Dr Anjali Chhabria, a leading psychiatrist and psychotherapist of India, is recognized for her outstanding contribution to the field of mental health. she finished MBBS from J.J. Group of Hospitals in the 1985 and MD from Nair Charitable Hospital in 1990 and also has a Diploma in Psychotherapy. She founded the Mindtemple Clinic in 2005. Dr Chabbria was conferred the honor of being the youngest president of the Bombay Psychiatric Society in 2001, served on the board of the Children's Film Society and is currently a director on the Salaam Bombay Foundation. A regular columnist, she continues to be a household name through her regular contributions to newspapers, magazines and interviews on television and radio. She has graced the panels on various television shows like Satyamev Jayate and has spoken at Tedx Christ University and Tedx Youth SIS Mumbai. She conducts workshops on mental health and emotional hygiene across schools, colleges, institutions and corporate houses. She combines age-old traditional treatments like hypnosis with cutting-edge innovative treatment modalities including Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).
Dr Chabbria is the author of the book “Death Is Not the Answer,” which breaks the taboo on discussing the sensitive subject of suicide and provides the readers with ways to prevent it.
Over the past twenty-five years of medical service, she has been a pioneer in encouraging the seeking of professional psychiatric help, breaking generations of taboo and is highly respected by both peers and clients.
Anisha is a practicing Psychologist for over twelve years, holding a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. She believes in ‘changing the world one mind at a time’, aiming to emotionally empower individuals to not only cope with distress but flourish amidst life adversities.
She is trained in diagnosis and treatment of various psychological issues from adolescent to geriatric, through counselling (individual, couple, family) and psychological testing (emotional, behavioural, personality). She is immensely skilled in treating clinical disorders such as personality disorders, depression, anxiety, phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, biploar disorder, as well as other life issues like aggression/ anger concerns, workplace stress/ burnout, relationship issues, low self-esteem, poor time management, ineffective communication, and other emotional maladjustments. In her practice, she uses an eclectic-holistic approach and employs a host of therapies such as EMDR, CBT, REBT, Insight-oriented therapy, Supportive therapy, Solution-Focused Brief therapy, and Relaxation Therapy. She also encompasses Positive Psychology, Mindfulness, Transaction Analysis, and Life Skills in her treatment plans.
Her first year of work was extensively spent in profiling personalities (using standardized psychological assessments) of professionals as well as corporate employees at all hierarchical levels, to help them understand their strengths and developmental areas at workplace. Her family background in business and having a significant clientele base in mid & senior level employees of recognised organizations, gives her a broader understanding of workplace nuances such as ethics, high stress work situations, meeting senior level expectations, sustaining motivation and so on.
Furthermore, she has been a panelist on an eminent news channel for Women’s mental health at workplace in 2022. She was also a panelist for International Certified Career Coach on ‘Importance Of Emotional Well-being’ during the pandemic, for over 500 educators. She continues to give expert opinions in well-known magazines/ newspapers to spread mental health awareness, reduce the stigma and help individuals/ caregivers to identify problems and seek timely treatment. Additionally, she is one of the facilitators of Mindtemple’s successfully running Counselling Course (basic and advanced). She has also contributed to India’s first book on suicide ‘Death is not the Answer’, authored by Dr. Anjali Chhabria.
Ashish has completed his MA in counselling in Mental Health and Wellness from New York University, New York, USA. Major areas of his study, skillset and expertise include depression, trauma work, grief, loss and bereavement, suicidology, childhood issues and counseling individuals who identify as gay and lesbian. Narrative therapy, psychodynamic and psychoanalytical approaches, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), parts work and transaction analysis are some of the modalities used by him in his individual psychotherapeutic work. He has been working with the Mindtemple clinic as a mental health counselor since November 2017.
Ashish is an accomplished public speaker and has conducted mental health workshops for a large number of MNC’s, premier educational institutes and NGO’s. Humor, story-telling, positive-psychology and relatable interventions are an integral part of programs facilitated by him. Ashish has contributed to Dr. Anjali Chhabria’s book, “Death is Not the Answer” and to “Surviving During a Pandemic” by Dio press, USA. His work has also been published internationally. Before his transition to mental health, he obtained an MBA in Human Resources from the K.J. Somaiya Institute in Mumbai.
Chaitali Hirani holds a master's degree in applied psychology. She is trained in various schools of psychotherapy as well as psychometric testing. She specializes in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), InterPersonal Therapy (IPT), Rational-Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). She also proficient at using various Stress Management techniques. She works with the objective of helping clients become their own therapists – being able to independently face & resolve issues. Her area of expertise includes dealing with issues related to mood, personality, behaviour, anxiety and marital discord. She has extensive experience in dealing with children, especially adolescents and autistic children.
Forum believes in creating a collaborative as well as a creative space for her clients to explore and learn more about themselves. Her interest lies in working towards building effective mental health resources. Using an eclectic approach, she makes therapy an accessible tool for all age groups. Over the years she has worked with people facing emotional, behavioral, cognitive, personality, and grief-related issues. She has completed her QPR training in Suicide Prevention, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Transactional Analysis, and Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Disorders along with other traditional psychotherapies. She regularly gives her input in mental health-related articles and also has a series of podcasts on Spotify called Mental Tea where she is the psychology expert. She conducts workshops and webinars for corporates, schools, and colleges. She has been an invited speaker on mental health-related topics at institutes and organizations such as IIT Goa, IIM Calcutta, and Teach for India, to name a few. Having worked with Dr. Anjali Chhabria on her book "Death is Not the Answer" as well as a chapter on Post-Partum Depression, Forum shares her views in her blog www.candyflossandbridges.blogspot.com as well.
She goes by the philosophy -“labels are for jars and not people” thus working towards destigmatizing seeking mental health help!
Kanan Kanakia is a practising senior psychotherapist & Has been associated with Mindtemple Institute of Behavioural Sciences since its inception. She and the team have conceived & developed the largest number of varied topics. Two such topics of hers,which are the most sought after are Resilience, & PsyCap, she uses Gold standard techniques and application based exercises for the participants.
The range of her programs are a whole spectrum wide, some being Resilience, Wonder Women, Mental health ABC, Set back or bounce back, A ship to relationships, Secondary Trauma, Vitamin M (motherhood) , Raising Champs boot camp, positive Parenting amongst others.
All her programs not only have hands on application based, experiential interaction but huge participation as well. While every workshop generated a plethora of comments some of them said “It has completely changed my outlook to life today" “it was an absolutely great session”, “it was really engaging, and learnt a lot” “you have made me look forward to my motherhood”, “loved the analogies”, "it was an excellently conducted session”, “this phrase will always be etched in my mind".
She has impacted every level of hierarchy in many multinationals from the HR & sales team to the top office bearers. She has also been invited to The Amity University and Safari kid chain of schools to talk about Mental Health to adolescents, young children and their parents.
Diya has completed her Master of Arts in Psychology from Maniben Nanavati Women’s College (M.N.W.C). As a part of her course curriculum, she interned at J.J. Hospital and Mindtemple aiming to fill the rhetoric-action gap on a diverse population. She is trained and experienced in conducting and reporting of various psychological assessments (intelligence, cognitive, emotional and behavioral). A few modalities she incorporates in therapy sessions are Person-Centered Therapy (PCT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Play Therapy. Additionally, she uses elements of Structural Family Therapy (SFT), Gestalt Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Mindfulness aiming to process clients’ concerns with a holistic lens.
Her practice includes working with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, difficult life transitions, obsessive compulsive disorder and stress management. It is deeply important to her to provide an affirming and welcoming space for individuals with diverse sexual and gender identities. Her approach is highly personalized, collaborative while integrating innovative and evidence-based techniques to help clients understand their needs and achieve their goals.
Following her deep passion for learning, Diya along with her colleagues under the guidance of the faculty at M.N.W.C published a research paper exploring factors related to social media and life satisfaction. For her thesis, she focused on studying the unique experiences of the Indian gay population. As she progresses in her career, she hopes to engage with members of the LGBTQ+ spectrum to pave a way towards widespread acceptance. Understanding the need of the hour, she has co-facilitated the ‘COVID-19 Grief and Bereavement Support Group’.
Dr Prerna Khar has done her MBBS and MD (Psychiatry) from B.J. Government Medical college,Pune. She has worked at Sion hospital, the Deaddiction centre at KEM Hospital and at the Mental Health Clinic at Nair Hospital. During her residency training in Psychiatry, she developed a keen interest in child and adolescent mental health which made her pursue a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Nair Hospital, Mumbai. She is the first Indian to receive the prestigious Howard Cooper Travelling Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2021, awarded by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANCZP). She has a holistic approach and uses both pharmacotherapy as well as psychotherapy/counselling in helping children and adolescents.
During her residency,subsequent tenure at various BMC Hospital and clinical practice, she has worked with individuals across all age groups having anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar mood disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders and substance abuse. She has visited shelter homes for women rescued from trafficking and helped in their mental and emotional health. She strongly believes in gender diversity and inclusivity and has undergone training in being a Gender Affirmative Therapist.
She has been a visiting consultant at the Rotary Club Charitable Centre since the past two years During the COVID 19 pandemic, she facilitated grief support groups under Mindtemple and Madat Trust, in order to help individuals cope with their loss, as social support was largely affected during this period. Under the aegis of the Mindtemple Institute of Behavioral Sciences, she has conducted workshops for corporates addressing Women’s mental health and has also conducted support groups for women facing psychological issues due to PCOS and Endometriosis. Further, her inputs have also been taken by the media in talk shows addressing mental health concerns.
In addition, her research papers and textbook chapters have been published in national and international publications.
Meher Nariman has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the R A Podar College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai and a Diploma in Financial Management from Prin. L N Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research. She has worked with organizations like the Standard Charted Bank and SBI Commercial and International Bank. She has been associated with Mindtemple for over a decade has held various positions relating to account management and program management. At the Mindtemple Institute, Meher works as the Program Manager and is responsible for Key Account Management, end-to-end delivery and business development. Meher is also a certified Yoga instructor.
