In the critical landscape of mental health care in India, where stigma continues to cast its shadow, organizations like Cadabam are breaking barriers and forging a path towards healing. As a leading rehabilitation center, Cadabam has emerged as a sign of hope, navigating the complexities of mental health with dedication.
In a country that is gradually awakening to the significance of mental well-being, Cadabam stands out for its commitment to creating a nurturing environment that transcends challenges. Specializing in comprehensive programs for physical, mental, and substance abuse recovery, Cadabam’s mission is to enhance the overall well-being, functionality, and quality of life for individuals seeking refuge within its walls.
At the heart of Cadabam’s success is a highly trained, multidisciplinary psychiatric team that approaches each case with meticulous care. Recognizing the unique challenges, histories, and traumas faced by individuals, the team tailors recovery paths with a personalized touch. With over three decades of experience in the field, Cadabam has rightfully earned its place as a pioneer in mental health rehabilitation in India.
Neha Cadabam, the Executive Director of Cadabam’s Group, adds a dynamic dimension to the organization. As a seasoned Psychologist with over 11 years of expertise, her passion lies in preventative and promotive mental healthcare. Neha is not only enthusiastic about her work but is also dedicated to empowering individuals on their journey to improved mental health. Her commitment extends to promoting lifestyle changes and healthier habits in everyday life.
In an exclusive interview with Neha, we dig into the world of rehabilitation and uncover the pivotal role played by Cadabam and their future goals.
Brief us about yourself and shed some light on your journey towards becoming a part of Cadabam’s Group.
I began my journey in mental healthcare in 2010, having completed my Master’s in Psychology (Clinical). As part of my work, I was creating modules for group therapy at the rehabilitation centers and conducted group therapy sessions as well. Through this period, I realized that a lot of people with addiction issues would have benefited from awareness and understanding at a younger age. This got me interested in preventive and promotive mental healthcare, especially in children.
Over the past few years, my focus has been on addressing concerns around addiction and mental health among children and adolescents. This helps them gain awareness at an early age and allows them to identify areas of concern and helps them stay away from dangerous situations as well.
I have also specialized in understanding how biofeedback and neurofeedback help individuals with addiction issues and other mental health disorders. I find it incredibly interesting and effective as a treatment option.
What are some of the challenges that your organization faces when conducting operations and how do you turn them into opportunities for growth?
We run one of the biggest rehabilitation centers in the country and there are of course multiple challenges associated with such an endeavor. Managing a large team of professionals and the coordination between them is one of the challenges we used to face. But the quality of professionals we have and their ability to complement each other has held us in good stead over the years.
Addressing the needs of the family and the comprehensive nature of addiction was another challenge that we faced. Involving the family with dedicated family sessions, festival celebrations, and more helped us turn recovery into a more inclusive experience with all stakeholders feeling like they had a say. Our biopsychosocial approach helped us understand and address all aspects of addiction, leading to more sustained recovery over a longer time frame.
Relapse prevention was another challenge we faced, where a lot of individuals would lose hope if they ever fell back into addiction. However, with our curated relapse prevention programs and post-care programs, we managed to reduce the rate of relapses and help individuals who relapsed return to the path of recovery at a quicker pace.
What endeavors are you currently pursuing to improve treatment and care measures for your patients?
Our goal is to constantly evolve and improve our treatment approaches to create a more wholesome, effective, and holistic recovery experience for everyone who reaches out to us. As part of these efforts, we constantly invest in the best possible infrastructure and equipment. We also constantly focus on optimizing our different treatment options. These include Neurofeedback, Biofeedback, rTMS, CBT, and medication management.
To make the entire experience more holistic, we also focus on different supplementary therapeutic offerings like Art Therapy, Music Therapy, and Movement Therapy. Further, we understand that while recovery is the most important part of a rehab experience, an individual also needs something more to sustain them, something to chase each day. To address this need for achievement and engagement, we also have supported employment and supported living programs within the rehabilitation center.
What advice would you like to give to budding entrepreneurs and enthusiasts who desire to venture into the rehabilitation industry?
The first step would be to understand the true nature of addiction. Addiction is not a sign of weakness or a character flaw. It is a diagnosable and treatable mental health disorder. With the right kind of help, social support, and determination, an individual can recover from the disorder. The key is to understand this.
Secondly, always take a science-first approach. This is something that will set you apart from everyone else and help anyone who reaches out to you find effective recovery. Always trust science and the scientific method over everything else and the results will come.
Thirdly, your team matters. A large part of our success at Anunitha is due to the professionals we work with. So, invest in the professionals you hire and work with them closely.
How do you envision scaling your services and operations in the coming years?
2023 looks quite exciting for us! We have quite a lot to look forward to and quite a few learnings from 2022 that we want to implement. One of our focus areas will be to develop effective Public-private Partnerships (PPP) to address addiction issues within society. This is something that has worked for us in the past as well.
Our other major point of focus will be to create as much awareness about the prevention of addiction issues and the consequences of addiction as possible. We also plan to work intensely at the community level. We are also excited about our partnership with Karnataka State Police through which we will be providing free dedicated deaddiction treatment to police personnel in Ramanagara.
