Dr Rajiv Shah

Profile

Rajiv Shah is a Consultant Psychiatrist who specialises in both general adult psychiatry and medical psychotherapy (less than 1% of UK psychiatrists hold both) and is accredited with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP).

Having completed a Master’s in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Oxford University, he is especially interested in the art and science of promoting learning from our personal experiences, through the integration of CBT interventions into his medical practice.

He has extensive experience in OCD and its related disorders, having worked in the National inpatient Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Service at St George’s Mental Health Trust and leaders in CBT and OCD in the NHS and private practice.

He is interested in the field of lifestyle psychiatry and advocates for balancing the transformative potential of optimising sleep, exercise and diet with the nourishing activities of mindfulness, nature connectedness and social connectedness. Using Socratic enquiry with his patients, he aims to promote critical thinking and encourages self-awareness of unhelpful coping strategies and empower them with the knowledge and skills to promote their mental health and wellbeing.

He has integrated his experience of working within these different therapeutic models and combined these holistic tools and techniques into a novel approach that conceptualises the journey to self-discovery for both patients and colleagues as seeking WARMTH; Wisdom (self-knowledge) , Acceptance (self-acceptance) , Resilience (self-empowerment) , Magnanimity (self-forgiveness) , Transformation (self- development) and valuing Hermeneutics (self-reflection).
Through his website www.drrajivshah.co.uk , he promotes positive messages of hope, with videos and adapted CBT resources that encourage critical self-reflection.