Centre for counseling, special education and training- for women and children & adolescents
Established in 2012
9886015150
Facilitating Growth
Team Pledge
pledge academy is proud to have a team of special educators and counselors who are passionate about making a difference in adult and students’ lives. Get to know each of our team members below.
Jennifer Tavares
Maria Raj
Marykutty Augustine
Nethania Pereira
Sharon Hartley
Michelle Augustine
Sonika Yadav
Manisha Ganguly
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Jennifer Tavares
Nurse, Counselor and Special Educator
Maria Raj
Special Educator
Jennifer is a nurse, counselor and special educator.
In 2012 she started Pledge Academy- a centre for counselling, special education and training for women, children and adolescents.
Jennifer provides psychological counselling for adults, school-going children, and adolescents for various issues. She also conducts workshops for adults and children on topics related to mental well-being, sex education, learning disabilities and ADHD.
Over the years Jennifer has specialized in counselling children with learning disabilities and ADHD and provides support to their parents. Her passion includes supporting and counselling prospective adoptive parents, adoptive parents and adopted children.
She was part of the Core Team headed by St John’s Research Institute, which developed content and training for the Adolescence Education Program Plus – Building Wellbeing in Schools, a UNFPA-funded project for the NVS under the NCERT (2014 till 2018) She also assisted St John’s Research Institute in delivering BEING -Becoming Empowered in Nursing Growth- a programme on Sexuality and Gender funded by the Indian Council for Medical Research covering students of 15 colleges of nursing in Bangalore. (January 2017 till 2019)
In 2017 she assisted the Resource Department at Bethany High School, Bangalore to set up a unique programme for children with learning difficulties and ADHD where the curriculum is adapted to suit their needs. (2015 till 2022)
Jennifer and Maria set up a Resource Room at Sacred Heart Girls High School, and St Francis High School Bangalore in 2017 and 2021 respectively.
Marykutty Augustine
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist
Maria Raj worked in the Finance field in a multi-national company, until her children came along. She then dedicated her time to her children, their needs and their educational requirements. Having found success and satisfaction in teaching her children, she went out to volunteer to teach children who were first-generation school-goers, where little help was given to them at home.
Maria completed a course in Learning Disabilities, from The Spastics Society of Karnataka and volunteered with them for 2 years. She has also completed her MA in Inclusive Education from Northampton University UK. She is involved in the different trainings conducted at Pledge Academy for teachers and parents of children with dyslexia and ADHD.
She volunteers at a school for first-generation learners and has equipped them with a library since she believes that reading is the foundation of all learning. She is involved with formulating a life skills program as formulated by WHO for high school children.
Her first teaching experience dates back to 1966 and over 5 decades later it’s part of what she does: training eager learners in CBT skills. The one motto and impetus that made her to move from class rooms in schools to bedside of patients in hospitals was: “Therapeutic use of self”. Having been at patient care since 1977, the same urge to put to best use herself therapeutically, she pursued her Masters in nursing specialization in Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing which gave her the opportunity to train budding nurses in class rooms and at clinicals. It was while working in Ireland that the same motive prompted her to train as a CBT therapist from TRINITY COLLEGE, University of Dublin. Since then she worked in Dublin providing personal therapy to adult clients. Here in India since 2012, she continues to provide personal therapy to students at Christ University. Providing personal therapy and, at Pledge Academy, training those who are engaged in using themselves therapeutically fulfills the answer to her CALL!
Other Team Members
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For more information about our team, we invite you to get in touch.
