Meet Divleen, the mental health healer who is selflessly changing lives every day

Remember when you thought you might need some help to take care of your mental health, but were hesitant to handle the cliché about consulting a psychologist? Today’s ‘The Winged Women’ story is about Divleen Kaur, a mental health healer who has birthed a therapy service – being.blithesome to work for the common welfare.

The interview you’re about to read might be God’s calling, or your inner conscience hit about how spectacular a woman can be.

Let’s take you to the interview

Hi Divleen, tell us about how did being.blithesome originate?

It was my childhood dream to become a doctor, but I wasn’t good at science, so I chose a field that took me closer to being a doctor. Also, I have always wanted to help people, so being a mental health healer appealed to me a lot.

When I started my internship, my employers were more concerned about money. On the other hand, I wanted to find some way to help people at minimal charges.

I started being.blithesome when I was living in Punjab. Now, I conduct online sessions from Udaipur. I work with two of my friends. One is a psychiatrist and the other is a career counsellor.

How does being.blithesome function?

At being.blithesome, we provide one free consultation session so that the person doesn’t feel burdened to begin. Later, there are packages or individual sessions as mentioned on the website.

I’d like to mention that anything that comes into being.blithesome doesn’t go into our pocket. The money that we collect goes towards support groups that we organise.

We plan a support group where people can come together and feel better. We arrange refreshments to create a healthy, comfortable environment.

What are your plans about being.blithesome?

I want being.blithesome to grow. To make that actually happen, I am working with some NGOs. There is a Pune-based NGO named Aks Foundation, which helps women fight abuse of any sort.

There is another one in Delhi, known as Enactus. I worked on a project called ‘Armaan’ with them. It was basically around the students who relate to the LGBTQ community.

I am also working with local hospitals. If some person isn’t able to manage medical charges, I step in to help in ways that I can.

As a mental health healer, there are many challenges that you help people overcome. But how has being.blithesome changed your life?

I am practising as a counselling psychologist, and there are many things that people come forthwith. Some face lack of self-love and others are habitual of indulging in self-criticism. While counselling them, I realise even I am working on it.

Recently, my health wasn’t doing good, and that’s when I realised that I had to tell people that I won’t be able to take sessions yet. This happens with every psychologist, and not many people know that even psychologists can have other psychologists who help them manage their mental health. So, learning is a never-ending process.

What is the best and worst thing about being a mental health healer?

The best thing is that you make people feel happier, and the worst is that they often depend upon you. It’s hard to handle that dependency and maintain healthy boundaries. Nevertheless, there are times when I feel I wish I could have done more.

What kind of people do you think should consider therapy?

There is a common meme that I keep sharing on my Instagram page. It says – ‘People in therapy come to save themselves from those who need therapy’.

On an individual level, one shouldn’t think that there is something wrong with me, and that is why I need therapy. At times, we need someone to hear us out without judgment and know that they understand it.

Many people have attached a stigma to therapy, so they don’t consider going to a mental health healer. What do you have to say about this?

I think it is always best to begin early. So, I volunteer in schools where I give children an hour to hear me out and tell them things about mental health. After that, I provide another hour to hear them. It’s important to teach the young generation about mental health.

For instance, schools can keep special sessions with a counsellor who can hear children because many things like bullying, abuse and jealousy often begin in schools.

How important is it for a young adult to have good mental health?

The importance of mental health has increased tenfold post Covid. Many families got closer during these times, but families grew apart too. Alcohol shops were listed as essentials, and many drunkards enjoyed their time. At the same time, many women came to me complaining that their husbands beat them during the lockdown.

An adult’s disturbed mental health disturbs the mental health of everyone around them. For example, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine isn’t directly impacting Indians. I have students who came from Ukraine amid war. One of the students told me that I was on a train from Kyiv and whenever I closed my eyes, I could hear bombs ticking. Even now, when he sleeps, he can listen to the sound of bombing.

This is just an example of how something happening in your environment can affect you. This generation has faced a lot during Covid.

Any advice you want to give someone who has thought of therapy but is hesitant?

When you board a flight, the first safety instruction given in case of emergency is first to put on your mask and then help the other. Likewise, if you are okay, everything else will be fine. It would be best if you made yourself the priority of your life. Putting yourself first is the best thing you can do!

If you’ve reached the end of this story, know that you liked what your eyes read and what your heartfelt about this amazing mental health healer. In that case, drop a comment to share any thoughts that came across your mind.

Also, you can check other exciting stories on our website to feel inspired and grab some learnings from another woman’s journey.

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