A safe place to talk about mental health, with someone who listens.

I'm Karishma. I listen, help you make sense of what is happening, and help you find the right support.

Not a clinician. Handled with care. No judgement. You set the pace.

Help can exist and still be out of reach.

Between realising you need help and getting the care you need, there are many small places where people quietly fall away. Those places are what I work on.

Listen.

The first person someone tells may decide whether they ever ask again. Staying with the discomfort, without judging, is where it starts.

Understand.

Then I look at what is really in the way: the energy to make a call, a line that drops, a request to bring someone along, costs that add up.

Help.

A small step in the right place can carry someone across: a number that connects, a clear next move, a hand-over that holds.

Build.

When the same gap keeps appearing, it is a system problem. More people noticing early, knowing what to do next, and somewhere for that to lead. That is what I want to help build.

It starts with a conversation.

You don't need the right words. Tell me what happened, or what you've noticed.

Write to Me Explore the Questions

About me

I'm Karishma. I find barriers and work towards solutions.

I'm interested in mental health because finding help isn't always easy. People struggle to find the right therapist, afford treatment, or get the support they need when they need it. I want to understand these challenges and see what can be done about them.

I studied Cognitive Science at IIT Kanpur, conducted research at IIT Bombay, and worked in product management across healthcare and fintech. I've always been curious about why problems exist and what it takes to solve them in practice.

I'M NOT A CLINICIAN OR A THERAPIST. Through this platform, I hope to listen to people's experiences, understand what they're going through, and work towards making mental health support easier to access and sustain.

What listening has taught me

Often the hardest part isn't the problem. It's the beliefs that keep people from saying it.

What people often thinkWhat listening has taught me

“If I ask, I'll make it worse.”

Asking openly doesn't plant the idea. It gives someone a chance to say what they have been carrying alone.

“They'll feel this way forever.”

Moments of crisis can pass or change, especially when someone is not facing them alone.

“They're just seeking attention.”

Talking about wanting to die is often a way of reaching out. It deserves to be heard, not dismissed.

“I have to fix this.”

You don't. Listening without judgement, and helping someone reach the right support, is already a lot.

These ideas are standard in gatekeeper training, including the course I completed with the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy (ILS, Pune). I AM NOT A CLINICIAN OR A THERAPIST, AND THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE.

Who this is for

Wherever you are coming from, you are welcome here.

If you have come across something in mental health or healthcare that does not quite make sense, I would like to understand it.

You're going through something

Something hard has happened, or is happening, and you want to make sense of it.

Read stories →

You've noticed something

Something in healthcare or mental health doesn't seem to be working as it should.

Explore the questions →

You're building something

You're working on a research, product or health problem and want another perspective.

Let's talk →

If you write to me

Here's what happens next.

You set the pace

Share a little or a lot. No need to explain everything.

I listen first

No judging, and no rushing to advice.

We find a next step

Information, a person, or professional support, chosen with you.

I handle what you share with care and discretion. If someone’s life is at immediate risk, I may need to involve others, and I would talk to you first wherever I can. Read: How I handle your messages