BHUBANESWAR : Beating the oft-believed notion that a woman is another woman’s greatest enemy, many of the ilk stood up collectively this Women’s day to help each other sail through difficult times while dealing with mental stress and dilemma. In a unique attempt through “couch therapy”, each group listened to the other, empathised and offered probable solutions.
At a time when therapy for mental issues is considered a taboo and inadequate trained professionals are a concern, the couch therapy session on March 8 only went on to prove that women are inherent therapists who can help others battle depression and other mental issues.
On the day, two groups of women (aged 25-40) from completely disparate backgrounds with similar underlying emotional issues and different coping mechanisms, came together. All of 14 women – 7 in each group - bared their hearts in a freewheeling interaction. While one group belonged to the educated, affluent class including bikers, entrepreneurs, students and doctors, the other represented the underprivileged class comprising househelps, slum dwellers and daily wagers.
Both the groups interacted in pairs to demonstrate how women from different class categories could use different coping tactics to deal with the same issues. Amidst an informal setting, each woman from the opposite class category volunteered to be a therapist and help the other person see things from her perspective. They all were given a patient hearing without being judgemental.
“I spoke about how life has been cruel to me. I was orphaned at an early age and left with my struggles but it was encouraging to find a listener in an entrepreneur Naina who understood my trauma and offered a fresh take on things,” said 25-year-old Sumita who lives in a slum and does part-time tailoring besides pursuing choreography as a passion.
In another interaction , a young student Priya spoke about her strained relationship with her father but she was offered counselling by Sabita (35), a domestic help who had undergone similar problem. “We are poles apart in terms of our background but it was comforting to know that she could help me handle the issue,” said an emotional Priya.
Commenting on the agenda, the organiser Manam Foundation’s chief therapist Somya Mohapatra said the initiative aimed at enabling women to nurture their counselling instincts. “Women are warriors. They fight multiple battles and are natural therapists. The platform was to reinstate the same,” she said. Manam’s founding director Anuradha Mahapatra said in the absence of structured therapy services for universal access, women can stand by each other at all levels positively impacting mental health.