Dr. Ayurdhi Dhar is a spotlight interviewer for Mad in America and the founder of Mad in South Asia. She does some professoring (Assistant Professor at the University of West Georgia) and academic writing (author of Madness and Subjectivity: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Psychosis in the West and India), but mostly likes to be known for her love for food, animals, friends, and family. She struggles daily with her desire to pet every dog she sees.
I received my doctoral training in clinical psychology from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh USA. I have worked with survivors of interpersonal violence at Sakhi for South Asian Women, New York, and worked with students at the Carnegie Mellon University Counseling center, Pittsburgh and Pace University counseling center, New York. Most recently, I was the Program Leader for the community mental health program at Bapu Trust, Pune, where I work from a socio-psychological lens with individuals from low-income neighborhoods.
I advocate for mental health to move away from the notion of “fixing” the individual to acknowledging the impact of socio-cultural factors on an individual’s wellbeing. Ideas of gender, trauma, social justice and eco-friendly practices are close to my heart. I try, in my work, to listen to what truly matters to people, and enable them to find meaning and agency in their own lives.
I currently work as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and researcher of mental health care systems in India. I have worked largely within the area of community mental health in India exploring the possibilities and the challenges of community mental health programmes. I worked on a de-institutionalisation project with women at the Regional Mental Hospital in Pune to facilitate their exit from the hospital and return to communities. I have worked with and participated in research with women exploring the relationship between homelessness and madness. My research is informed by both clinical practice and thinking about practices in mental health from a critical feminist and more recently disability rights perspective.
Ayushi Jolly is a PhD Candidate in Social Psychology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. Her doctoral research focuses on exploring the neoliberal subjectivities of student migrants. Her research aims to foster a more holistic understanding of the human psyche that acknowledges the intricate interconnections between individual lives and the broader societal tapestry. She is dedicated to restoring the 'social' in social psychology.
Outside the academic sphere, she relishes the joy of travel and trekking and finds solace in mountains and the world of non-fiction.
Shilka works on increasing the reach for MISA, enabled by her practice in expressive arts therapy and her continuing education in trauma centered work. She loves to be on stage - dancing, reciting poems, acting and connecting with people through art and stories.