Maneka Rai (name changed), a 27-year-old residing in Bengaluru, first heard of Rohini Rajeev — a psychotherapist with over two decades of experience — earlier this year from an excel sheet circulated online. The excel sheet contained recommendations of therapists in the city who were “approachable, non-judgemental and trustworthy”.
“I had been clinically diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety. It was overwhelming and stressful to deal with the fact that there were so many things wrong with my brain and that I needed to medicate. The stigma and lack of support and empathy drove me to find the help and guidance I needed. The excel sheet with people’s real life experiences gave me the confidence to book an appointment,” says Maneka, speaking to The Better India.
“Our first interaction helped me immensely because my emotions and fears were heard and not invalidated. The first few sessions helped me see life in a different light and the advice…