

RHEA GANDHI PSYCHOTHERAPY
DURGA MENON
(she/her)
RELATIONAL PSYCHODYNAMIC PRACTITIONER
I view depth work as an opportunity to get acquainted with yourself through words rooted in insight-oriented self-reflection and the capacity for perspective-building. I view the self as an embodied, holistic living being that carries its own life when witnessed and held through an intersectional lens.
I believe distress is a part of our lives and the key to self-exploration starts with your life story. Our work will bring your patterns to life through our relationship, to help understand how they move, evolve and co-exist as parts that contribute to the self. In therapy, we can co-create a holding space for meaning-making together.
Our lived experiences of mental health are rich when insight is born from a 'self' that is relational and interconnected. I believe the bio-eco-psych-social-cultural lens is integral in experiencing therapy collaboratively.



QUALIFICATIONS
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MSc. Psychology, Montfort College, Bangalore North University, Bengaluru (2016 - 2018)
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B.A Psychology (Honours), Christ University, Bengaluru (2012 - 2015)
AREAS OF SUPPORT
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Attachment History and Childhood Experiences
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Interpersonal Dynamics (Relationships and group difficulties)
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Gender and Sexuality (Queer Affirmative Support)
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Self-exploration
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Career Difficulties and Transitions
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Navigating Life Transitions - Marital and Family Life
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Anxiety (Performance anxiety, social anxiety)
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Stress (Daily, Acute and Chronic)
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Depression
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Grief and Loss
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Abuse and Trauma (Emotional, Financial & Sexual)
MY APPROACH

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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.
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Democratic Therapeutic Community Methodology: The therapeutic alliance is rooted in the framework of the democratic therapeutic community Iens. I view you, the client as an equal contributor to the collaborative therapy process. Some of the values from the DTC approach that aid me in holding a therapeutic space are containment, balance, process-oriented dialogue, respect, and communication.
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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. This allows us to deepen your understanding of your distress with the endeavor to form an individualistic, nuanced grasp of one's inner world and personal history.
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Trauma-informed and Queer-affirmative
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BACP ethical guidelines contribute to how I hold therapeutic spaces responsibly as per the practice's guidelines.
WORK EXPERIENCE
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Psychotherapist, Rhea Gandhi Psychotherapy, July 2022 - present
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Mosaic, Academic Therapeutic Group Facilitator, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, August 2023 - present
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Mosaic, Academic Therapeutic Community Administrative Officer, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, November 2022 - May 2023
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Sports Psychologist Trainee, Reliance Foundation Young Champs, Navi Mumbai, April 2019 - January 2021
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Psychology Student Mentor, The Climber Pvt. Ltd (My Captain program), Bengaluru, September 2016 - March 2019
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Research Assistant of Mind Matters Clinic, Bengaluru, June 2015 - March 2016
PUBLICATION
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Menon, Durga.“The Possible Development of the Ideal Self through social networking site among adolescents”. In the Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing Volume 4, April, 2018 691-693.
CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TRAINING
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UNREAD Training Program (for mental health practitioners), Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru , September 2021 - February 2022 (Online)
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Certificate in 'Working with Trauma', Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, April 2022 (Online)
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Transactional Analysis (TA 101), International Transactional Analysis Association, Seed TLC, August 2022 (Online)
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Risk Assessment and Management, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, September 2022 (Online)
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Seminar on Trauma and Attachment, International Attachment Network, April 2023 (Online)
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Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice, Mariwala Health Initiative, Bengaluru, May 2023 (Online)
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Understanding Personality Disorders beyond Diagnosis, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, March - May 2024 (Online)
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Psychoanalytic Reading Group, Reading Between the Lines with Reva Puri, Rhea Gandhi Psychotherapy, July 2023 - June 2024 (Online)
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Here and Now: Gestalt as a daily practice with Shalini Rao (Queer Affirmative and Gestalt Practitioner), Bengaluru, July - August 2024 (Online)
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Foundations of Outdoor and Adventure Therapy (Practitioner Training Course - hybrid), Adventure Works Australia and Qualia Outdoor Therapy India, Himachal Pradesh, September - November 2024
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Attachment Theory and its Clinical Applications, International Attachment Network UK, January - November 2024 (Online)
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY METHODOLOGY
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Living Learning Experience (LLE), 3-day Transient Therapeutic Community, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, February - March 2025
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Living Learning Experience (LLE), 3-day Transient Therapeutic Community, Hank Nunn Institute, Bengaluru, January 2024
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TCTC core values, The Consortium for Therapeutic Communities (TCTC) UK, March 2024 (Online)
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TC Practitioner Competencies: The 'Why' and the 'How', The Consortium for Therapeutic Communities (TCTC) UK, May 2024 (Online)
MEMBERSHIPS
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Mosaic (Online Therapeutic Community), Member and Group Co-facilitator, Hank Nunn Institute, September 2021 - present
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Association for Psychosocial Studies, Member, September 2022 - present
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International Attachment Network (India Chapter), Member, IAN India, January 2025 - present