Heart2Mind, An Initiative To Spark A Light On Mental Health

• ByStartupStory     |    July 8, 2021

“Mental health is a major concern worldwide. If we evaluate developments in the field of mental health, India is not far behind in sharing this. It has been observed that mental health issues have been underestimated because of inadequate appreciation of the interplay between mental illness, lack of awareness, and other health disorders. In spite of high staggering numbers, there are visible gaps in the preventive and curative care of these mental disorders. Everyone who is struggling with mental health issues needs to reach out to mental health experts and experts should reach such vulnerable people”Dr. Pubalin Das said, Founding member and working as a Senior Consultant Psychologist in Heart2Mind Psychological Services in an informative interview with the Startup Story.

Dr. Pubalin is a Senior Psychologist, has completed her Ph.D. and Research Associateship at the University of Delhi. She has years of experience in the field of research, teaching, and as a mental health expert. She has been associated with several delinquency homes, prisons, sexual assault victims, and with different communities. While working on her academic career, she had realized that there’s a lack of awareness in our people when it comes to mental health, especially in the underprivileged and ignorant segment people of our nation. That’s when she started Heart2Mind in 2019. She told the Startup Story.

Heart2Mind’s mission is to provide affordable training, excellent counselling, psychotherapy, special education, assessment, research, development and advocacy services to a diverse range of individuals of varying ages. The range of professional specialties such as psychologists, counsellors, social workers, gender sensitive experts, lawyers and special educators available in our team allows clients to match with our experts who have expertise in assessing, guiding and treating their unique concerns . We understand that our clients aren’t broken; they’re stuck. Our main aim is to work with them and help them to get unstuck and craft a life of meaning and purpose.

Dr. Pubalin further added by saying, “In this pandemic we have been associated with Government and different organisations, our counsellors have noticed a significant rise in mental health issues which are affecting the patients and their families’ health as well. Our team has worked with almost 13,000 people all over India so far.” Heart2Mind provides behavioral training and soft skill training to different organisations by skilled experts. The company has unique programs for youth and children’s Mental health as well. Our target is to reach maximum people who are in dire need of assistance.”

Challenges Faced

“Today there are opportunities in terms of growing acknowledgment of mental disorders hence, our country where the stigma around mental health is still intact, causes the victims to suffer in silence. Many people are still unaware of the term even they don’t know what’s leading them to think about suicide”, said Dr. Pubalin. Through taking the help of different NGOs, Corporates, Organizations, Institutes, Universities, Heart2Mind is trying to raise awareness and provide counselling access either one-to-one or in a group to the maximum number of people.

Now it has become an opportunity for Heart2Mind to explore the concept of mental health awareness as a means of combating stigma, enhancing prevention, ensuring early recognition, and also stimulating simple and practical interventions within the community.

How Heart2Mind Helps Clients In Overcoming Their Problems?

When asked about the process of helping clients, Dr. Pubalin replied, Heart2Mind has specialized counsellors, trainers and therapist that make our clients feel comfortable so that they get open up and speak about the thoughts which are haunting them, about their anxiety, and many other problems like such. For instance, After Covid happened, corporate people face numerous problems like post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety issues, and depression. Many corporate employees are in grief as they have lost their family members, friends, and work from home is an added factor to these issues. However, our team tries to give clients one-to-one counseling sessions and group sessions which help experts to focus on them, and also enables clients to speak candidly with our professionals. Heart2Mind helps in learning strategies and techniques to manage stressful situations, stay calm under pressure, bounce back from adversity and find balance in life. Intensifying stress and anxiety levels affect our quality of life, relationships, and general health and wellbeing, as well as workplace morale and productivity. You will look at mental health holistically and understand the continuum of mental wellbeing.

Covid Impact On The Clients

Startup Story asked Dr. Pubalin about these pandemic complications on their clients’ mental health and if there are any common patterns in those cases, to which she replied, ”Yes, there is an immense rise in psychological issues. Generally, these are those issues which could have been solved by talking to their friends, family. But because of Covid, almost 3 in 4 people are suffering from anxiety issues, depression, a post-traumatic disorder that nobody is willing to share and to listen to. Housewives, working people, students, everyone’s frustrated as everyone is mingled up with their own problems. So, we can conclude with the data available that almost 80% of the rise in cases has seen in comparison with earlier cases especially after Covid hit.”

Distinctive Ways Heart2Mind Follow To Help Its Clients To Overcome

“As everyone can’t bear the expense of counselling sessions due to many reasons, so from them Heart2Mind doesn’t charge anything. Our main goal is to reach people, create awareness, and help them to the best of our abilities’, Dr. Pubalin in conversation with Startup Story. Heart2Mind has a special platform that allows people to share their stories with others so that it can become an inspiration and give courage to those who’re not able to speak up for themselves. Moreover, the company runs different campaigns catering to various mental health issues. Heart2Mind has a range of volunteers considering varying age groups.  

“Mental Health comes in a different label. Be open up, share your feelings. These times are tough, stay in touch with your close ones and look at the positive side. We will help you to develop mental dexterity, so you can manage thought patterns that affect wellbeing. Good things take time to happen.”- Dr. Pubalin Das

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