Our Initiatives
Cogworks
Cogworks is an initiative to encourage healthy ageing and enriching the lives of people with dementia. We wanted to bring a community of volunteers together to support people with dementia while their family is at work or in another country! The program focuses on engaging in physical and meaningful cognitive activities through creative expression and social interaction. We have a group of humble and kind artists from movement therapy, visual arts, yoga, and psychology, putting together a program that is most often tailored to each one’s needs.
Samartha - Low Fee Clinic
Samartha is a low cost clinic run by The Green Oak Initiative. We focus on improving efficacy in recovery for low income families. At Samartha, the mental health professionals offer medication management, psychotherapy, and conduct psychological assessments as well. The clinic is run in person for the community in and around Vasanth Nagar, Bangalore. In addition to general mental health, specialist care in perinatal mental health, child & adolescent care, de-addiction and geriatric mental health is also available through this service. All sessions, irrespective of the specialist seen or time spent are charged at a flat fee of Rs.200/-.
If you are experiencing distress, anxiety, low mood, panic attacks, concentration issues, difficulty committing to work or relationships, feeling alienated from friends and family, or experience symptoms like seeing things and hearing voices, please contact us at 9972665268 to schedule an appointment.
Services for healthcare workers
The mental health of healthcare workers is a long neglected area of need in our country. Doctors, nurses, midwives, lab technicians and all hospital workers are often exposed to highly stressful conditions and least likely to seek help. As the COVID crisis exploded around us, it became even more necessary to provide a service to the healthcare workers who were battling in the frontline. Rising to the occasion, our team started a free and confidential helpline to provide psychological support exclusively for healthcare workers. We upskilled ourselves with current knowledge on psychological first aid, and combined with our clinical expertise, developed a protocol for the helpline.
Post COVID, as the demand for the helpline diminished, we have continued to provide confidential and safe mental health care to healthcare workers and are specially sought out for the same. We ensure that all our clinicians also take care of their mental health and have internal systems in place to check in and take care of ourselves and each other.
Services for Personality Disorder
We offer specialized services for people with personality disorder, most commonly Borderline Personality Disorder. These include, second opinion psychiatric assessments, crisis management strategies, individual therapy, family therapy and MBT group therapy.
Mentalisation Based Treatment (MBT) is an evidence based program for management of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The aim of the program is to enhance the individual’s capacity to understand the minds of self and others. This in turn not only improves emotional regulation but also, results in effective interpersonal relationships by improving communication. This was first brought to India by Dr Ashlesha Bagadia, when she facilitated MBT training programs by Prof Anthony Bateman in collaboration with PARC Academy Pvt Ltd (India) and Anna Freud Centre (UK).
Many of our clinicians are trained in MBT and follow evidence based approaches to management of Borderline Personality Disorder. Our therapists offer individual therapy and run MBT groups for people diagnosed with BPD.
Our comprehensive program is the first of its kind in India which combines group therapy with individual therapy and psychiatric care. Our therapists coordinate and communicate regularly with the other professionals involved in the treatment of each person with personality disorder, in order to optimize their care.
Book Club
Popular arts are a great source of information and when depicted correctly can be an ideal medium to dispel myths around mental illness and reduce stigma. Our bi-monthly book club THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS is an open community event where books that explore mental health, illness and wellness are discussed in a reflective safe space.
Movie Club
The Book Club alternates with a bi-monthly film OBLIQUE ANGLE FILM CLUB. Here we discuss films from diverse backgrounds that have mental health as a central theme. Participants range from a regular group of clinicians, service users, carers, to occasional drop-ins to share personal insights when a particular book or film has resonated with them.
Chiguru: Thrive to Five
Chiguru is our perinatal mental health initiative that addresses mental health issues from pre-conception to pre-school. We have an expert team of psychiatrists and psychologists who specifically work in the field of perinatal mental health. We offer services like counselling, evidence based psychotherapy and medical advice for women undergoing mental health issues during antenatal and postpartum periods. We also offer a specialised pre-conception counselling service for women who have a pre-existing mental illness and are planning a pregnancy. In addition, our team offers therapy for improved mother infant bonding, reflective parenting for pre-school children with developmental difficulties and support for the entire family.