Institute of Professional Psychology (IPP)

Bahria University- Karachi Campus

Received From
Dr. Zainab F. Zadeh (on Friday, 07 OCT 2011)
Forwarded By
Dr. Nadeem Ahmed Pirzada
Senior Vice President (PPA)

The Institute of Professional Psychology at Bahria University functions as an

educational setup as well as a professional one focusing on career development.
Students and faculty members alike are actively involved in community work with a dual
purpose that of serving the community and of meeting experiential requirements for
various courses.

Background
The Institute of Professional Psychology was established in the year 2000 as a small
unit for PhD candidates. The campus was a small initiative inside the premises of PNS
Shifa hospital and had a handful of students. Now the Institute has two campuses in
Karachi and nearly 300 students.

Psychologists
The permanent faculty employed at the Institute also serves the dual purpose of
rendering their services as professional psychologists as and when necessary. The
clinical outpatient department at PNS Shifa provides assessment and a number of
different therapeutic plans that are tailored to suit the individuals needs. Students of the
Institute complete their internship requirements here under complete supervision of the
experienced professionals in the field. In addition to clinical practice, the Institute is also
actively involved in providing assessment and counseling services to various
FORWARDED & ARRANGED BY: DR. NADEEM AHMED PIRZADA &
HIRA KHAWAR (WEBSITE DATED SATURDAY, 29TH OCT 2011) PPA

multinational concerns. Different projects have been initiated for community welfare
such as collaboration with an NGO to provide counseling services to jail inmates.

Courses, Programs and Trainings

IPP has grown in more than one way since its early days. Now it contains three different
specializations of

Clinical psychology
Educational psychology
Industrial. Organizational Psychology

The programs offered include B.S. , M.S. , M.Phil. and Ph.D. in these specializations.
Short training programs for internships of the students of B.S. are conducted at the PNS
Shifa outpatient department during the summer semester. This campus fulfils the dual
role of a clinical practice and internship centre for students of all programs.
The academic year is divided into three semesters; spring semester (February till May),
summer semester or summer break after exams (June till August) and fall semester
(September till December) with a short winter break after exams in January. While the
spring and fall semesters are delegated completely for regular academic work, different
workshops and short courses are organized during the summer and winter breaks to
satiate the interest of students in different subjects such as counseling skills, positive
psychology and industrial/organizational psychology.
Trainings for the professional development of faculty members and students are
organized routinely during the entire year. Faculty members are encouraged to arrange
for guest speakers on different relevant topics in their classes on a need basis and to
attend workshops organized by the institute.

Administrative Assignments Performed By Psychologists

The faculty members, mostly psychologists, play an active role in administrative duties
assigned to them as they participate in Higher Education Commission (HEC) inspired
curriculum development, report generation for improvement of facilities and the Quality
Assurance Program of the HEC.

FORWARDED & ARRANGED BY: DR. NADEEM AHMED PIRZADA &

HIRA KHAWAR (WEBSITE DATED SATURDAY, 29TH OCT 2011) PPA

Local and International Trainings

The Institute encourages its faculty to attend as well as conduct trainings. For example,
the current Director of the Institute, Dr Zainab F. Zadeh has attended an international
training in Australia while other faculty members have attended and conducted various
trainings and workshops at a local level. The HEC related trainings for ongoing
professional development are also attended by faculty members.
As international travel is time consuming and expensive, the Institute routinely arranges
for International trainers visiting Karachi on their own, to visit the Institute and conduct
trainings for the faculty members and students. Such training workshops, taking place at
the Institute premises by International trainers have been conducted on different topics
such as Art and Drama therapy, Psychodynamic Play therapy, Cognitive Behavioral
therapy and the Emotional Freedom Technique.

M.Phil / Ph.D Faculty Members

The faculty at the Institute comprises of highly qualified teachers with professional
experience in their chosen field. Out of the eight permanent faculty members, four have
completed their doctorate and three others are currently enrolled as Ph.D candidates.
The visiting faculty members also include a few teachers who have completed their
doctorate while a few others are enrolled in the M.Phil program at the Institute.

Profile of Faculty Members

Dr. Zainab F. Zadeh

The Director IPP, Associate Professor Dr. Zainab F. Zadeh is PhD in Clinical
Psychology with 15 publications in different national and international journals. She is a
member of American Psychological Association (APA) and has recently attended an
international training in Australia.
FORWARDED & ARRANGED BY: DR. NADEEM AHMED PIRZADA &
HIRA KHAWAR (WEBSITE DATED SATURDAY, 29TH OCT 2011) PPA

Dr. Khalida Shafi

Professor Dr. Khalida Shafi is PhD in Clinical Psychology with 16 publications in

different journals. She is an HEC approved supervisor and has a vast teaching
experience of about four decades.

Dr. Zainab Hussain Bhutto

Assistant Professor Dr. Zainab Hussain Bhutto is PhD in Clinical Psychology with 2
publications and 6 researches submitted in different journals for publication. She has
also done one HEC funded research project.

Dr. Tahira Yousaf

Dr. Tahira Yousaf is a lecturer and PhD in Clinical Psychology with 2 publications and 2
paper presentations in international conferences. Her abstract received an out standing
award in an international conference.

FORWARDED & ARRANGED BY: DR. NADEEM AHMED PIRZADA &

HIRA KHAWAR (WEBSITE DATED SATURDAY, 29TH OCT 2011) PPA

Ms. Gul-E-Zehra Abbas

Ms. Gul-E-Zehra Abbas is an Assistant Professor and an international certified trainer.

She has one paper presentation in an international conference and one research paper
submitted for publication.
Ms. Shabnam Arshi

Ms. Shabnam Arshi is a Lecturer and PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology. She has
one paper presentation and research publication of the same to her credit.
Ms. Sonai Mairaj Malik

Ms. Sonia Mairaj Malik is a Lecturer and PhD candidate in Organizational Psychology.
She has one publication in international journal to her credit.
Ms. Kiran Bashir Ahmad

FORWARDED & ARRANGED BY: DR. NADEEM AHMED PIRZADA &

HIRA KHAWAR (WEBSITE DATED SATURDAY, 29TH OCT 2011) PPA

Ms.Kiran Bashir Ahmad is a lecturer, psychologist, PhD candidate in Clinical

Psychology and freelance writer. Her 4 research papers have been published nationally
and internationally.
Journals & Publications
The Institute publishes a biannual journal the Bahria Journal of Professional
Psychology. So far nine issues have been published since January 2007 and the journal
has been indexed in World Health Organization WHOs Psychological Abstracts,
Index Medicus for the eastern Mediterranean region. Additionally, the faculty members
are actively involved in research oriented activities and researches are also conducted
at all program levels. Many of these researches have been published in local and
international publications.
National & International Achievements
The Institute of Professional Psychology has forged both national and international
links. Prominent psychologists such as Albert Bandura (Stanford University), Norman D.
Sundberg (University of Oregon), Martha R. Crowther (University of Alabama) and Risa
J. Stein (Rock Hurst University) are part of the Advisory board of the Journal published
by the Institute.
International organizations that are on the board of different multinationals have formed
a system of referral of clients to the Institute. While assessment and treatment reports
are kept confidential, the Institute provides a brief summary to the referral source.
A project has been initiated with the help of a local NGO working with jail inmates of the
women and juvenile section. So far, many jail inmates have undergone counseling
sessions and a subtle difference has been noticed pertaining to their inner state.
While professional psychology related activities are the main focus at IPP, student life
incorporates multiple elements. Students are hence encouraged to participate in
extracurricular activities and have represented the Institute in various arenas and won
numerous awards, shields and certificates. These include, but are not limited to, debate
competitions and youth conferences.
Facilities
IPP has got a separate portion in the main library of Bahria university Karachi campus.
There are around 3000 books available on almost every topic related to Psychology.
The library has arranged to have 9 international journals and 4 national journals on a
regular basis.
FORWARDED & ARRANGED BY: DR. NADEEM AHMED PIRZADA &
HIRA KHAWAR (WEBSITE DATED SATURDAY, 29TH OCT 2011) PPA

The psychological lab of IPP is fully equipped with different sorts of psychological tests
including projective, objective, intelligence and neurological tests.
IPP has got its own computer lab with all the latest facilities available; including 20
laptops with internet connection and wi fi facility in the entire department.
Other Information
Graduates of the Institute are currently serving in different psychiatric settings or
hospitals; some have established clinics of their own, while others have joined NGOs
working for the welfare of poor patients or orphans. Educational institutions,
multinational organizations, media and the armed forces are some of the areas where
graduates have branched out and are doing very well in their respective capacities.
The past year has been eventful. Since the beginning of 2010, IPP has been involved
actively in catering to the counseling needs of a part of the Karachi Jail which houses
women and juvenile delinquents. The exercise has been fruitful in providing implications
for future research and therapeutic purposes.
A number of workshops have been organized by international and national speakers at
IPP related to various clinical, educational and organizational psychology related topics.
Topics include integrative arts therapy, and Psychiatric rehabilitation. Our faculty
members have also conducted workshops and presented their work at various national
forums showcasing their work on remedial therapy, child abuse nature, treatment and
prevention, anxiety and stress management, crisis management and various other
workshops related to assessment.
Students are introduced to field work through direct exposure during visits and
internships. Last year our students and faculty members visited Sir Cowasjee Institute
of Mental Health in Hyderabad, Hyderabad University, SOS village, and Edhi village
amongst several others.
Internships for senior level students of BS, PMD and MPhil programs are arranged at
various locations such as Karwan e Hayat PCRC (Keamari), Karachi Psychiatric
Hospital, CMH Malir, JPMC and even SOS village. A recent project involves mentorship
work with the schools affiliated with The Citizens Foundation. This is a community
based contribution of the Institute for the benefit of the population. Assessment and
counseling services are provided free of cost here and follow ups are maintained.

FORWARDED & ARRANGED BY: DR. NADEEM AHMED PIRZADA &

HIRA KHAWAR (WEBSITE DATED SATURDAY, 29TH OCT 2011) PPA