Janani M

Assistant Professor/ Wellbeing advisor

I have been a researcher, educator, and mental health practitioner since 2016. My research (PhD) in Indian Institute of Technology Madras was interdisciplinary, involving Psychology and Arts for Management. As an Assistant Professor in my previous workplace, TISS- BALM, I have employed arts-based pedagogy for teaching and capacity-building. As an educator, I trust that students are innately curious and know themselves the best. In their journey, I view myself as a trained helper driving them to where they aspire. Following a strength-based approach, I facilitate the discovery of their inner strengths and instil growth mindset. As a trained Arts-based therapist and Counselling psychologist, I have worked with multiple age groups with varied lived experiences. The insights from these experiences shed light on people’s potential, identity struggles, intersectional influences on mental health, and subjective ways of coping. I employ a narrative approach in my therapeutic practice and help people restructure dysfunctional self-narrations into healthier ones. With an aspiration to establish a mental health facility for people from marginalised communities, I have explored arts-based interventions for the mental health of clinical and non-clinical populations.

Qualification: U.G: B.Sc Psychology; P.G: M. A Human Resource Management, and M.Sc Counseling Psychology; Ph.D: Interdisciplinary: Management, Psychology and Arts.