive psychology framework and uses strength-based approaches in counselling. Her philosophy of training is based on integrity, ethics and working hard and playing hard to ensure good all round development.

Dr. Monteiro is a member of the prestigious American Psychological Association and is a licensed psychologist and health service provider in Tennessee, USA. She continues to keep her US license active to ensure she stays up-to-date with current psychological science and practice.

Bona Colaco is a Clinical Psychologist licensed in India with ten years of clinical experience in counselling. She completed her Masters in General Psychology from Osmania University, and M.Phil Clinical Psychology from Sweekaar Academy for Rehabilitation Sciences. She also pursued basic and advanced courses in counselling skills from The Hyderabad Academy of Psychology. In India, she has worked with academic institutions conducting trainings in suicide prevention, stress management, study skills, and has provided individual counselling and psychotherapy. She has also worked at the Hyderabad Academy of Psychology as faculty, supervisor, and counsellor. She moved to the U.S. in 2015 and has done her Masters in Counselling at Palo Alto University (PAU), California. She also worked on a Stanford Medicine project at Stanford University, Palo Alto. The project researched internet-based interventions to make mental health services accessible and affordable to college students and to help them deal with anxiety and stress. During, and post Masters, she worked at the Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC), a community mental health agency. It included working at an Elementary school as a school counsellor and providing psychotherapy at the in-house clinic, working with families, couples, adolescents, and individual adult clients. She is currently based in Hyderabad, Telangana and has an online practice where she offers counselling/psychotherapy to individuals, couples, children, and adolescents. She also offers online clinical supervision/consultation to other therapists. She also a faculty and supervisor at The Hyderabad Academy of Psychology, where she co-teaches counselling courses, provide counselling skills supervision, and clinical supervision to therapists in training.

Lorraine is an experienced Counselling Psychologist with around 10 years of diverse experience. She holds a Masters Degree in Applied Psychology and is a Certified MBTI practitioner. She completed the counselling course at HAP in 2013 and has been associated with the organisation since.  She has worked extensively with young adults, as well as corporate clients, providing counselling for issues such as depression, anxiety, suicide assessment, couples counselling, crisis interventions and career guidance.

In addition to direct client work, Lorraine has conducted workshops on emotional first aid, suicide prevention, and basic counselling skills. She also provides supervision for beginning counselors, sharing her considerable expertise to support the professional development of others in the field.

Smita is a counsellor at HAP who completed the Basic and Advanced Course in Counselling. She brings a diversity of life experience and career into HAP, having been in the finance sector since the past two decades. She completed her M.Sc  in Psychology from Ambedkar University and an MBA in Finance from the Vellore Institute of Technology and embarked on a long career with the Stockholding Corporation of India.

She decided to take a break from finance and retrained as a counsellor.

Smita is a remarkably helpful person by nature, and never hesitates to help anyone in need. Her empathy mixed with her grounding in reality makes an excellent mix for her work as a counselor, as she is able to connect with people and help them navigate through their difficulties in a realistic and workable manner.

Varun is a Counselling Psychologist and an Arts Based Therapy Practitioner. He is cheerful, affectionate, free-spirited and strives to meet you where you are with respect, authenticity and walk alongside you. 

He consults with clients online and also in-person at “The World Within” (Sainikpuri, Hyderabad) and at “The Daydreamers Art Studio” (Somajiguda, Hyderabad on Thursdays). His practice is an integration of the Client-Centred approach, Process Work and Expressive Arts. He is looking to get trained in Jungian Analysis and continues to train in the practice of Psychodrama.

Creating and running Group Spaces energises him. These offerings include - a) Groups for participants to experience play, presence and reflection as a means to explore oneself and find growth in the process ; b) Groups for Therapists to be able to integrate the use of the Arts (including Play, Drama, Story, Visualization etc) in their practice ; c) Theme/Goal based Support Groups.

He is a member of the Governing Council at Aastha Foundation for Human Learning and Growth, where he co-facilitates process work groups on personal growth.

In his previous avatar, he did his Masters in Computer Science from Auburn University, USA and worked in Sun Microsystems and Oracle for about 10 years. He moved on to working on Water and Waste Management projects with Smarter Dharma and also assisted with the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at Navadarshanam Trust. 

Bhavya is a Counselling Psychologist with an M.Sc Applied Psychology, and is specialised in Positive Psychology and School Counselling. She has experience working with young people and adults and experience working as a Psychologist has afforded her the opportunity to closely examine and develop insights into understanding human behaviour and the innate power, potential and the rich narratives individuals hold. Her priority working with individuals is helping them understand and interweave the personal themes of their own emotional and social identities.

She has an integrative approach that is mainly rooted in existential and humanistic psychotherapy. She also derives from other schools such as cognitive behaviour therapy, mindfulness based therapy, and attachment and relational theories.

Her therapeutic stance is active and collaborative and she has a feedback informed practice.

Insiya is a Counselling Psychologist and does supervision, training and counselling at HAP. Having completed her masters from Osmania University and practical training from Hyderabad Academy of Psychology, she has worked in UAE and India. Through her nearly a decade long career, she has had clinical experience and has been training counsellors in training. She has also worked in corporate settings to provide psychological services. In the later years of her career, she has headed the department of counselling and Special Education needs in various schools and had worked across different curriculum including CBSE, ICSE, IB and curriculum of England.

She has worked closely with education authorities and boards of school to design policies for the schools and been on the panel for school inspections for quality and assurance. Apart from being passionate about her career, she is a homemaker, wife and mother to 3 under 6 and enjoys trips to the parks, online shopping and learning new skills.

As a trained medical doctor and psychologist, Lakshmi brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and psychological insight to her practice. Her professional journey has been shaped by a deep-seated passion for emotional and mental well-being, which she advocates for with dedication. Beyond the confines of medicine, her love for knowledge extends through diverse literary genres, enriching her understanding of human nature and storytelling. This passion for learning complements her psychological practice, allowing her to draw upon varied perspectives to enrich therapeutic approaches.

Nature holds a special place in her heart and she finds solace in serene mountains or the calming sea. This connection with nature fuels her holistic approach to health and well-being. In her personal life, Lakshmi is deeply rooted in a family of medical professionals, including her father, a respected physician, and her husband, a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Lakshmi is a mother of two wonderful children and a joyful Labrador. Her family family dynamics underscore the importance of nurturing relationships and fostering resilience-values that resonate deeply in her work with clients. At the core of her practice lies a commitment to integrating medical knowledge, psychological expertise, and personal passions to foster transformative growth and well-being.

Tamara is a Counseling Psychologist. Her educational background includes a MSc in Counseling and Family Therapy and a Post Graduate degree in Child Psychology. In a past avatar, she worked in a Global Bank in multiple roles including the Head of Communications where she employed her skills to drive global initiatives of Organizational Development and Employee Engagement as well as managed training and coaching teams.

Tamara is intuitive, empathic, articulate, tenacious with a sense of humor all of which she brings to her practice of counselling along with skills and the breadth of life experience. Her approach is multi-modal and takes into consideration the case and individual.