My Story

Special Needs Mom I Depression Warrior I Psychotherapist

From a small town girl with dreams in her eyes to the powerhouse she is today, Minu’s journey has been a rollercoaster ride. Having shifted from Tinsukia to Kolkata after her marriage at a young age, Minu was leading a life of sunshine and blue skies with her husband, two daughters, and extended family. Dark clouds gathered all of a sudden when her younger daughter Prachi started having trouble at school and was then diagnosed with Low IQ and ADHD.

This assessment not only shattered Minu’s world, but sent her spiralling into depression. It escalated to such a point of hopelessness that she even considered suicide. With her husband Sanjay’s steady support, she realised she needed help and underwent treatment from a psychiatrist in Mumbai. Slowly the clouds moved away to reveal a rainbow. She recovered and focused her complete attention to getting Prachi all the help she needed.

Here too she had to overcome stigma, taboo, and roadblocks. Minu’s struggles to ensure that her special child led an active, happy life outside her home showed her the reality most special needs individuals and their families face. Whether it was related to education, co-curricular activities, or hobby classes, Minu had to surmount obstacles at every corner and continue to battle depression. Her life experience and learnings with Prachi inspired the birth of Caring Minds, ICanFlyy, and Café ICanFlyy.

As a psychotherapist, entrepreneur, columnist and speaker – today she is a force to reckon with. Minu added another feather to her cap when she penned a ‘Death of a Caterpillar’ – a short autobiographical essay about her journey as a special needs mom, her battle with depression, and how she found her ‘ikigai’. The overwhelming response to it has inspired her to start writing her first memoir. Her professional experience as a psychotherapist and counsellor lends a unique perspective, peppering the chapters with anecdotes & easily applicable self-help tips that will also make this memoir a survival guide for parents.

Psychotherapist & Counsellor I Columnist & Author | TEDx Speaker

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