Dr. Sonakshi Ruhela

Assistant Professor of Psychology

RIT Dubai

sorcad@rit.edu

Office Location

H-305

Dr. Sonakshi Ruhela

Assistant Professor of Psychology

RIT Dubai

Bio

Dr Sonakshi Ruhela holds a Harvard Certification in Higher Education with a PhD in Psychology, recognised by the Ministry of Education, UAE. She is recognised as a Senior Fellow (SFHEA) by the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) under the UK Professional Standards Framework. She is an accomplished Educationalist with over 15 years of experience in Undergraduate and Postgraduate teaching, training, mentorship, and research with students from diverse nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. She also holds Prolific leadership experience in university administration, accreditation, quality assurance, and institutional effectiveness. She has been a Co-guide for Doctoral Research Scholars in Counselling and Mental Health in India and the UAE.

She was honoured in 2025 by TradeFlock as one of Asia's 40 Under 40, celebrating her remarkable achievements and contributions to education. She is a TEDx speaker and a Community Development Authority (CDA Dubai) Licensed Psychologist with comprehensive experience in Counselling, Psychotherapy, behavioural lifestyle interventions, Neuro-linguistic programming and Psychometric assessment.

Dr Ruhela's influence extends globally, with her book ‘Counselling Interventions for Millennials' published in 9 languages by Lambert Publications in 2020. The book archived at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in UAE received the prestigious UAE Mastermind- Authors Award in 2023. Her participation in over 300 national and international events, seminars, talk shows, radio shows, conferences, industrial training, and community engagement initiatives hosted by various schools, hospitals/clinics, government bodies, and corporations in India, the UK, and the UAE is a testament to her global impact. She has several podcasts to her credit, too.

She works as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai. She is a Former Program Head for Psychology and Health Sciences at Curtin University Dubai. Previously, she was an Associate Registrar and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Amity University, Dubai. She was pivotal in founding the Department of Psychology at Amity University Dubai in 2016 and Curtin University Dubai in 2022. She was also the Head of Academics- Humanities, Arts and Applied Sciences at Amity University Dubai, spearheading the operations of 14 programs.

She has a rich Research profile with interdisciplinary Scopus-indexed publications and research projects funded by the ICSSR, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), India, and the Al Jalila Foundation, UAE. She is a professional member of the American Psychological Association, the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists and the Middle East Psychological Association.

She is the recipient of the “Outstanding Positive Impact Speaker” award by UAE Next Mastermind 2024; the “Educational Leadership” award by the International Business Summit and Awards 2023; the “ UAE Author’s Award by Mastermind Awards 2023; “The Excellence in Wellness- Best Mental Health Practitioner” award by Being She Middle East Group (2023); the ‘Leader of Impact’ award by the 8th MENAA Awards (2023); the ‘People Choice Award for Excellence in Mental Health’ by The World Health Awards in 2021; ‘Great Indian Women Leader Category- Education Award’ by Golden Signatures award in 2021; ‘Middle East Women Leaders Award’ by World Women Leadership Congress & Awards in 2020, ‘Academic Leadership Award’ by GISR Foundation in 2019, the ‘Best Paper’ award at the International Conference on Current Practices & Future Trends in Media Communication in 2019 and the ‘Outstanding Achievement for Autism Awareness’ award by Maharat group, UAE in 2018.<

sorcad@rit.edu

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Currently Teaching

PSYC-221

Psychological Disorders

3 Credits

This course will serve as an introduction to the study of psychopathology and mental illness. The course examines the major categories of mental disorder not only from the descriptive point of view, but also in terms of the major theoretical explanations of the causes of disorder. The major treatment modalities also are covered.

PSYC-225

Social Psychology

3 Credits

This course explores topics related to behaviors and mental processes of individuals in social situations. Topics include: methodology, social perception, social cognition, the self, attitudes, prejudice, attraction, social influence, pro-social behavior, aggression, and behavior in groups. Course activities include lecture, class demonstrations, and assignments.

PSYC-234

Industrial and Organizational Psychology

3 Credits

Industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology is a branch of applied psychology that is concerned with efficient management of an industrial labor force and especially with problems encountered by workers in a mechanized environment. Specific areas include job analysis, defining and measuring job performance, performance appraisal, tests, employment interviews, employee selection and training, and human factors. This course covers the basic principles of the above areas as well as applications of current research in I/O psychology.

PSYC-236

Personality

3 Credits

This course is intended for students who are interested in learning the history and current status of personality theories. Students will learn the strengths and weaknesses of the major personality theories, as well as how to assess, research and apply these theories. As much as possible, application to real life situations will be discussed.

PSYC-420

Clinical Psychology

3 Credits

This course is intended for students in the clinical track. This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the field of clinical psychology, including the way in which it is similar to and different from other mental health disciplines (psychiatry, social work, school psychology). The course will cover the basic foundations of clinical psychology, training models and graduate programs, clinical assessment, clinical interventions, and subspecialties in clinical psychology (e.g., neuropsychology, child clinical).

PSYC-499

Psychology Co-op

0 Credits

Psychology Co-op

PSYC-550

Undergraduate Research Experience

0 Credits

Practicum open to psychology students. Gives the student first-hand experience in the field of psychology working on research that matches the student's career objectives. Students are closely supervised by a faculty member, developing relevant skills and learning how to do research first-hand. May count for the equivalent of the psychology co-op experience with prior approval and sufficient time commitment. (3rd or 4th year status). Prerequisites PSYC-101, -250, -251. Credit 0 (F, S, Su)