Staff Profile: Gita Bhatt, School Counsellor

I’ve been fortunate to have experienced a childhood filled with travel, cultural diversity and transitions. Yes, I too spent most of my childhood as an “expat child”.

This year, we will continue to share staff profiles to get to know members of our school family a little better. Each week we will feature a member of staff across all areas of the school including teachers, admin staff, support staff and more.  Our profile this week is Gita Bhatt, our School Counsellor, since March 2018:

Like many of our students at the British International School Abu Dhabi, I’ve been fortunate to have experienced a childhood filled with travel, cultural diversity and transitions. Yes, I too spent most of my childhood as an “expat child”.  I am of Indian heritage and was born in England and consider myself as a British Indian.  However, very early into the first year of my life I began my journey as an expat child with Egypt being my first international home followed by several years of living in Nigeria, Singapore and Malaysia.  I returned home to the UK when I was 15 to complete my high school and university education, however I knew that travel and living overseas would continue to be a huge part of my future!

Although, I didn’t have the luxury of social media or google to cope with leaving friendships behind or prepare for what I’d face ahead, I did learn to adapt well to change and to look forward to the opportunities that came with it. These life skills have stayed with me and continue to be the foundation of my choices. 

I recall having an innate need to help others quite early on, especially the most vulnerable - children. And so, I began my academic journey by completing a BSc in Psychology and Counselling, followed by a MA in Social Work. I worked extensively with children and families in various children protection and therapeutic settings, both in the UK and Australia, before starting my own family. I have 2 boys, aged 4 & 6, who also attend BIS Abu Dhabi.  My family and I moved to Abu Dhabi in 2017, where, I started my current role as School Counsellor in March 2018.  You may have noticed, I too have planted the seed in my children of having an international learning experience because I truly believe in the endless benefits of assimilation, integration, diversity, acceptance, worldliness and so much more!

With the ever-changing environment our children are growing up in, I’m extremely passionate about promoting positive mental health and the emotional wellbeing of our students and I strive to ensure the students I see gain the best possible support and guidance so they can become more resilient individuals and learners

So, this is me in a snapshot! Before I go, I’d like to leave you with a quote:

“You can’t skip chapters, that’s not how life works.  You have to read every line, meet every character. You won’t enjoy all of it. Some chapters will even make you cry for weeks. You will read things you don’t want to read; you will have moments when you don’t want the pages to end.  But you have to keep going.  Stories keep the world revolving. Live yours, don’t miss out” – Courtney Peppernell.

Gita Bhatt
School Counsellor