top of page
Wix Site Templates.png
None

I am a qualified psychotherapist based in India. I have worked with a range of psychological vulnerabilities, primarily with the Indian adult demographic.

​

My therapeutic interest in the democratic therapeutic community methodology and Jungian psychoanalysis (analytical psychology) informs the ethos of my practice. An insight-oriented clinical work rooted in the core values of the DTC methodology emphasizes my process-oriented stance. I have a newfound interest in radical ecopsychology blended with eco-friendly living advocacy that trickles into how I re-imagine insight-oriented psychotherapy as a powerful healing experience, rather than technique-driven

​​

My clinical work dissects distress and personality difficulties from a psycho-social lens linked to one’s present context and environment. This is worked through using psychodynamic principles, a psychosomatic lens, and nature-based practices.

Profile Picture of Durga Menon
None
image.png
QUALIFICATIONS

  • MSc. Psychology, Montfort College, Bangalore North University, Bengaluru (2016 - 2018)

  • B.A Psychology (Honours), Christ University, Bengaluru (2012 - 2015) 
     

MY APPROACH and THERAPEUTIC STYLE

  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Relational Practice: Reflective thinking and insights are born from the (therapeutic) relationship co-created between us over time. Therapeutic conversations allow me to understand how your childhood patterns have shaped and aided you in coping so far. I complement my work by using the body, gestalt principles, psychoanalytic, and attachment lenses. ​​

​

  • Democratic Therapeutic Community Methodology: The therapeutic alliance is rooted in the framework of the democratic therapeutic community model. I view you, the client, as an equal contributor to the collaborative therapy process. The primary core values of the DTC approach that inform my therapeutic practice are containment, balance, process-oriented dialogue, respect, and communication.​

​

  • Non-diagnostic and Context-oriented: I rely on the client's psychosocial context and lived experiences of mental health to facilitate the creation of vocabulary concerning a person's narrative and social location.  Looking at one's mental health beyond diagnosis develops an individualized, nuanced grasp of one's inner world and personal history.​ I believe the process of integrating a label into a client's work needs to be experienced gently and with intention.​

​

  • Queer-affirmative Counselling Practice: I believe that queer-affirmative care can inform, dismantle, and challenge our view of gender and sexuality as binaries. This informs how one can re-imagine their identity, intimacy, connection, and belonging beyond stereotypical gender roles. In the indian context,  I rely on this form of care to frame one's position in societal institutions that are key to Indian culture, such as marriage and family.

​​

WORK EXPERIENCE
PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS 
CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  • ​​UNREAD Training Program(for mental health practitioners), Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, September 2021 - February 2022 (Online) 

  • 'Working with Trauma ' series, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, April 2022 (Online)

  • Transactional Analysis (TA 101), International Transactional Analysis Association, Seed TLC, August 2022 (Online)

  • Risk Assessment and Management, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, September 2022 (Online)

  • Seminar on Trauma and Attachment, International Attachment Network, April 2023 (Online) 

  • QACP, Mariwala Health Initiative, Bengaluru, May 2023 (Online) 

  • Understanding Personality Disorders beyond Diagnosis, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, March - May 2024 (Online) 

  • Psychoanalytic Reading Group, Reading Between the Lines with Reva Puri, Rhea Gandhi Psychotherapy, July 2023 - June 2024 (Online)

  • Here and Now: Gestalt as a daily practice with Shalini Rao (Queer Affirmative and Gestalt Practitioner), Bengaluru, July - August 2024 (Online)

  • Attachment Theory and its Clinical Applications, International Attachment Network UK, January - November 2024 (Online) 

  • Introduction to Narrative Practices, Narrative Practices India, March 2026 (Online)

  • Queering Psychoanalysis (PG Diploma Certification Course), Rhea Gandhi Psychotherapy, May - July 2026 (Online) 

​

  • NATURE-BASED TRAINING 

  • Foundations of Outdoor and Adventure Therapy (Practitioner Training Course - hybrid), Adventure Works Australia and Qualia Outdoor Therapy India, Himachal Pradesh, September - November 2024

  • Introduction to Therapeutic Nature-based Interventions, Somatic Nature Training Institute, Boulder, Colorado (USA), April - June 2026 (Online) ​

​​​

  THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY METHODOLOGY

​

ECOFRIENDLY LIVING (ADVOCACY)

​

MEMBERSHIPS and PROFESSIONAL LISTING

​

ECOFRIENDLY LIVING (ADVOCACY)

  • Bare Necessities India Affiliate Membership, Brand Ambassador, Bengaluru, May 2024 - present

image.png
bottom of page