The Alternative Story

The Alternative Story is an Indian mental health collective which provides counselling services to individuals and organisations based in Bengaluru.[1] It aims to provide mental health services that are affordable,[2] intersectional feminist, trauma-informed, kink-aware, queer-affirmative and caste aware.[3][4][5][6]

The Alternative Story
Founded2018 (2018)
Location
  • Bangalore, India
Area served
India
Key people
Paras Sharma and Rashi Vidyasagar
Websitealternativestory.in

History

The group was founded in 2018 by Paras Sharma[7] and Rashi Vidyasagar.[8] Sharma had produced a podcast, also called The Alternative Story, from 2018.[9] In 2022, The Alternative Story was one of 40 national and international organisations to collaborate with Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling in their degree course to provide work placements.[10]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, counsellors from the group spoke about the increased needs for their services, and the mental health impacts of the lockdowns and other pandemic measures[11][12] as well as anxiety when measures were lifted.[13][14] Members of the Alternative Story have spoken about the impact on people in India and the lack of robust mental health infrastructure.[15][16]

Services

The organisation provides the following services:

  • One-on-one counselling
  • Pay What You Want
  • Conjoint and family counselling
  • Support groups
  • Training and workshops
  • Webinars
  • Online counselling[17][18]
  • Certificate course in trauma centred therapy[19]

References
  1. Murthy, Smitha (26 December 2021). "Bridging gender gaps in mental health". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  2. Mantri, Geetika (6 February 2021). "India's budget for mental health leaves a lot to be desired: Here's why". The News Minute. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  3. "About". The Alternative Story. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  4. Chandana, Madhura (10 October 2018). "Mental Health Care Is Expensive, But 'The Alternative Story' Lets You Pay What You Want!". Women's Web: For Women Who Do. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  5. Sharma, Prateek (10 July 2019). "Should therapy be political? Influence of social factors on mental health may make a case for such an approach". Firstpost. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  6. "How To Prioritise Self-Care During The Triggering Time Of #MeToo". Feminism In India. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  7. Joshi, Sonam (14 July 2019). "Your shrink is now just a click away - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  8. "Mental Health Care in India with Rashi Vidyasagar by Foundry Conversations". Anchor. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  9. Ghosh, Shreesha (4 October 2018). "Paras Sharma's podcast 'The Alternative Story' is breaking the stigma around mental health in India". Edex Live. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  10. "Jindal School of Psychology Students Gain Diverse Multi-Disciplinary Experience with Leading Organisations". The Week. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  11. Khatib, Hasina (6 April 2020). "Everything you need to know about online therapy". Vogue India. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  12. Agrawal, Soniya (3 April 2020). "Social stigma towards mental health should not bother you in lockdown. Solution's online". ThePrint. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  13. Khatib, Hasina (24 April 2020). "10 ways to cheer up a stressed-out friend while social distancing". Vogue India. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  14. Mantri, Geetika (13 July 2021). "Survivor's guilt, COVID-19 and the complex tangle of grief". The News Minute. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  15. Mantri, Geetika (24 December 2020). "What we need from India's mental healthcare infrastructure in 2021". The News Minute. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  16. Nigam, Richa (9 February 2021). "Budget 2021 : India's budget for mental health leaves a lot to be desired". Media India Group. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  17. "Services". The Alternative Story. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  18. Sharma, Isheeta (15 December 2018). "5 Places Where You Can Seek Online Therapy If You're Struggling With Mental Health Issues". IndiaTimes. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  19. Murthy, Smitha (27 March 2022). "Healing from trauma". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
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