Malini Sridhar is the Executive Director of Parivarthan and the Managing Trustee of Parivarthan Consultation and Training Services.

She is a post-graduate in Commerce from Bangalore University (1975) and her career path has alternated between Finance and the NGO sector with brief forays into teaching and advertising.

She began her career as a Probationary Officer with the State Bank of India (1976 – 1987) and worked with the bank in various branches and in different managerial capacities.

After a break of 2 years to be a full-time mother, she joined the Spastics Society of India (now Karnataka) (1989 – 1994) to co-ordinate their Fund Raising and Community Awareness Programs.

She then went back to the financial field as Manager – Corporate Finance at Integrated Finance Private Limited, an NBFC (1094-1997).

In 1997, she was approached to set up Parivarthan, which was registered as a Society to provide counselling services and training programs in counselling skills. She was Administrator from 1997 – 2002 and thereafter has been the Executive Director of the Centre.

Vivek Varma has an MBA and over 14 years of experience working in Human Resource Development and Behaviour Studies. In 2017 he started his training to become a counsellor with Parivarthan, and has since completed his Child and Adolescent Counselling and Couples and Family Certification from Parivarthan. Prior to working as the Director – Services, Vivek worked with Parivarthan as a Counsellor, Trainer and in the Outreach Services.

Satish has completed his B.Com and has been working for over 10 years in Administration and Accounts

Amrita Kaur has a Post Graduate Degree in Human Resources from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management Pune and Certifications in Counselling (BSIC), Couple and Family Counselling from Parivarthan.

She has over 18 years of experience as a Practitioner and Educationist in the field of Human Resources and Organization Behavior & Psychology.

Amrita follows the integrative approach to counselling and works with adolescents, adults and couples. She has also done emotional wellness programs for corporate executives and individual & group therapy under the EAP umbrella.

She believes that individuals need to be held and supported with unconditional positive regard in their journey towards emotional and mental well-being.

Anjana Kochhar has an MSc. (Psychology) degree from the University of Madras (2015). Prior to this, she completed her Diploma in Basic Counselling Skills from Parivarthan (2012), followed by Certificates in Child and Adolescent Counselling and Couples and Family Counselling. She earned her initial degree in Electrical Engineering from Goa University (1990).

Anjana has over six years of experience of engaging with a diverse group of people ranging from children and adolescents to adults and the elderly across a very diverse socio-economic spectrum. She follows an integrative approach comprising of person-centered, CBT and TA principles. She also incorporates emotional embodiment using ISP techniques in her counselling practise.

Aparna Ramkrishnan is a Movement Psychotherapist registered with The Association of Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (ADMPUK) and The Indian Association of Dance Movement Therapy India (IADMT). She has a Masters degree in Dance Movement psychotherapy from Goldsmiths, University of London. She also holds a Masters of Science in Medical Sociology from The University of Madras and a Post Diploma In Bharatanatyam from Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai.

Aparna works both with individuals and groups in a variety of community settings. She has worked with a varied client population from adolescents to adults.
For her, integrating mental health with the use of the body as a creative outlet helps bring a sense of oneness. In addition, she believes that each movement of the body is an adventure, where, with the support provided by the therapeutic relationship, one seeks to explore something new each time. She also holds a strong ethical outlook of creating a safe space of inclusivity and non-judgment.

B.N. Sharada has around 20 years of experience in the field of counselling. During the years she has worked with a spectrum of ages ranging from children to senior citizens. Her special areas of interest include gender, LGBTIQ, caste, group work and using media for therapy.

Sharada has obtained a BSc (Horticulture) from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore (1988) and an MSc in Psychology from the University of Madras (2005). Additionally, she has completed a certification in Basic Skills in Counselling from Parivarthan, Bangalore (2001); Neuro-Linguistic Programme (NLP) (both basic and advance) (2001), Certification in ‘Couple and Family Counselling’ (2005) and ‘Child and Adolescent Counselling’ (2005) from Parivarthan. She believes that learning is a constant process, which shows through the workshops she has attended so far on Transaction Analysis, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic, Psychoanalysis, REBT, Gestalt, Values in the Counselling Room, Gender and Sexuality, Telephone Counselling, Gay Affirmative Therapy, Acceptance, and Commitment Therapy,  Reflective Supervision, Workshop on Supervision, to name a few. Currently, she is obtaining training in Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP).

She has been working with Parivarthan since 2001 as a Trainer, Counsellor, Supervisor and Outreach facilitator. Through the course, she has successfully conducted training modules in Counselling and Supervision in Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Being a co-founder of an NGO called ‘Sangama’, Sharada has in her kitty, a vast experience of dealing with the non-English speaking LGBT community. Sharada has also worked as Project Assistant and Interpreter to Ms. Aase, a Danish Research Scholar from Copenhagen University Denmark (1900-92); WYTEP-Women and Youth Training Project related to Agriculture (1992); Worked In Development and Human Right sector(1996-99); she has also trained the state police in gender sensitivity and counselling. 

Having completed her M.A. in Anthropology, an (M.Sc. in Family Therapy and Counselling), and completing specialized courses in Parivarthan such as, Basic Skills in Counselling, Couple and Family Counselling, and Child and Adolescent Therapy, Gayatri Abraham is a counsellor who uses different therapeutic models and modalities such as EFT, CBT, inner child healing, and mindfulness techniques, and has specific interests in trauma-informed approaches. She works with individuals and couples in the areas of decision-making, relationship concerns, grief and loss, trauma, depression and anxiety management.

Bringing in life experience along with skills and expertise, her technique is eclectic and she believes that every individual has the potential to access their inner world, and has abilities to navigate their life situations and make informed choices.

Gayatri’s approach is through an anthropological lens and focuses on human diversity and the application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds and family systems. She recognises the importance of emotional nuances as a core of an individual’s experiences and emphasises safety and connections in relationships, which can be a channel for growth and development.

Starting her career in 1993, Gayatri Abraham has built her expertise across various industries in the corporate sector, such as hospitality, lifestyle, public relations. Later she branched out, following her passion, and started and continues to run Padme an NGO in the adoption space, which she manages along with her role as a counsellor.

The NGO supports and helps couples and individuals navigate through the adoption journey – from dealing with infertility and loss, to preparing them to make an informed decision on adoption as an alternative route to expanding families.

She is an avid reader and nature/wildlife buff. For her, self-healing begins when one is attuned to nature within and outside of oneself.

She offers counselling in English and Tamil

Gayitri Bhatt moved into the field of mental health after several years of practice of Medicine as an Anaesthesiologist. She did the BSIC at Parivarthan in 2002 and later qualified as an Integrative Psychotherapist at Sherwood Institute, Nottingham, UK. She holds an MSc in Psychotherapy Studies from the University of Sheffield, UK. She is also trained in trauma-informed approaches such as EMDR and Integral Somatic Psychology which equip her to help people with Complex PTSD and Dissociation. Her other areas of interest include Adoption attachment and Indian Psychology.

Gayitri has been a faculty member at Parivarthan since 2005 as a trainer and supervisor for counsellor development programs. As a therapist, she works with adults, couples and children. Besides English, she is fluent in Hindi, Gujarati, and Kannada and manages some German too.

Lakshmi is a certified Counsellor from Parivarthan. She has completed training in Basic Skills in Counselling (BSIC), Advanced Training in Child and Adolescent Counselling, and Couples and Family Counselling.

In quest of learning other modalities, Lakshmi continued and got certified as an NLP practitioner, clinical hypnotherapy, breath work, chakra healing, crystal healing, Theta healing, inner child healing, and Transactional Analysis. She is a Queer affirmative, trauma-informed therapist.

Truly mesmerized by the uniqueness that every individual is, cause of environment, home, social system, culture, and individual state of mind, Lakshmi brings in the integrative therapy approach, that works with the body, mind, emotion and soul of a person.

After completing her PGDHRM, Lakshmi worked in an IT firm, establishing Smartian groups and built in a safe environment for individuals to express themselves. She later made this into her main purpose and has spread various programmes in colleges, and schools on mental health and its importance in our daily lives.

Lakshmi is presently working as a counsellor with Parivarthan and the Parivarthan Helpline, and provides support to Micelio Mobility Private Limited.
She has 9 years of experience in counselling, has worked with various companies, supports NGOs and facilitates school and college students in private and confidential setups.

Lakshmi am proficient in English, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil.

Madhumitha is a certified counsellor from Parivarthan Counselling, Training and Research Centre in Bangalore. She also has a certification in life skills training, couples and family therapy and transaction analysis. In her counselling work, she uses an integrative client-centred approach and a cognitive behaviour approach. She specifically works in areas of minority stress, in particular with communities like persons with disability, the LGBTIQ+ community, domestic violence survivors and women. She has taken steps towards trying to make counselling accessible for the deaf including authoring a paper which was published by Mariwala Health Initiative and starting a peer support program for queer individuals in partnership with InnerSight and Orinam.

Apart from her work as a mental health professional, she is the founder of Diversity Dialogues and works extensively in the space of building inclusive workplaces. She has in the past, led diversity and inclusion for organizations like Coca-Cola and Snapdeal and been recognised for her contributions on multiple platforms.

Institutional work as a mental health professional (Counsels in English, Hindi and Tamil)

Manisha Gokhale has been in the field of counselling since 2006. She has M.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Madras and Certifications in Counselling (BSIC), Child & Adolescent Counselling and Couple & Family Counselling from Parivarthan.

Manisha follows an integrative approach to counselling and is committed to reflective practice. She works with individual adults and couples from diverse backgrounds. She is queer affirmative and interested in the workings of the therapeutic alliance and therapy process. She offers counselling in English, Marathi, and Hindi. She is involved in training and supervision for the counselling training programs and life skills training programs at Parivarthan.

She moved to the field of counselling after 8 years of work in the development sector and 3 years in human resources in IT staffing. She also has an M.A. in Political Science from Bombay University.

P. Rama Lakshmi is a certified counsellor, having completed her Basic Skill In Counselling, BSIC(2018), Child And Adolescent Counselling(2019), and Couple and Family Counselling (2022).

She started her career as a nurse. An avid learner, she also has postgraduate degrees in English and Sociology, an MBA and PGDPPHC. She is also a qualified Montessori teacher, and a holistic healing practitioner and is currently pursuing her postgraduate degree in psychology.

She works with school children, teenagers in college, adults in the corporate and private sector as well as couples and families. She offers her counselling sessions in English, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada.

Pinky is a certified counsellor working in the space of Individual, Couples and Queer Affirmative Counselling. She adopts an integrative approach in her counselling and uses various methods to create a therapeutic space for clients to explore and navigate through their concerns and reach spaces of resolution. Pinky provides sessions in English, Hindi and Kannada.

With a background of 5 years in the education industry, Pinky began her counselling journey after completing ‘Basic Skills In Counselling’ with Parivarthan in 2019. Post which she completed her advanced training in ‘Child and Adolescent Counselling’ and ‘Couples and Family Counselling’.

Prerna Kapur has an MSc. in Psychoanalysis from University College London and Anna Freud Centre, and a BA Hons. in Psychology from Lady Shri Ram College.

Prerna has worked with children, adolescents, and families over the last six years. Her experience includes working as a Therapist at The Shri Ram School (NCR), Rishi Valley School, Snehadhara foundation – a center for special needs children, Kara4Kids – an inclusive kindergarten, and Salaam Balak Trust amongst others.

She has been a counsellor at Parivarthan since 2018 and has worked with children, adolescents, individuals, and families.

Rakesh is a certified counsellor from Parivarthan. He has completed training in Basic Skills in Counselling (2019), Child and Adolescent Counselling (2019) and Couple and Family Counselling (2021). He is also a certified queer affirmative counsellor (QACP, 2019).

Rakesh aims to help clients develop a nurturing view of themselves so they can build more centred and fulfilling lives. To aid them in this, he wants to help clients develop a holistic and empowering view of their patterns of response to different situations. As an integrative therapist, he brings a combination of therapeutic strategies to support this process. One key strategy is creating a safe space in which clients can navigate the changes they seek.

Prior to becoming a counsellor, Rakesh worked in journalism. His educational training has been in Journalism and Psychology (Christ College, Bangalore) and in Politics (MA, University of Hyderabad; MPhil, Jawaharlal Nehru University).

With a background of over 20 years in learning and development and leadership coaching, Rovan began his counselling journey after completing ‘Basic Skills In Counselling’ with Parivarthan in 2018. He is also certified in Couple and Family Counselling from Parivarthan and works with adults in relationships in diverse family structures and systems.

Rovan is a Queer Affirmative Counselling Practitioner and believes in creating positive and affirmative spaces for everyone across spectrums of gender and sexuality. He recognizes the cross-sectionality of experiences and addresses them with a humanistic view. He follows an integrative approach in his counselling and uses various methods to create a therapeutic space for clients to explore and navigate through their concerns and reach spaces of resolution.

He provides sessions in English, Hindi and basic Malayalam.

Roy is a certified counsellor from Parivarthan. He follows an integrative approach in his therapy work and draws on a variety of techniques and frameworks in the field of Psychology to help his clients as they explore and navigate their own concerns, relationships, and selves. Roy is committed to educate, re-educate, and explore himself through ongoing participation in workshops and courses in the fields of Healing, Mental Health and Psychology.

After 18 years in Banking and Business Process Outsourcing, where he held a variety of leadership roles, and reinventing himself over the following 15 years as a Photographer and a Performing Artist in Theatre & Film, he worked towards completing his training in Basic Skills in Counselling in 2021, and Couple and Family Counselling in 2022. He presently works with adults and couples / families and also has a private practice.

Roy received his BA (Hons) in Economics from Harvard University in 1987. He is currently enrolled in an MA (Psychology) from IGNOU.

Srividya Muralikrishna has been in the field of Counselling since her completion of the One Year  Training Programme, Basic Skills in Counselling (BSIC) at Parivarthan in 2013. She has a Post-graduation in Psychology (2017) and Business Administration(1999). Srividya has done her advanced training in Basic Skills in Child and Adolescent Counselling(2014), and Basic Skills in Couple and Family Counselling(2014) from Parivarthan. She is a certified practitioner of Integral Somatic Psychology(2019).

Srividya works with diverse age groups.  She has worked with children and adolescents at the Centre for Child and Law and  Bosco Rainbow Home. Srividya has worked with Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore as their Student Counsellor.  She was associated with Employee Associate Programs as a Consultant Counsellor. She is presently engaged with Parivarthan as a Counsellor.  She is associated with MVJ Engineering college as their Student Counsellor and as a Consultant Counsellor with a Hospital. She has been with Parivarthan Counselling Helpline since 2014.

Srividya uses an Integrative approach in her practice.  She believes that individuals have an innate potential to grow and change and hence facilitates the process of self-awareness. She is fluent in English and Tamil. 

Suma. S. Belawadi has been working in the field of Psychology for the past 12 years and has expertise in the field of teaching and counselling. Suma has a Masters in Psychology from Bangalore University and has worked in the academic field. She worked as a Lecturer in Surana Post Graduate Centre, Jyoti Nivas College and Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

She is a Certified Counsellor and holds a certificate in Basic Skills in Counselling, Couple and Family Counselling, Child and Adolescent Counselling and Dance/Movement Approaches in Therapy from Parivarthan.

With her experience and skills in counselling, she is currently running a private practice as a counsellor and is providing professional counselling services to individuals, couples, children and adolescent clients.

She is proficient in English, Kannada, and Hindi and also offers online consultations and telephone counselling.

Sumana Hari has experience working with college students, children, adults, and couples with an objective of facilitating self-awareness and building life skills to cope with different challenges they come across and live meaningfully with better adjustment. She is currently working at Parivarthan Counselling Training and Research Centre, National Law School of India University, Indian Statistical Institute and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics as a Counsellor.

She has an M.S in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Kuvempu University (2014), Certificate in Counselling (Parivarthan, 2013), Certificate in Child and Adolescent Counselling (Parivarthan, 2014), Certificate in Couple and Family Counselling (Parivarthan, 2014) along with a PG Diploma in Personnel Management (2002). She is also certified in Integral Somatic Psychology (2019).

She is passionate about exploring the possibilities for self-awareness, healing and wellness and believes that all human beings have the resources and ability to make changes in their lives. Counselling can be an effective means to unlock this potential. She offers counselling in English and Hindi.

Vinita Shah has over 19 years of experience in the field of counselling. During these years, she has worked with a wide spectrum of ages from a 4-year-old child to a 70-year-old adult. Her specializations are in the areas of – career counselling and counselling for adolescents. 

Vinita has a BA in Psychology from Kolkata University (1990) and an MA in Child Psychology from Kolkata University (1992). She has completed a Certification in Basic Skills in Counselling from Parivarthan, Bangalore (2002); Certification in Couple and Family Counselling (2005) and Child and Adolescent Counselling (2005) from Parivarthan. She also has a Certificate for attending a Workshop on Addressing Psycho-Social problems at Work conducted by International Labor Organization, Geneva (2004).

She has been working with Parivarthan as a career counsellor, counsellor, trainer, and supervisor.

She has also worked in Manovikas Kendra, a Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Differently Abled Children, Kolkata, from Jan 1993 – April 1995 as a Special Educator.

Kaushiki is a certified counsellor from Parivarthan (2018) and follows an integrative, feminist approach to counselling. She includes embodied methods in her work. She is open and affirmative with regard to gender and sexuality and is a certified queer affirmative counsellor (QACP 2019).

Through her work, she aims to enable clients to see themselves better and accept themselves. She seeks, through this process, to help them choose their paths more consciously. Her work supports clients by providing a therapeutic space while they navigate the changes that occur in their lives and selves.

Previously, she worked in labour and livelihoods. Her initial training is in anthropology (BA, Amherst College, 2004) and political theory (MA, University of Chicago, 2005).

Kaushiki works with individual adults, children & adolescents, and also provides relationship counselling.

Maitri Gopalakrishna is a Drama therapist, Counselling psychologist, and practice-researcher. She has a Ph.D. from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai and an MA in Counselling Psychology with a concentration in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. She is also a registered drama therapist (RDT) of the North American Drama Therapy Association. She has been a member of staff at Parivarthan since 2009.

Maitri works with both individuals and groups in a variety of institutional and community settings. Her work includes community building, preventative care, mental health support, psychotherapy, and training. She has experience working with issues of gender, sexuality and sexual trauma and childhood sexual abuse. Her work is greatly influenced by intersectional feminist therapy,  narrative approaches, role theory, psychodrama and theories of Augusto Boal. Maitri’s current areas of practice-research include drama as an intervention for sexual trauma and drawing on theories and practices from the Natyashastra in therapeutic work.

Manju Sapru has worked in the field of counselling for over 14 years. She identifies as an Integrative Therapist and has completed her Masters in Psychology and the one-year BSIC practical training from Parivarthan Counselling and Training Centre.

Her work is informed by approaches from Attachment theory and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and incorporates mindfulness and the expressive arts/ media often as a practice tool for dealing with issues related to anxiety and depression.

She works extensively with individuals, couples as well as having a special interest in working with children and adolescents. She has worked as a student counsellor and became HOD of the Counselling department in Christ College (PU section) for nearly 3 years. 

She currently facilitates the Advanced Training Programme at Parivarthan in Counselling Children and Adolescents for trained counsellors. Manju also co-facilitated, for many years, the Advanced Training Course in Couple and Family Counselling at Parivarthan in addition to running various training programs at various organisations.

Before entering the counselling field she started and ran her own preschool for over 21 years. This passion for observing, engaging and hopefully transforming for the better, the lives of herself and others is the bedrock of the professional part of Manju’s life.

Pallavi is a Certified Counsellor trained in an integrative approach of psychotherapy, leaning towards a Relational Perspective. She utilizes a variety of techniques and skills drawn from recognized therapeutic modalities in her work.

Primarily an MBA graduate early in her career, with experience of the corporate world and running an early learning centre for young children, she moved to the field of Behavioral Counselling in 2017. She has since then continually sought updates to her skills and has taken up courses in various modalities to enhance her knowledge base.

She believes that our mental and spiritual health is intertwined with the ways in which we interact with the world and the world interacts with us both individually and collectively.

Her approach emphasizes that therapy is a collaborative process between the client and the counsellor and hence guides her clients to gain new perspectives along with an ongoing evaluation of the therapeutic approach. She creates a space for them to safely process their concerns and nurtures the courage to be imperfect.

Pallavi has been working with individuals of all ages, gender, backgrounds, abilities and is a certified Queer Affirmative Counselor.

She follows an intersectional, feminist and person-centered approach to her practice. She has also worked as a Therapeutic Movement Facilitator in remand homes, various schools for children with special needs and their mothers in India.

Sanjini is passionate about the provision of mental health and arts therapies. Through her continuing research Sanjini aims to investigate how DMP could help men express their embodied affective experiences outside the patriarchal/stereotypical norms.