Vijaya Dutt is an accomplished counsellor and special educator with over 30 years of experience. She holds a Masters degree in Psychology from Delhi University, India, and an M.Phil in special education from Manchester University, UK.

Vijaya started her career in 1985 as a counsellor at the Marie Stopes Clinics in Kolkata, India and within 2 years became the main supervisor, managing two clinics and counselling young couples.
 

Vijaya’s deep-rooted drive to positively impact the lives of people led her to join a diploma course in 1989 on “Teaching Children With Multiple Handicaps” from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Soon after she started work as a special educator at the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy, (IICP) Kolkata. Aided by her counselling experience at Marie Stopes, she was able to provide children with special needs and their families the crucial professional support and guidance they required . During her time at IICP Vijaya also worked towards an M.Phil in Special Education from Manchester University. 
 

In 2004, she left IICP and moved to Delhi. Since then, equipped with decades of expertise as a counsellor and special educator, she worked as a consultant in several schools, hospitals and corporate organisations. She was a counsellor with Applied Research International, Delhi which is a renowned training organisation for navy cadets. She was also a consultant psychologist with Human Dynamic Asia Pacific, Peach Communications, Consultants and Trainers and McKinsey Knowledge Centre, Gurugram.

 

Her counselling services covered a wide range of areas, ages and issues – from the very young (children with and without special needs) to the elderly – and she skilfully handled the diversity and severity of the challenges and issues they presented. In 2009, Vijaya joined the Special Education Department at Step By Step School, Noida – one of the best inclusive schools in India. She set up the Early Intervention Services there putting together a team of excellent special educators and therapists to cater to children with special needs. In 2012 she took over as the Head of the Special Education Department. 
 

Over the years, in her continuous endeavour to remain at the cutting edge of her chosen specialty, Vijaya attended many workshops, courses and conferences on special needs education, counselling and emotional wellbeing across the world. She has also written and presented papers on special education and inclusive education in India and abroad (e.g. at the International School Psychologist's Association).

Vijaya encourages holistic wellbeing in her clients, believing in achieving mind-body-soul harmony. She is a Nichiren Buddhist and a Reiki practitioner and uses this form of energy healing in her sessions as and when required. She has benefited from spiritual programmes conducted by Sadhguru on Inner Engineering and Shambhavi Mahamudra meditation.
 

Of course, she walks the talk, balancing her daily regimen of counselling and reading with yoga and meditation, and spending time with her precious grandson.