ThINC Hub™
The International NeuroHealth Consulting Hub™
About Dr. Shala Chetty-Mhlanga
Dr. Shala Chetty-Mhlanga bridges evidence-based research and compassionate therapeutic care, offering a unique approach to mental health and cognitive behavioural support that is both scientifically grounded and deeply human-centred. Based in Basel, she serves English-speaking clients across Europe through both in-person and secure online platforms, specialising in supporting high functioning professionals, their children, and families navigating complex health challenges and life transitions.
Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Dr. Chetty-Mhlanga has lived and integrated abroad in the US, UK and now, since the last ten years in Basel, Switzerland, providing a firsthand understanding of expatriate challenges. This personal experience, combined with her professional expertise, with several long-term clinical clients and global research projects, enables her to offer uniquely informed, culturally sensitive support to clients navigating life transitions and or work goals.
If you would like to know more about Dr. Chetty-Mhlanga's clinical or research services click below:
Individuals & Families
Industry & Institutions
Qualifications
PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health - UNIBAS, Swiss TPH
Three-year specialised program
Dr. Chetty-Mhlanga's doctoral research examined environmental factors affecting children's cognitive development and mental health, including the impact of neurotoxic pesticides, electronic media use, and maternal substance use on neurobehavioral outcomes. This groundbreaking work now informs her therapeutic practice, allowing her to offer evidence-based interventions grounded in scientific understanding.
Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy - NWU, SA
Three-year specialised program
Intensive training in holistic, relationship-centred therapeutic approaches, emphasising the integration of mind, body, senses and environment in healing. Specialised certifications include child play therapy, family systems approaches, online counselling, and Gestalt coaching principles.
Honors in Clinical Psychology - UCT, SA
Bachelors in Social Work
Four-year comprehensive program
Licenced, registered and affiliated bodies
Clinical Expertise
Integrative Approach
- Evidence-based interventions informed by epidemiological research
- Gestalt therapeutic principles emphasising present-moment, mind and body awareness
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy techniques
- Cultural sensitivity developed through inter-cultural marriage and expatriate integrated experience living long-term in the US, UK, and currently 10 years in Switzerland
- Multidisciplinary collaboration with healthcare professionals
- Internal Familial Systems (IFS)
Specialised Areas
- Gestalt psychotherapy & Coaching
- Medico-social counselling for families of children with chronic health conditions
- Integration support for expatriates and professionals
- Digital health challenges affecting children and young people
- Career and academic coaching for professionals and PhD candidates
- Trauma and early family dynamics/styles informing current relationship patterns
- Neurobehavior - mental health, ADHD, neurodivergence, neurodiversity, ASD, neurodevelopment
Accredited Courses
- Online & Telephone Counselling
- Consulting skills
- Coaching and people development
- Practicum Groups for Coaches (Gestalt Cape Cod Behaviour Change Model)
- Coaching with Creativity & Wonder
- Coaching Clients with ADHD
- EMDR treatment for trauma
- Practical Trauma-Informed Interventions for Therapists
- "Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
- Gestalt Voice Attunement
- Autism-Informed Practice
- Executive Functioning: Skills to support the ADHD Brain
- Engaging with Supervision
Research & Publications
Dr. Chetty-Mhlanga has contributed significantly to the scientific understanding of environmental health impacts on children and families in academia, and industry with 15 publications in prestigious journals including the Environmental Research, Neurotoxicology and International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Reviews in BMC Paediatrics and Journal of Medical Internet Research, and over 440 citations.
She maintains active research collaborations with leading institutions, ensuring her practice remains at the forefront of evidence-based care.
Shala is currently collaborating with IntechOpen as first author of a chapter on electronic media use and health symptoms, in a book about smartphone use in smart society.
Vision
Dr. Chetty-Mhlanga is committed to contributing to individual and community wellbeing through collaborative, research-informed practice. By combining rigorous scientific understanding with compassionate therapeutic care, she empowers individuals and families to achieve meaningful, sustainable improvements in their mental health, cognitive performance and quality of life. Shala aims to support at both individual and also population level through ongoing research and authorship in neurohealth, to reveal relevant evidence-based understanding and interventions for individuals and systems.