Hira Akbar – Clinical Psychologist, Forensic Psychology Professional, Rehabilitation Counsellor & Mental Health Practitioner
Mental health care requires patience and empathy and in-depth knowledge backed by genuine interest in understanding the idiosyncrasies of human behavior. Hira Akbar is a committed psychology professional with a psychology background, specialized training in forensic psychology, and extensive knowledge and experience in rehabilitation and mental and behavioral health care and counseling. Her professional journey shows how much she loves to help people identify their emotional pain and overcome psychological obstacles and thus help them to live more emotionally stable and healthier lives.
Having worked in multiple rehabilitation centers, forensic settings, and counseling and child-focused behavioral services, Hira has a good grasp of the broad spectrum of psychological needs. Her work has been especially focused on supporting people with substance use challenges, counseling people with emotional and behavioral challenges, and facilitating therapeutic sessions, and aiding in forensic psychology and developmental therapeutic work for children with behavioral challenges.
Educational Background and Professional Qualification
Hira Akbar graduated from the Government Post Graduate College for Women, Mardan in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. She developed an interest in the study of behaviors and psychological disorders and counseling. She also developed an interest in psychological assessments and therapies.
Hira enrolled in a Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Psychology at the University of Peshawar from 2023 to 2024. This diploma introduced her to forensic assessments, criminal behavior, and legal psychology, and learned about victim’s aids. It also caused her to understand the rehabilitation of offenders and the place of forensic Psychology in the Criminal Justice System.
Hira’s current studies are an MSc in Clinical Psychology at the University of Lahore. From this, she will gain knowledge and skills related to the advanced practice of psychological diagnosis and psychotherapy. She will also learn about case formulation and intervention techniques, and the specialized frameworks of mental health care.
Professional Experience in Rehabilitation and Counselling
Hira Akbar has occupational experience in rehabilitation involving working with clients with substance use and addiction problems. For over a year, Hira has been working in the Rehabilitation Center for Drug Addicts in Mardan, providing counselling to clients and participating in both individual and group therapy.
As a rehabilitation center employee, Hira was responsible for helping clients understand their feelings, providing assistance to clients in the recovery process, and discussing individual client cases with senior therapists and psychologists and assisting in the development of therapy. This helps strengthen her ability to deal with problems associated with addiction and emotional rehabilitation, behavior, hesitance, and personal adjustment.
While in the DOST Foundation Peshawar, Hira provided drug users with counselling and therapeutic sessions and assisted in the management of psychological difficulties and made an improvement in coping and established a positive behavior pattern.
Internship Experience at Pakistan Recovery Oasis, Lahore
During her time at Pakistan Recovery Oasis from February to May 2026, Hira Akbar worked with rehabilitation clients with various psychological and behavioral disorders. This provided Hira with the opportunity to carry out her own counseling and therapy sessions with her supervisor’s support. While doing this, Hira used the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to assist her clients in identifying the negative thought patterns which caused their emotional distress, and worked with them to develop therapeutic coping strategies.
Hira’s interests in rehabilitation psychology and the treatment of psychological disorders and addictions grew as a result of her structured work at the Pakistan Recovery Oasis, where she gained a great deal of insight into the creation of therapeutic relationships. Hira also enhanced her skills in the gathering and interpretation of clinical case material, behavioral symptom formulation, therapeutic intervention selection, and the development of clinical and therapeutic work.
Experience in Forensic Psychology
Akbar Hira has cultivated an enthusiastic interest in the cross section of psychology and criminal justice through her education and professional experiences. As a part of her Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Psychology, she visited Peshawar Central Jail and offered psychological sessions to male and female inmates. She gained invaluable experience related to the psychological aspects of the corrections environment through her sessions.
Her professional experiences with inmates led to an understanding of the emotional, social, and behavioral problems of the people in the criminal justice system. She acquired a basic understanding of problems related to guilt and anger, trauma, adjustment problems, emotional control and stress, and rehabilitation. This experience contributed to her understanding of the interplay of psychology, crime, rehabilitation, and human behavior.
Work at Forensic Science Laboratory Peshawar
Hira also gained valuable professional experience in support and assessment services at the Forensic Psychological Assessment Lab in Peshawar. Hira also was a psychological support provider at the Forensic Psychological Lab in Peshawar. Here, Hira offered psychological support to crime victims and their families.
Within the lab, Hira also contributed to research on eyewitness testimony, offender profiling, risk assessment, and rehabilitation. Her work at the lab provided her with insight on the application of psychological services to legal and investigative settings. This experience also greatly enhanced her knowledge of forensic psychological assessment and evaluation, ethical considerations, and victim support and intervention services within the framework of the criminal justice system.
Work with Children and Behavioral Therapy
In addition to her clinical and forensic experience, Hira Akbar worked as an ABA Therapist at Speech Lingua Spot, Lahore. In this position, she worked with children who needed support with behavioral, emotional, communication and developmental needs. This position required her to observe children’s behaviors and assist in behavior modification plans, as well as support the developmental communication and emotional and social functioning of the children. The experience allowed her to develop her patience and observation skills as well as an understanding of the individualized interventions of children with developmental and special needs.
Online Counselling and Mental Health Support
Hira has combined her years of experience and knowledge of therapy and psychology with her desire to support other people in need by creating the Hirava Mind Clinic which offers online therapy. Hira helps people manage their mental health by providing support to people experiencing stress and anxiety and other emotional or personal issues through virtual therapy.
The aim of Hirava Mind Clinic is to be able to support as many people as possible as Hira knows first hand how limited mental health support can be. Hira has a firm belief that everyone has the right to access a safe, professional, and respectful mental health support service whether it is in person or online.
Therapeutic Approaches and Core Competencies
One of the many facets in her psychological work is a client-centered approach and supportive style. Hira, gives important considerations for the fact that each client is an individual and is likely to have different emotional aspects; thus, her intervention is designed to be flexible enough to consider the natural background of each client, their worries, and the speed at which the client is willing or able to proceed. Among her professional competencies are the following:
- Psychological counseling
- One-to-one therapeutic sessions
- Therapeutic sessions to a large group of individuals
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Counseling for rehabilitation
- Counseling for substance use
- Forensic psychology
- Psychological evaluations
- Case discussion and management
- Observation of clients and providing behavioral support
- Behavioral intervention based on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
- Engagement with clients and their families
- Professional ethics in psychology
- Understanding mental health issues and providing psychoeducation
She aims to assist clients in cultivating a better sense of self and emotional regulation, while also developing adaptive coping skills on the continuum to psychological health.
Workshops, Training, and Professional Development
Hira Akbar has furthered her skills through an array of professional development opportunities in mental health, therapeutic rehabilitation, and most recently, forensic psychology and psychological care. She also completed a course on Drug Use and Harm Reduction at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2023.
Lately, she has completed workshops that train on the understanding of the various levels of psychological disorders and the merits of minimalizing stigma around mental illnesses, and practicing, and advocating for, mental health and self-care. These workshops demonstrate the raising of mental health awareness and decreasing stigma and were guided by Akbar’s self-motivation to learn and improve her skills in the area of psychology.
Technical and Professional Skills
Hira Akbar has expanded her ability to work with others via her clinical and counseling work. She utilizes her skills to develop productive relationships with clients and families, as well as multiple teams. She has cultivated her work-related patience and active listening as well as her ability to empathize and identify social and emotional cues in clients from diverse backgrounds.
In addition, she has an understanding of rehabilitative and forensic psychology, as well as therapeutic communication. Also, she has an understanding of ethical issues and of projective and psychological assessments and of psychological testing and of frameworks.
Given her ability to understand Pashto, Urdu, and English, her clients are able to communicate with her in the language they are most comfortable in. Fully understanding clients in this manner fosters and fortifies a therapeutic relationship. Also, her personal interests in reading, the outdoors, and writing show the significance of her hobbies to her.
My Digital Presence Reaching You Everywhere
In addition to therapy, I also create educational and awareness based content on multiple digital platforms to raise awareness about mental health. My vlogs and video session are available on:
These channels are designed not only for my clients but also for anyone who wants to learn more about psychology and mental health. I motivate everyone to follow and subscribe to these channels so that they can benefit from guidance or consultation from professionals, continuous updates, and professional direction with consistent briefings.
Conclusion
Hira Akbar is a highly experienced mental health professional with a keen interest in psychology. She demonstrates commitment to all the areas she works in. With experience in rehabilitation centres and forensic environments, and delivering child-focused counselling and therapy, Hira has the competency to work with people of all ages, with emotional, behavioural and psychological challenges.
She invests time daily to develop her professional identity, focusing on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and evidence based practices. She has great interest in the discipline of psychology, which has been the driving force in her career to date, explaining her empathetic outlook to the work she has undertaken.
