Nadika (“Nadi”) Paranamana is a Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) at the University of Hartford and serves as a clinical trainee (volunteer) at Yale University School of Medicine, Street Psychiatry Program.

 

Nadi has over 10 years of experience serving in a variety of settings, both locally and internationally. The clinical approaches she uses in treatment are informed by evidence based practices and humanistic values that assure dignity, compassion, and acceptance towards each person. Nadi is especially committed to creating therapeutic safe spaces for marginalized and underserved individuals/groups with diverse needs.

 

Nadi’s clinical experiences span across outpatient, intensive outpatient, inpatient, community mental health, and telehealth settings. She has strong clinical competency treating individuals of all ages, across domains of trauma/complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder,  schizophrenia spectrum disorders/psychoses, borderline and other personality disorders, anxiety & mood disorders, suicidality, co-morbid disorders, emergency responses, underserved populations (especially, ethnic and racial minorities, immigrant/refugee/asylum seekers, LGBTQIA+, and homeless populations). In addition, she is also professionally trained in psychological assessment and report writing.

 

Nadi identifies as a practitioner-scholar-advocate and has engaged in research efforts at the Langer Mindfulness Lab at Harvard University, Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, University of Hartford, Hartford Hospital, and Yale School of Medicine. She is also an active social justice advocate and currently serves as the Chair of the Advocacy Coordinating Team for American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). Whenever time permits, Nadi loves to travel to faraway places. She also enjoys photography and mixing colors on canvasses until they look like “abstract art” pieces.

 

Education:

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• Bachelor of Science in Psychology (B.S.), University of Missouri Science & Technology (2011)

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Capstone Thesis: The role of negative self-thoughts in achievement goals.

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 Honors: Summa Cum Laude

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Awards: Dean’s List for Missouri S&T (2009-2011), Award for Best Performance for Missouri S&T Undergraduate Program (2010-2011), Provost’s Award - Miner Medal for 4.0 GPA in Psychology (2011)

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• Master of Arts in Consciousness Studies (M.A.), The Graduate Institute for Holistic Studies & Transpersonal Psychology (2015)

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 Thesis: Knowledge Bank: A psychosocial intervention promoting  consciousness and positive social change

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• Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology (M.A.), University of Hartford (2018)

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Thesis: Trauma-focused treatment for male adult survivors of child sexual abuse in support of a case conceptualized via cognitive behavioral therapy

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• Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.), University of Hartford (Expected 2023)

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Dissertation topic: A phenomenological analysis of affectivity in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

 

Awards: University of Hartford, Program Excellence and Service Award (2018), Outstanding Student of Psychology, Connecticut Psychological Association (2018)