A recent UNICEF survey across 21 countries stated that only 41 per cent of young Indians suggest seeking support for mental health problems, compared to an average of 83 per cent for 21 countries. This elucidates that ours is a country where mental health issues have always been viewed from a negative perspective. Keeping this in mind, KindSpace—an organisation launched by mental health professionals—offers group therapy as a healthy coping mechanism. Helmed by founder and director Nivida Chandra, an Asian Games Village resident, the organisation is led by a team of mental health professionals mostly from Delhi and Pune.
Part of a collective
Founded in June this year, KindSpace conducts sessions as a virtual care group once a week. “We are trying to give people a new way to access good-quality mental health care that helps them address what they are going through and also feel less alone in the journey,” says Chandra.
These support groups are always guided by a mental health professional to better establish a sense of safety and maintain therapeutic interactions among the members. With an opportunity to keep their identities hidden and just listen till they are keen on sharing, these sessions are aimed at bringing together people going through similar issues. Another aspect these sessions reveal is the universality of needing mental health support, especially amid adverse circumstances.
Although each member of the group signs a confidentiality agreement, Chandra mentions that in KindSpace, the way trust is established among members goes beyond a legally binding contract, “Confidentiality is something we all maintain with and for each other. There is also a lot of mutual trust that people come to each group with,” she says.
A series of issues
The groups are divided into open and closed ones. While the open groups follow a flexible process, the closed ones are designed to follow a time constraint. Chandra points out, “A topic can be offered in an open, closed or even a third format, and every group is thought through in excruciating details before they are offered one of these.”
More often than not, the themes are varied and each group tackles a different issue. For instance, the grief and bereavement session is attended by those who have lost their loved ones during the pandemic, while another group will specifically cater to adults who were emotionally neglected as children. There are also group sessions for new mothers, among others. Although the average cost for each group is Rs.1,250 per session, this price may differ according to the expertise of the professional as well as the needs of the client.
With a new system of tackling mental health, the groups here form a diverse understanding of varied issues that need to be addressed.