Academic bio
My work has focused on interrogating the canons of mainstream psychology theories, practice, and applications from a critical, feminist, and global south perspective. As an educator and a researcher too, I have tried to subvert, refashion, and analyse curricula of psychology in my university in India from an intersectional feminist perspective. My therapeutic practice is a feminist psychotherapeutic one which talks to the sociocultural diversity and marginalized persons and questions the status quo and top-down mainstream mental health practice. I facilitate a speak out and peer support group in my higher education campus where young adults from a cross section of society are helped by student coordinators who drive this group. Most of my research has been around low-income group communities and psychosocial health. I head the department of psychology in an affiliated college of Savitribai Phule Pune University, India. My recent work is around marginalized communities in India, higher education, and social justice issues, persistent inequalities.
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Indicative publications
- Natu, S (2021), Psychology and Gender: An Introduction, Sage International Publishers
- U. Vindhya, Kishore Kumar & Sadhana Natu (2020) Mental Health and Development: Modelling Community Mental Health Program to influence National Policy Evaluation Report February 2020, Bapu Trust for Research on Mind and Discourse, Pune ISBN: 978-81-944995-0-3
- Natu, S (2018), Genderations Mentoring Program in Pune Schools: Evaluation Study, Genderations, Pune
- Natu, S (2016), Impact Assessment and Evaluation of Therapeutic Groups in Low Income Communities- Bapu Trust Seher Mental Health Project, Bapu Trust on Research on Mind and Discourse, Pune
- Natu, S (2015), Youth Suicides in Purandar Taluka, Pune District; An Exploratory Study, MASUM, Pune
- Natu, S (2011), Attitudinal Test Pre and Post Testing for Master of Social Work students, Karve Institute of Social Science, Pune
- Natu, S (2015), Exploring Mental Health Services, Curricula, and Resources from a Gender Perspective, University Grants Commission, New Delhi
- Natu, S (2012), Psychology Curricula and Practices: A Feminist Analysis, Board of College and University Development, Pune University
Book Chapters
- Natu, S(forthcoming)Enabling Spaces for and with Marginalized Young People: The Case of the Disha Peer Support and Speak out Group in Young People Radical Democracy and Community Development, Janet Batsleer, Harriet Rowley, and Demet Lukuslu (Eds), The Bristol University Press, University of Bristol
- Natu, S (2020) Disha: Building Bridges-Removing Barriers: Where Excluded and Privileged Young Adults Meet in International Perspectives in Value- based Mental Health Practice: Case Studies and Commentaries, Drozdstoy, Fulford et al (Eds), Springer International
- Natu, S (2003) Exploring the culture of silence through the lens of gender and mental health in Psychology in India: Intersecting Crossroads, U Vindhya (Ed), Concept Publications, New Delhi ISBN 81 8069 029 6, pp 221- 231
- Natu, S (2011) Engendering Psychology: Charting a New Course in Gender Studies: Teacher Fellowship Project Series, pp 85-90, Women’s Studies Centre, Pune University
Journal Articles
- Natu, S (2011) Examining Counselling Curricula from a gender and mental health perspective, Indian Journal of Health and well -being, Vol 2, Issue 4 December 2011, pp 725-727 Indexed Journal ISSN 2229 5356, Indian Association of Health Research and Well- being, New Delhi
- Natu, S (2015) College Mental health: The Disha Experience, Medico Friends Bulletin Vol. 365-66, Pgs. 10-13
- Natu, S (2018) Exploring Gender Inequalities in India: Need for Psychological Insights Dnyanamay, December 2018, Volume II, ISSN number 2395-7484.
- Kulkarni, S and Natu, S (2016), The Study of Women Elected Representatives’ Empowerment in Local governance in India IAHRW, International Journal of Social Sciences Indexed Peer Reviewed Vol 4 Issue 4, ISSN-2347-3797
- Akash R. Wasil, Suh Jung Parka, Sarah Gillespie, Rebecca Shingleton, Sachin Shinde, Sadhana Natu, John R. Weisz, Steven D. Hollonf, Robert J. DeRubei Harnessing single-session interventions to improve adolescent mental health and well-being in India: Development, adaptation, and pilot testing of online single-session interventions in Indian secondary schools