It's been a while since all of us have been self-isolating ourselves amidst the global pandemic. In between all the social-distancing, many of us have somehow ended up socially isolating ourselves from the rest. There are times when we just don't feel like ourselves and our minds undergo a lot of different emotions all at once. Some days, we're overwhelmed with the slightest of things and during the others, we may just be oblivious to significant happenings around us. Talking to people who we connect with emotionally is always a good thing but sometimes that just doesn't help. We understand how crucial and sensitive mental health can be. Hence, given below is a list of professionals and services that you can reach out to online and seek help.
Feeling Rushed And Anxious? Here Are Some Therapists You Can Reach Out To Online
iCALL
An initiative by the School of Human Ecology at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, iCALL is a free digital counselling service (telephone and email-based) where you can reach out to trained mental health professionals regarding matters related to psychological discomfort, issues regarding your sexual orientation and other socio-psychological problems. These guys respect anonymity and their services are available in quite a few languages.
They're operational from Monday to Saturday. You can call them anytime between 8 am to 10 pm. Know more about iCALL and their services here.
Children First
Children First is a mental health service for children and adolescents along with their families. Their services are broadly categorised into two - Clinical and Developmental services. Their objective is to provide out-patient intervention for a wide range of concerns ranging from neurodevelopmental differences to the social and behavioural stresses in children. They have a team of dedicated professionals (read: superheroes) who have expertise in Child & Adolescent Psychology. You can call them on the numbers provided on their website or connect with them online by providing some basic details of the child and the problem you're facing.
Mind.fit
Mindframes
The brainchild of a Psychiatrist, Cognitive Therapist and Mindfulness Coach, Dr Shefali Batra, Mindframes provides online as well as face to face counselling for one's mental wellbeing. Whether it's the current pandemic that's bothering you or the inability to maintain the work-life balance, you can reach out to her in case of any kind of distress. Not only does she offer medical consultation, but she also does mindfulness training and many therapies as well.
The Alternative Story
Run by a solid team of specialists, The Alternative Story offers counselling, training and workshops not just for individuals but for larger groups/organisations as well - both offline and online. Having offices in Mumbai and Bangalore, their services can be availed online too via video conferencing, telephonic conversations, e-mails and chat. They offer a safe space to discuss and express what you're feeling without any hesitation. As mentioned earlier, they also provide conjoint and family counselling by professionals trained in the same field.
The Safe Space
The Safe Space renders Psychotherapy services for kids, adults and even larger organizations. They offer one-on-one online therapy sessions with the founder, Nishi Joshi who is a registered Dance Movement Psychotherapist with the Association of Dance Movement Psychotherapy, UK. They also conduct hourly webinars and online interactions about mental wellbeing amongst other issues.
Pro-Tip
While given above are some organisations with a team of professionals, you can also reach out to a lot of independent mental health professionals and groups who provide their services online. Following are the Instagram handles of a few.
i) Sumaiya Baba - @sumaiya_psych
ii) Purwai Pravah - @purwai
iii) Aishita Mahendru - @psychologist_ashitamahendru
iv) Unsound Project - @unsoundproject
v) Bhavya - @adeclarationofsentiment
vi) Bhor Foundation - @bhorfoundation