workshops

A  workshop taken on 14th May, 2021 via zoom to address helplessness in therapists as they struggle against systemic inequalities that affect their clients and are a big contributor to the clients mental health issues. 

This two session workshop series in January and February 2022 was aimed at questioning internalized productivity guilt and shame. The participants came together and created and deconstructed these ideas - where had they learnt them, what purpose do they serve, how do they harm and how can they be substituted. 

This was done with "Sunny Mugs" the Poetry society of Jesus and Mary College on 10th Oct, 2021. The participants learnt about enhancing mental health with the help of writing. 

This was a three series workshop designed to help people work through the effects of the pandemic, feelings around productivity and behaviours of procrastination. It took place in August 2021. Participants made an acronym out of the word "PRODUCTIVITY" based on what they want and prefer in their lives and wrote a poem gifting procrastination to a loved one. 

This workshop was taken in the beginning of 2021 and was free to attend for everyone. Five questions were collectively answered which often make us wonder why we do what we do.

We have trained Manntalks counselors on working with queer and trans clients, bod y image issues and substance use. In July 2022, we trained them for the third time. 

On 3rd and 4th July, 2021, our founders took a training with mental health practitioners on how to work with queer and trans folx. This training was aimed at helping to build perspective and imbibe practical skills. 

In June 2022, our founders did a training for the counselors at Mpower on working with queer and trans folx. This training covered deconstruction of sex, gender, sexuality as well as focused on unique life stress, decolonizing of psychology, ethics and applications. 

Our founder Sadaf took a training in August 2021, on abuse prevention and handling disclosures for the counselors at SOA. 

Our founder Aryan did a two day training with Rubaroo, an organization that primarily works with child sexual abuse on how to work with queer and trans folx, especially in the context of abuse, childhood and family concerns. 

Our founder Aryan did a two day training with The Plane Jar,  a Mental Health Organization that provides a safe space to CSA survivors and queer/trans folx via its support groups. 

In June  2021, Sadaf took a training with COSAS for participants from the mental health field on he topic of termination - which addressed issues like what is a good termination, ongoing termination and rupture. 

In June 2021, Sadaf did a training for the Summer Program of Unbottle Emotions on the topic "how to be better allies to the queer community".  

In Feb 2021, Sadaf privided training to counselors of Deepa Sai Avula's organization, Dance for Mental Health on Working in the Indian Context.

A group of South African women approached Sadaf to take a small training on Decolonizing Mental Health in early 2021.

This was a group training done for students in 2021 for WeTheYoung's program. It covered important elements of mental health for Gen Z. 

A 7 day training focusing on intersectionality, nuance, vulnerability and healing for the general population as well as mental health practitioners and doctors. 

Aryan was invited to take a lecture at TISS on unique life stressors of trans individuals and how depth, nuances and relational work with trans clients looks like, in Jan 2023. 

Gynecologists, lawyers and mental health practitioners on the StandWeSpeak Platform were trained in a queer affirmative lens by Aryan and Sadaf.

This took place in Jan and Feb 2023 for school leaders, counselors and social worker s in Akanksha Foundation.

 The workshop focused on outreach for creating novel treatment models of HIV testing, prevention, treatment and care among trans populations. The ACCELERATE program is a USAID funded implementation science initiative that provides technical assistance to Indian National, State, and District HIV/AIDS programs to deliver comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment services to FSW, MSM, PWID, and transgender persons (TG), their children and partners. The overarching objective of ACCELERATE is to implement and assess models to deliver high impact on HIV and social services for KP in India.

Aryan and Sadaf were invited on an episode of the Suno India pride and prejudice podcast where they shared their thoughts on the pitfalls of specialized courses and the loss of nuance with professionals when working with intersections. Hear it here.

Here's the article we wrote for Tarshi, called "When the Game is Set Against You, Why Play by The Rule" focusing on how queer trans people can take back charge of their lives.

This article explores if "Therapy in India is Inherently Casteist", and if so, how can we still work with Caste in a way that is not reductive. 

Guftagu has won the Rachna Restoore award for "Mental Health Beyond Boundaries" in Dec 2022.