Get to know Nikhar.

City & Background

Nikhar Ranawat (She/Her) is a mental health counsellor from Mumbai who practices online and offline. They practice in Dadar East.

They're 31 years old and have been practicing since 7 years.

English, and Hindi are some of the languages they know, and hourly fee is (₹) 1,500 - 2,200.

Education

They have the following qualifications: MA Applied Psychology with Specialisation in Counselling, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (2016).

Additional qualifications:Certification in Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice, MHI, June-July 2021,Certification in Arts Based Therapy, 2020,Trauma Informed Therapy From Arizona Trauma Institute.

Why they became a therapist.

"Initially, I pursued psychology just because I wanted to understand myself better. Eventually, I learnt that helping others navigate through their journey and being a witness to it was something that I found fulfilling."

What they'd like a client's first session to be like.

"A safe space of being with themselves and reflecting on their experience, also the feeling of being heard. Another essential thing I'd like a client take back is at least one tool/technique that helps them in times of distress."

How they make their practice a safe and affirmative space for queer and trans* folx.

"As a trained queer affirmative practitioner, I have worked on unlearning some of my heteronormative assumptions about the body, sex and gender and try to inform myself continuously about the unique stressors they face. It is important to understand the various social factors which can cause a lot more distress to the queer individuals which are often chronic in nature. I try to be mindful of these factors rather than assuming the problem lies …"

Areas of concern they address in counselling.

"Working primarily with adolescents, young adults and adults with a variety of mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, grief and loss, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, I work towards understanding of self and relieving distress. I also work with couples and families and understand interpersonal relationship from a family systems lens. Apart from that, a lot of my work is related to building capacity and …"

A Quote Nikhar Resonates With.

"…every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant."