The Alternative Story

The Alternative Story is an Indian mental health collective which provides counselling services to individuals and organizations 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 organizations 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 organization 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 (2021-12-26). "Bridging gender gaps in mental health". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  2. Mantri, Geetika (2021-02-06). "India's budget for mental health leaves a lot to be desired: Here's why". The News Minute. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  3. "About". The Alternative Story. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  4. Chandana, Madhura (2018-10-10). "Mental Health Care Is Expensive, But 'The Alternative Story' Lets You Pay What You Want!". Women's Web: For Women Who Do. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  5. Sharma, Prateek (2019-07-10). "Should therapy be political? Influence of social factors on mental health may make a case for such an approach-Living News , Firstpost". Firstpost. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  6. "How To Prioritise Self-Care During The Triggering Time Of #MeToo". Feminism In India. 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  7. Joshi, Sonam (14 July 2019). "Your shrink is now just a click away - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  8. "Mental Health Care in India with Rashi Vidyasagar by Foundry Conversations". Anchor. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  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 2022-04-13.
  10. "Jindal School of Psychology Students Gain Diverse Multi-Disciplinary Experience with Leading Organisations". The Week. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  11. Khatib, Hasina (2020-04-06). "Everything you need to know about online therapy". Vogue India. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  12. Agrawal, Soniya (2020-04-03). "Social stigma towards mental health should not bother you in lockdown. Solution's online". ThePrint. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  13. Khatib, Hasina (2020-04-24). "10 ways to cheer up a stressed-out friend while social distancing". Vogue India. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  14. Mantri, Geetika (2021-07-13). "Survivor's guilt, COVID-19 and the complex tangle of grief". The News Minute. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  15. Mantri, Geetika (2020-12-24). "What we need from India's mental healthcare infrastructure in 2021". The News Minute. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  16. Nigam, Richa (2021-02-09). "Budget 2021 : India's budget for mental health leaves a lot to be desired". Media India Group. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  17. "Services". The Alternative Story. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  18. Sharma, Isheeta (2018-12-15). "5 Places Where You Can Seek Online Therapy If You're Struggling With Mental Health Issues". IndiaTimes. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  19. Murthy, Smitha (2022-03-27). "Healing from trauma". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
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