Therapist Safety Session by Theraspace and Imaara Survivor Support Foundation - Adaiyalam'26 Chennai Mental Health Fest

Who Cares for the Caregivers? Facilitated by Theraspace and Imaara, the Therapist Safety Session carved out something therapists rarely get themselves which is an open, reflective space to talk honestly about the personal and professional weight of working in mental health. After introductions, the lead facilitator opened with an energy check-in, grounding the room in the present before laying out the guidelines that would keep the conversation respectful and meaningful throughout.

The session began with participants forming a circle for an interactive exercise: a series of questions, and a simple instruction to step forward whenever the answer was yes. After each question, the group paused to reflect on why some people had stepped forward and others hadn't. Given that most participants came from psychology backgrounds, a clear pattern emerged. The gaps often traced back to how little practical exposure traditional psychology education offers, despite years of theoretical grounding.

That thread carried into the next activity, where three spaces in the room were marked "Yes," "No," and "It's Complicated." For each scenario, participants physically moved to the space that matched their view, then explained their reasoning. The scenarios pushed into real territory — ethical dilemmas, therapeutic boundaries, situations therapists actually run into in practice. Some scenarios produced quick consensus; others sparked genuine, thoughtful disagreement, a reminder of just how varied perspectives within the field can be.

One of the most charged conversations centred on gender-based violence and systemic oppression within the profession itself. Asked whether women experience mistreatment as therapists, the room answered unanimously YES opening into a frank discussion about the structural barriers and discrimination women in mental health work.

The workshop then shifted into a modified version of Never Have I Ever, with responses limited to "Yes," "No," and "Maybe / I prefer not to disclose." The game itself was almost incidental where each answer became a doorway into deeper conversation about therapist wellbeing. Participants spoke openly about the difficulty of holding professional boundaries, wrestling with self-doubt, swallowing personal discomfort for a client's sake, and struggling to trust their own clinical instincts. The facilitators named a pattern many in the room recognised immediately: therapists routinely put their own emotional needs last, and learning to notice that pattern early is one of the clearest ways to head off burnout.

From there, the conversation turned to the unrealistic expectations placed on therapists, the assumption that they should be calm, regulated, and unaffected at all times, as if emotion were a professional failing. The facilitators pushed back firmly: therapists are human, and frustration, anger, grief, and dysregulation are part of that. Acknowledging those feelings is necessary.

The discussion widened further to structural gaps in psychology education itself and the heavy reliance on Western theoretical frameworks, and the shortage of culturally specific research, training, and support systems built for local communities. The facilitators shared that these very gaps were part of what led them to start their organisation in the first place, with the goal of building stronger professional networks and support systems for therapists.

During the open discussion, Manojj from Hibiscus Foundation raised a question that reframed much of the conversation: why don't techniques like guided imagery or the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise work for every client? His answer was direct, therapeutic interventions should never be applied rigidly or as a one-size-fits-all solution. Therapists, he argued, need to stay flexible, adapting techniques to each person's lived experience, emotional needs, and preferences rather than leaning on standard scripts.

Manojj closed the session with a guided grounding exercise where participants settled into their seats, closed their eyes, regulated their breathing, and slowly brought awareness to different parts of their bodies. The reflections afterward were mixed and honest: some described deep calm, others admitted their anxiety or hypervigilance made it hard to focus, and both responses were treated as valid. Manojj encouraged everyone to keep exploring different self-regulation strategies, both for themselves and for future clients, introducing the idea of a personal mind palace (a mental safe space to return to during moments of emotional overwhelm).

The session left with one clear thread running through it: therapist wellbeing isn't separate from ethical, sustainable mental healthcare but foundational to it. Caring for others, the room agreed, starts with caring for yourself.