Anushka Gadekar

Experience

• 

  Mindtemple

  Jun 2019 - Aug 2020

  Intern

  MindTemple was my first ever clinically based internship after IB that allowed me the opportunity to I worked with individuals from diverse backgrounds and gain exposure to the multi-faceted field of psychology at a very young age. My training consisted of interactions with clients for case histories, follow-up appointments, administration of psychological assessments, and scoring that would scientifically quantify something as intangible as human thoughts and emotions. I was grateful to have this opportunity because I learned the highly personalized aspect of therapy where the psychologist would tailor their questions, tone, and body language corresponding to the needs of the client. During this internship, I also collaborated with a team of 8+ individuals to construct a nationwide research survey on ‘Mental Health amongst population during the pandemic’. My role was primarily contributing to devising the questionnaire statements and the literature review for the study, which was invaluable experience that aided my growth as an independent researcher. Show less

• 

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  Oct 2021 - May 2022

  My role as a respite care intern, although brief, gave me an insight into working with children with autism and their families. Through the DDHS (Developmental Disabilities and Health Services) program at UMass, another volunteer and I were paired up with a child between the ages of 7-10 who had been diagnosed with autism at a very young age. The idea of being a respite care intern stems from providing the primary caregiver short-term relief from caregiving and allowing them time to engage in self-care and/or alone time to protect their overall mental well-being. As an intern, we worked with our supervisor to develop and organize activities that aided in the socio-emotional development of the child while simultaneously overlapping with the child’s interests and preferences. We also devised weekly reports concerning the child’s progress and communicated effectively with the family as well as the supervisor. Although largely a brief experience, I was able to further build on adopting a person-centered approach to care and was glad to be able to provide emotional and physical support to the family through my small contribution. Show less

  • Teaching Assistant - Psychological Brain Sciences - Abnormal Psychology

    Jan 2022 - May 2022

  • Respite Care Intern

    Oct 2021 - Dec 2021
• 

  Milestones - ServiceNet

  Jun 2022 - Sept 2022

  Community Volunteer

  During my sophomore year at UMass, I become deeply involved in the Developmental Disabilities and Human Services (DDHS) program through which I secured this extraordinary volunteering opportunity at Milestones - a day program for people with disabilities. As a community volunteer, I was able to work closely with the participants on educational activities, accompany the group on social outings and really engage the participants in material about self-advocacy and confidence building. This hands-on experience sensitized me to the daily struggles of people with disabilities and their families, making me cognizant of the emotional workload and the feeling of helplessness that came with working in human services. Furthermore, discussions with the staff at Milestones also helped me gain immediate insight into the challenges within the social justice system and how these are magnified when specifically catering to marginalized groups and minorities. Through this experience, I learned to acknowledge the importance of inclusivity in social policy which must be addressed through reform and policymaking. Show less

• 

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  Sept 2022 - now

  • Research Assistant in the Pereira Lab

    Aug 2022 - now

  • Teaching Assistant - Psychological Brain Sciences - Developmental Psychology

    Sept 2022 - Dec 2022
• 

  Boston College

  Aug 2023 - now

  Graduate Assistant