Ask the Intern: Dhruv Shah at Catholic Health Mercy Hospital

As an undergraduate studying psychology at SUNY Plattsburgh, Dhruv Shah sought out opportunities to work in inpatient psychiatric units and crisis residential programs. The experience was valuable and relevant to his coursework, but he sometimes felt frustrated, like something was missing.

“While working those jobs, I often felt disempowered—I wanted to advocate for my patients and their rights, but without credentials or authority, I couldn't help them to the fullest extent possible,” Dhruv explains. “That drive to earn my credentials and empower my clients is what brought me to NYU Steinhardt for my master's degree."

As he works to complete his MA in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness at Steinhardt, Dhruv is getting another shot at helping vulnerable populations through his clinical training on Unit 3K—the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit at Catholic Health Mercy Hospital.

NYU News spoke with him about his journey to the mental health field and his strategies for staying grounded while finding fulfillment through this challenging work. 

ANSWERING AN URGENT NEED: I am currently associated with the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit—Unit 3K—at Catholic Health Mercy Hospital. We work mainly with an acute population who aren't able to sustain themselves in normal community settings, as well as individuals dealing with chronic mental health disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

As a mental health clinician intern, I provide group counseling, individual counseling, safety plans, and case consultations with different providers. My main goal is to help people coming into these crisis settings feel grounded, heard, and cared for, and to work with them to find solutions that truly fit.

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE: I was born and brought up in India, and having albinism made my circumstances unique and at times very isolated. Going through those difficulties myself and seeing my peers struggle led me to pursue psychology because I wanted to try to help people and be the positive difference they needed in their environment. That passion led me to the United States for my studies.

FINDING A GOOD MATCH: NYU’s placement team helps students explore affiliated clinical sites and identify potential opportunities. I had a particular type of inpatient experience in mind, so I also did some additional legwork. I searched the hospital in the placement database and reached out directly to their contact person to ask whether they were accepting interns.

LEARNING TO IMPROVISE: In previous roles, I was used to running structured, skill-based psychoeducational groups—such as an anger management course where you follow a worksheet and specific prompts. At Mercy, we do a lot more emotional-based process groups.

Process groups don't have a rigid structure—they flow naturally between the participants and the facilitator. It felt overwhelming to me at first because you have to be on the spot. You have to listen carefully, think on your feet, build rapport, and connect what one patient is sharing to everyone else in the room. That ability to actively participate and guide the conversation as it flows is a skill I’m really excited to keep developing.

CELEBRATING PROGRESS: In an acute psychiatric unit, rewarding moments look a bit different because many clients are actively dealing with hallucinations, paranoia, or severe distress. For me, the joy comes from seeing medication management and therapy bring a patient back to their baseline. When someone who came in very aggressive or agitated returns to their normal self and says, 'I really appreciated your groups, and I'm grateful for having you guys around,' that is so rewarding to hear. You see someone who came in with so much distress leave feeling relaxed, grounded, and ready to continue getting better.