The Alternative Story

(Redirected from Draft:"The Alternate 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

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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

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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

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  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.