Inauguration of the Course
By- Dr Savita Malhotra, Dr Devashish Konar and Dr Shekhar Seshadri
Normal Development and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Module Coordinator – Nidhi Chauhan
A1
History Taking, Assessment, Case formulation, Interacting with the child
Faculty – Shekhar Seshadri
A2
Normal Development, Socio-emotional Cognition, Attachment theory
Faculty – Savita Malhotra
A3
Intellectual Disability and related aspects
Faculty – Satya Raj
A4
Specific Learning Disorders/Dyslexias
Faculty – Henal Shah
A5
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Faculty – Jay Ranjan Ram
Externalizing Disorders, BPAD and Addictions
Module Coordinator – Anurag Verma
B1
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Faculty – Prabhat Sitholey
B2
Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Temper Tantrums , Conduct Disorder and Juvenile Delinquency
Faculty – Chhitij Srivastava
B3
Bipolar Disorders, Affective Dysregulation and related conditions
Faculty – Satya Raj
B4
Alcohol and Substance use disorders
Faculty – Anju Dhawan
B5
Digital media and Internet
use, behavioural addictions in children and adolescents
Faculty – Debashish Basu
Internalizing Disorders, Trauma and Psychosis
Coordinator – Nidhi Malhotra
C1
Childhood Depression and related conditions
Faculty – MV Ashok
C2
Internalizing/Emotional Disorders: Anxiety, OCD, Conversion Disorders
Faculty – Vivek Agarwal
C3
Deliberate Self Harm/ Suicide in Children and Adolescents
Faculty – Pratap Sharan
C4
Psychosis- Functional and Organic
Faculty – Nishant Goyal
C5
Childhood Trauma, Child Sexual Abuse, and Family Violence
Faculty – Shekhar Seshadri
Management & After-Care
Coordinator – Shivangi Mehta
D1
Psychopharmacology in Children-I: Psychosis and Affective Disorders (Schizophrenia, other Functional Psychosis, Bipolar Disorders, Organic Psychosis)
Faculty – Harshini Manohar
D2
Psychopharmacology in Children-II: Externalizing and Internalizing Disorders (Conduct Disorders, Depression, Anxiety Disorders, OCD)
Faculty – TBC
D3
Psychopharmacology in Children-III: Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ADHD, ASD)
Faculty – Nidhi Chauhan
D4
Somatic Therapies in Children: Their Utility
Faculty – Nishant Goyal
D5
Psychological Therapies (Counselling, CBT, Family Therapy etc) in Children-I: Pragmatic Aspects
Faculty – Uma Hirisave
D6
Psychological Therapies (Counselling, CBT, Family Therapy etc) in Children-II: Pragmatic Aspects
Faculty – Uma Hirisave
D7
Disability Certification and related Acts
Faculty – Smita Deshpande
D8
Dr Velprashanth Venkatesan,MBBS (Govt. Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai) ,
Dr. Uttara Chari is a certified Clinical Psychologist and Special Educator. Trained at the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences; Dr. Chari is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru. Her clinical work is informed by a psychodynamic approach. She trains psychiatry residents in psychological assessments and therapies; and teaches psychology to medical and para-medical undergraduates. She serves as Chief Editor of the e-textbook of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professionals, and is an early-career mentor at this organization.
Dr Shalini Naik is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at PGIMER, Chandigarh, whose work bridges psychotherapy, neuroscience, addiction psychiatry, and child and adolescent mental health. Trained at NIMHANS with formal specialisation in psychodynamic psychotherapy, she brings a thoughtful, person-centred approach to clinical care while advancing research in neuromodulation in various psychiatric conditions. Her ongoing research work on digital media use and internet overuse among children and adolescents reflects a deep commitment to addressing emerging mental health challenges in young people. Her contributions have been recognised with several prestigious national and international honours, including Indian Psychiatric Society Young Psychiatrist Award, NIDA–ISAM Young Investigator Award, Schizophrenia International Research Society Early Career Academic Excellence Award, ISBD Early- and Mid-Career Mentee Award, etc. She is passionate about teaching, mentorship, and innovation.
e Care Department at IHBAS. Her populations of interest are adolescents, young adults, and emerging adults. Her research interests encompass youth mental health, self-harm, psychosocial issues, palliative care, transdiagnostic therapies, early parenting environments, and psychological trauma. She has received grants from ICSSR, ICMR, and DST. She is a professional member of the APA Trauma Division-56, serves as Associate Editor of the Indian Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and is the Assistant Secretary General of IASP (2024-2028). She has been awarded the Buckshey Award (2023), J C Marfatia Award (2023), Bombay Psychiatric Society Silver Jubilee Award (2024), and Balint Award (2025).
Dr Eesha Sharma is an Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru. A clinician-researcher with over a decade of experience, her work focuses on developmental psychopathology, early-onset psychiatric disorders, and the interaction of neurobiological and environmental determinants of mental health. She has been centrally involved in several large national and international collaborative studies, including cVEDA, the National Mental Health Survey of India, and the ICMR-funded PARAM cohort. Her academic interests span population neuroscience, childhood adversity, and translational mental health interventions.