India is ranked 139 out of 149 countries in the 2021 United Nations World Happiness Report. People around the country have reported feeling anxiety and fear of losing friends and family to Covid-19, or falling ill themselves, or losing jobs and income, or becoming permanently incapacitated. Harrowing photographs of bodies floating in rivers, overflowing crematoria, overwhelmed healthcare workers, and occasionally insensitive political responses to pleas for help have all had a deleterious impact on the population’s mental wellbeing and resilience. It is estimated that over 65% of Indians in the young adult age group (18 to 24 years) suffer from some form of depression. Uncertainties regarding employment, income and stability, a dramatic and tragic increase in domestic violence, and societal prejudices surrounding mental illness have hindered progress.
Amid an unprecedented global pandemic and heightened awareness of mental health needs, India’s first online mental health service, HealtheMinds, introduces a range of convenient, affordable in-person and online counselling and psychotherapy services for individuals, families and companies. HealtheMinds’s counselling and psychotherapy services support individuals, couples, families and groups accomplish mental health, wellness, career and education goals in a collaborative, supportive and non-judgemental environment. With a new, easy-to-use, attractive and informative website, clients can now find the right mental wellness practitioner for their needs, book appointments, manage appointment schedules, make payments and attend counselling or therapy sessions all from the convenience of their preferred location. In addition to its redesigned and rejuvenated website, HealtheMinds has partnered with RxDx (www.rxdx.in) to offer face-to-face therapy and counselling services at RxDx partner clinics across India as Covid-19 restrictions permit. Appointment booking, scheduling and payments can be made online at www.healtheminds.com.
“The COVID pandemic has wreaked havoc on the mental health of the community. Our two decade experience in providing global teleradiology services has shown us that online telecounselling services, so important at this time, can be provided safely and securely to the community from the comfort of their homes, especially at this time when social distancing is necessary,” says Dr. Arjun Kalyanpur, Chief Executive Officer, Teleradiology Solutions and Founder, HealtheMinds. A similar view was expressed by one of the HEM client who preferred to be anonymous. The client said, “Last year has been a bit too hard on everyone regardless. It affected me too and I needed help. I took a chance with HealthEminds and Ms. Aparna and really got lucky. She was extremely helpful and paid attention to details that I never noticed. Now I suppose that is what a therapist does but it did take me by surprise to hear it out loud. She helped put things in perspective and made sure nothing I was learning/discovering/unearthing was rushed or unplanned. Although, I did a few sessions with her, it helped me combat my anxiety attacks that seemed to get out of hand with everything 2020 brought. I am grateful for her help. I am also grateful to her for accommodating time slots that matched our time zones”.
HealtheMinds is also making its expertise and experience available to companies, government agencies, and academic institutions and other organisations wishing to set up employee assistance programmes (EAPs), whether in an onsite, online or hybrid model, to provide mental wellness support and counselling services to their staff. As the pandemic has made clear, working people are struggling to maintain their equanimity in the face of typical work pressures and the additional burdens imposed by increased child, elder and home care responsibilities. The enforced lack of social contact caused by extended lockdowns has further exacerbated people’s feelings of isolation and loneliness. Companies seeking ways in which to support and help their employees through these difficult times can now partner with HealtheMinds to put these essential programmes in place.
To further its purpose of raising awareness of the importance of mental health and improving access to mental health services for all, HealtheMinds organises webinars and seminars delivered by members of its expert panel on various aspects of mental health, approaches and treatments. These talks are informational and specific in nature and are intended to inform as well as dispel the stigma that so often surrounds mental wellness issues in India. “Healtheminds, a pioneer in online mental health support, is indeed a ‘happy space’ for clients and experts. It is the need of the hour for this new pandemic afflicted world order” – opined Dr. Rani Susan Mathew, Consultant, HealtheMinds. Dr. Rani holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Kerala and has over 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist, counsellor, teacher and special educator in India, USA, Qatar, Brunei and UAE.
About HealtheMinds
HealtheMinds, the pioneering mental wellness counselling and therapy company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Bengaluru, has launched an expanded set of safe, supportive, secure and efficient offerings both in person and online with an extended panel of eminent and internationally recognised mental health practitioners with a diverse range of skills and expertise.