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Meet Dr. Shivana Naidoo

I am Dr. Shivana Naidoo, a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, educator, speaker, and mother of two bright, driven children.

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Like many parents of high-achieving teens, I know how easy it is to focus on what others can see: strong grades, full schedules, ambitious goals, awards, and leadership roles. But achievement does not protect a teen from struggling.

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Behind an accomplished exterior, a young person may be carrying anxiety, perfectionism, exhaustion, loneliness, hopelessness, or emotions they do not know how to express. One of my greatest fears as a mother is that one day, one of my own children could face a mental health crisis and I might not know how to reach them.

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In that moment, I would not want vague reassurance or another list of things I should already know. I would want compassionate, experienced guidance to help me understand what to do next.

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I would want honest answers to the questions parents are often afraid to ask:

  • How can I help my teen when they will not let me in?

  • How do I begin a conversation without causing an argument?

  • How can I tell the difference between everyday stress and a serious safety concern?

  • What should I do if my teen says they do not want to be here anymore?

  • How can I protect my teen without damaging their trust?

 

For physician moms, these moments can feel especially complicated.

We are trained to assess problems, make decisions, and care for others. Yet when our own teen is hurting, professional knowledge does not quiet a mother’s fear. We may understand the healthcare system and still feel powerless inside it. We may know the clinical language and still struggle to find the right words at home.

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Sometimes, being a physician makes it even harder to admit that we need help too.

 

I created DoBetterMD to help close that gap. Through practical mental health education, courses, workshops, speaking engagements, and supportive resources, I help high-achieving teens, physician moms, parents, and healthcare professionals recognize concerns, approach difficult conversations, and move forward with greater clarity and connection.

DoBetterMD looks beyond accomplishments to see and support the whole person behind them.

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Education and Professional Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Pennsylvania

  • Doctor of Medicine, St. George’s University

  • Residency in General Adult Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, University Hospital of Brooklyn

  • Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, North Shore/Hofstra Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Zucker Hillside

  • Chief Child Psychiatry Fellow

  • Diplomate in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

  • Diplomate in Adult Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

  • Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

  • Nutritional Psychiatry Certification, Integrative Psychiatry Institute

  • ADOS-2 Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule training

  • Life Coach Certification

 

My additional training includes suicide assessment, CAMS, safety planning, anger management, de-escalation, positive parenting, conscious parenting, autism assessment, integrative psychiatry, nutritional psychiatry, energy medicine, and Emotional Freedom Technique.

Why DoBetterMD Exists

As both a mother and a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I understand the difference between knowing something professionally and experiencing it personally. Throughout my career, I have worked with thousands of children, teens, and young adults experiencing suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, self-harm, and other mental health challenges. I have also supported parents who desperately want to help but are unsure what their teen needs from them. Again and again, I have met intelligent, motivated, high-achieving teens who appear successful on the outside while privately feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or afraid of disappointing the people they love.

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I have also sat with caring, capable parents who wondered:

  • How did I miss the warning signs?

  • Am I saying the wrong thing?

  • Should I give my teen space or step in?

  • How do I protect my child without pushing them away?

  • What should I do next?

 

Loving your teen deeply does not automatically give you the tools to navigate a mental health crisis. Even being a physician does not make parenting through one easy. Traditional appointments often do not provide enough time to address every concern in the thoughtful, practical, and compassionate way families deserve. DoBetterMD provides a place where parents can find understandable guidance and high-achieving teens can feel seen as complete people, not simply as grades, accomplishments, diagnoses, or problems to solve.

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How I Help

My work focuses on the intersection of achievement, emotional well-being, family connection, and real-life pressure.

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Physician Moms

You spend your professional life caring for others, but supporting your own teen can feel entirely different.

Clinical knowledge does not erase a mother’s fear, guilt, or uncertainty. When your teen is struggling, it may be difficult to separate what you know as a physician from what you feel as a parent.

DoBetterMD provides physician moms with practical, compassionate education to help them:

  • Understand what may be happening beneath the surface

  • Recognize potential warning signs and safety concerns

  • Approach difficult conversations with greater confidence

  • Respond to intense emotions without escalating conflict

  • Support professional treatment at home

  • Strengthen trust and connection with their teen

  • Care for their own well-being while supporting their family

You do not have to know everything simply because you are a doctor. You are allowed to need support too.

 

Explore Support for Physician Moms

 

High-Achieving Teens

Strong grades, leadership roles roles, athletic success, creative accomplishments, and ambitious goals do not always tell the whole story. High-achieving teens may quietly struggle with perfectionism, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, loneliness, self-doubt, or the fear of failure. Because they continue to perform, the people around them may not recognize how much they are carrying.

 

Some teens worry that asking for help will disappoint their families, affect their future, or change the way others see them.

My approach helps high-achieving teens feel seen beyond their accomplishments. It supports emotional awareness, healthier coping, stronger communication, and a more sustainable definition of success.

Your worth is not determined by your grades, productivity, awards, or ability to appear okay.

You do not have to reach a breaking point before asking for help.

 

Explore Support for High-Achieving Teens

 

Speaking Engagements

I offer engaging, educational presentations for physician groups, parents, schools, healthcare organizations, and community groups seeking a clearer understanding of teen mental health.

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Speaking topics may include:

  • Mental health challenges among high-achieving teens

  • Recognizing distress behind academic success

  • Perfectionism, pressure, and fear of failure

  • Parent-teen communication

  • Youth suicide awareness and prevention

  • Responding to self-harm or suicidal thoughts

  • Family safety planning

  • Supporting physicians who are also navigating motherhood

  • Helping parents communicate without escalating conflict

  • Strengthening family connection during difficult seasons

Each presentation translates complex mental health topics into clear, compassionate, and practical guidance that audiences can understand and apply.

 

Invite Dr. Naidoo to Speak

 

Experience Across the Mental Healthcare System

I have worked throughout the mental healthcare system for children and teens, including:

  • Psychiatric and medical emergency rooms

  • Inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric units

  • Consultation-liaison services

  • Partial hospitalization programs

  • Intensive outpatient programs

  • Community mental health clinics

  • Academic outpatient clinics

  • In-person and virtual private practice

 

I have assessed and treated thousands of children, teens, and young adults experiencing suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, self-harm, and a wide range of psychiatric concerns. My clinical experience includes working with young people affected by ADHD, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma-related conditions, behavioral disorders, emotional dysregulation, and psychotic disorders. Through this work, I have also supported parents and family systems as they navigated diagnoses, therapy, medication decisions, communication challenges, and concerns about safety.​

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