Cozyhope - Psychological services for all ages, couples and families

Our Team

Snehal's journey

Snehal (She/Her)

Mail

padhyesnehal@gmail.com for therapy sessions

Name: Snehal

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 46

Roles at Cozyhope: Therapist, Supervisor, Trainer and Co-founder

Availability: Currently unavailable (till 3rd week of April 2024)

Education: PG in Psychology, IGNOU; BSIC, child and adolescent and couple and family therapy skills at Parivarthan, Bangalore; and PG in Analytical and Medicinal Chemistry, SNDT. Currently pursuing a fellowship in Perinatal mental health with Dr. Ashlesha Bagadia and completed a NIMHANS certification for the same.

Approach: Eclectic approach

The spirit of practice: I offer an interactive, non-advisory, and collaborative feedback-based approach. The space utilizes creative methods like art, sand, clay, etc. With a focus on achieving well-being goals, my practice is rooted in self-care, compassion, and understanding trauma-grief-shame impacts, resilience, and wisdom. I embrace secular, inclusive, anti-caste, Queer, and Kink affirmative and Perinatal perspectives. My goal is to co-create solutions mindful of societal structures, mental health systems, resources, and laws.

Psychotherapeutic Tools: SFBT, CBT, TA, Gestalt techniques, REBT, ACT, IFS, and narrative approach.

Intersectionality: Middle aged het - cis- female, married and a parent to a human child. I belong to an upper caste Hindu family. We integrate values of secularism, inter caste marriages, adoption of children, pets in our life choices. We believe in continuous learning journeys. We practice being aware of our privileges and hold human compassion before anything else.

Skilled to work with: Children (4 to 12 years), Adolescents, Young Adults, Middle-aged Adults (40 to 60 years), family and couples, and practicing therapists.

No years of experience: 14+ years (nearly 11000+ session hours)

Mode of therapy: In-person (Whitefield, Bangalore), Telephonic and Online meets platforms

Fee Range: 2600 - 4000 INR (Including 18 % GST for each session)

Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi

I am Snehal and I identify as a heterosexual cis female ('she/her'), present on this planet for a little more than 4 decades.

I am a postgraduate in psychology, medicinal and analytical chemistry and currently pursuing a fellowship in perinatal mental health (with Dr. Ashlesha Bagadia, a perinatal psychiatrist). I am fascinated by the mechanics of the human psyche. I started my journey as a therapist (a mental health practitioner) in 2009 and have been actively present in this space since then. I have worked with NGOs and academies like Parivarthan and Prerana, Bangalore, as a counsellor, life skills and counselling skills trainer, and supervisor. I have also been an early member and then a coordinator of the Parivarthan Counselling Helpline. I follow the 'Humanistic approach' very closely. I am trained in queer affirmative counselling practices. I treat my clients with respect and see myself as their professional confidante. I offer customized tools to my clients that are designed by keeping in mind various lenses such as REBT, ACT, CBT, TA, Gestalt, Trauma-informed Care, Grief, and shame cycles, mindfulness and body, relationship and attachment theories, the inner child work, and other theories to work with clients on issues like depression, mood swings, suicidal ideations, gender identities and confusion, procrastination, conflict resolution, to name a few. I speak in Hindi, English and Marathi. I work with all age groups, children, young adults, couples, and families.

I also work with practicing therapists as a supervisor to provide a safe and empowering space to explore various twists and turns of their sessions. I am certified to be a supervisor and look at this space as a nurturing ground of growth and sustainability.

Shamili's Journey

Shamili (She/Her)

(On a sabbatical)

Mail

shamiliwork30@gmail.com

Name: Shamili
Pronouns: She/her
Age: 30

Education: Masters in Applied Psychology specializing in Counselling Psychology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

Populations I work with: children above 12 years, families, couples, adults, queer, and minority communities
Certifications: Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (MHI), Couple therapy (Harvard Medical School), Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Schools (Aantarik Psych), Supporting children and adolescents through grief (Aantarik Psych), Introduction to Mentalization Based therapy (The Green Oak Initiative)
The spirit of practice: Trauma-Focused, Queer, Kink, Caste and Minority Affirmative, Systemic, Intersectional, and Inclusive lens
Approach: Eclectic approach (dominantly using Narrative therapy, Humanistic and Trauma-focused approaches)
Intersectionality: A child of an inter-religious couple, views religions as philosophies, spiritual, middle socioeconomic class, semi-urban upbringing, queer
No years of experience: 6 years
Charge: 2,360 - 3500 INR (including 18 % GST for each session)
Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu

A lived experience of coming from a multireligious, multicultural family and neighborhood, I bring a deep sensitivity and appreciation for diversity and a passion for inclusion. "A safe, authentic space for all, where they feel valued, worthy, and accepted" is the dream that I wake up to each day. Having experienced its value in my life, every living being is worthy of such honest connection and dignity. Okay, I know.. I am human after all! I may not be completely without my opinions and biases. However, my commitment is to engage in intentional-self work and supervision, be aware of how these would affect the process with my clients, and use them constructively through the journey.

Professionally, I identify as a psychotherapist and view therapy as a journey where I and my client, co-travel. A trauma-informed, queer, and caste-affirmative, systemic (contextual), and intersectional understanding of mental health forms my basic lens to therapy. Individuals don’t exist in isolation and neither do their struggles. I find it to be important to validate the contextual realities of the person as I facilitate them to embrace their agency. I believe therapy has a radical potential to transform us and our societies with self-awareness and compassion. I am trained in many approaches to therapy like humanistic, narrative, existential, CBT, ACT, and trauma-focused practices along with different approaches to couple and family therapy. I integrate and customize them according to the concern and what resonates most with my client. I have worked with all age groups, couples, and families with varying concerns and strengths. Alright, enough jargon here, please check my LinkedIn page if you wish to know more about my training and work 😊 One of my passion projects is called “Maanasa” where I engaged as a Counselling Psychologist, Project coordinator, and trainer involved in providing integrated, holistic - mental health and other development and skilling services for children in conflict with the law (under the JJ Act, 2015), their families and the staff at the Observation home in Madivala, Bangalore.

Okay, now that you know a bit about my work, as a person I am goofy, artistic, and spiritual - connecting deeply to nature, appreciating a play with ideas, literature, and poetry, loving gardening, mindfulness, and some art-accompanied- meditation! I speak Telugu, Hindi, and English and am learning Dari- to engage with the scarred and resilient world of the Afghanis. It is my honor to hold an empathetic, curious (non-judgemental) space for you and your story.

Our Story

30th August, 2019

An unusual meeting place, the Observation Home for boys in Madivala, was where we first met. Led by Dr. Kalpana P (Board Member, JJB, Bangalore Urban), we were both involved in an integrated services project called Maanasa, designed for the care, well being and healing of children in conflict with law, their families and the staff at the OH.

4th January, 2020

We met at a cafe in Indiranagar, Bangalore, to "just- be and catch up". This rendezvous took an unexpected turn, leading to a decision to work together as a team, manifesting our shared values in our work individually and together!

18th January, 2020

An important need wherein, different members of the same family needed psychological support, collaboration between their therapists and a joint therapy space, began to emerge. We began exploring possibilities to build a model to cater to this need by working together.

The seed for Cozyhope was sown!

24th March, 2020

The first wave of the deadly coronavirus hit the country and a complete lockdown was announced. We shifted to providing sessions online and figuring out ways to work together. We initiated a research project, attended webinars and workshops, became panelists for various online discussions, learning more and working more than ever, as we saw the demand for mental health services soar like never before!

30th November 2020

After serious discussions, laughter riots and many, many messages, we decided to call our collective: Cozyhope! We designed the logo and articulated our vision.

As 2020 passed by, we got more and more geared to launch ourselves. Things started opening up, and we started exploring options of providing services in-person again. However, we experienced a set back because of 2nd wave of COVD-19. This wave, a gigantic crisis, proved to be a huge personal and professional challenge. Absorbed in adapting and responding to the pandemic, we decided to postpone our launch.

25th November 2021

After several crests and troughs through the journey, we are finally here.

Welcome to the Cozyhope Community! Let's build a world that facilitates healing, together!

Cozy Hope