SUDHA KUDVA
Registered & Licensed Counsellor (Malaysia, KB-01672, PA-01245)
EMDR Certified Therapist (EMDRIA)
Certified Play Therapist & Accredited Clinical Supervisor for Play and Creative Art Therapies (Play Therapy International)

EDUCATION
Masters in Counselling- University of Malaya
Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy (PTI)
M.Sc. Biochemistry- University of Malaya
M.Sc. Biochemistry- University of Madras

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/TRAINING
1- Author of book “Childhood Matters: How We Interact With Kids Makes A Big Difference.” (Hardcopies available at: Kinokuniya, MPH, Borders, Times. E-book available at: Amazon)
2- Creator and facilitator of a 2 day workshop - “Mirroring,” accredited by Play Therapy International for 12 CPD points (for those who qualify)..
3- Creator and facilitator of a 4 day workshop ‘Childhood Matters- the Secret Inner Life Of Kids' -accredited by Play Therapy International for 24 CPD points (for those who qualify).
4- Play Therapy International for 24 CPD points (for those who qualify).
5- Creator & facilitator of 15 session online workshop ‘My BODY-The Record Keeper- How We Interact With Ourselves Makes A Big Difference Workshops grounded in understanding ourselves through the lens of Polyvagal theory / Attachment Theory.


Training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFCT) (Basic Externship & Core Skills) Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Parts I & II, Master Class, Intensive Master Class, Structural Dissociation, Diploma in Regression Therapy


PROFESSIONAL STATEMENT
It has been my privilege to work with people of a whole range of ages, from the 3-year old child to the 69-year old adult. This vast experience allows me, at ABRI, to journey with individuals, couples, and families through complex and unique relationship dynamics. Some of these include issues stemming from childhood wounds (implicit or explicit), infidelity, and expatriation stress, to name a few. In particular, I have come to understand that our childhood has a major developmental impact on our lives as adults — our young brains were shaped and moulded through our interactions with adults. The tricky part is that our childhood experiences shaped us through one-tiny-mundane-interaction-at-a-time, instead of in discrete major incidents. Hence, we may not grasp in-depth how these early childhood events coloured or contributed to the “making of” us — who we are today — and how they continue to impact us as adults now, even in shaping our interactions with others.

So with well-meant intentions, we as parents may send out unintended distorted messages to our children, resulting in the “not okay” (so called, “bad”) behaviours we see exhibited in them. Children’s brains are very different from adults’ brains. When we understand this — and learn to interact more healthily with children — they become more secure on the inside. With a greater sense of security, children begin to manifest behaviours that tell us that they have skills of self-reflection, can grow in self-confidence, and have an ability to live responsibly in this world. Then, we can breathe better! It has been so wonderful for me to see behavioural symptoms such as bed-wetting, soiling underpants in the daytime, and other so-called “not okay” behaviours dissipate as children’s brains sense acceptance by adults!

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Professionally, I started my “second” career in the human services field by volunteering with A.C.T.S. Bhd in their mental health programmes for refugees in collaboration with United Nations High Commission for Refugees. I later worked in a non-governmental organisation, Protect and Save the Children, where I counselled children and adult survivors of sexual abuse. I volunteered over 1,000 hours in local schools over a period of 4 years, counselling children through play therapy, in part to be sure that this modality really worked — and now, I am absolutely convinced that it does! As I worked closely with adult individuals and parents during this period, I saw that adults also needed help. So I created and facilitated workshops for participants who wanted to better understand their children and themselves, and to learn skills to meet their children’s emotional needs.

My work has thus far culminated into a book entitled “Childhood Matters: How We Interact With Kids Makes A Big Difference.” The book was written to share very important ideas in very simple, practical terms for parents all over the world, in countries with different levels of development. It is now in its second edition with hardcopies available in these bookstores: Kinokuniya, MPH, Borders, and Times. It can also be purchased in an e-book version at Amazon.com.

As your therapist, we will journey together to uncover and understand the patterns operating behind the behaviours that are causing you distress. We will work at unwrapping layers, one by one, from the past into the present, and we will find different—healthier—patterns of interacting that work for rather than against us. I will walk together with you through this entire process on your journey towards wellness.

I am fully open to working with people of all ethnicities and spiritual traditions. And I am especially passionate about helping couples, parents, and families in distress to get to a good place in life and relationships.

LANGUAGES
English, Konkani, Tamil, Hindi and Malay. 

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