Young Adults Mental Health Program

The pandemic was a debilitating experience for everyone. It was especially hard on young adults who are yet to find their space in the complex world of adulthood. The new emotional landscape can be daunting in the absence of guidance and peer support. Thus, Pushpanjali Trust decided to address this gap by starting a ‘young adults mental health program’ aimed at creating and providing a space for young adults to share, talk, question and learn about mental health and well-being through conversations and activities with peers.

This program was anchored / facilitated by Gurpreet Singh, Psychiatric-Social Worker, Pushpanjali Trust, and Ambika Agnihotri, a young Psychologist and volunteer with Pushpanjali Trust.

The main objectives of this program are:
• Enhancing awareness and knowledge about various mental health and well-being topics
• Initiating dialogue and conversation around mental health
• Mobilising and offering social support

In January 2022, the first online peer group session was organised. In this session, a basic introduction about the program and the team was given and the session started with feeling check and ice-breaker. Some ground rules were set for the group. Thereafter, discussion around the topic of mental health was started. Personal sharing and understanding were facilitated through follow-up questions

In February 2022, the second peer group session was based on the topic of ‘Communication’. Through personal sharing and group discussion, the nature and impact of communication on one’s mental health was covered. The participants talked about the difference between healthy and unhealthy communication, tips to improve communication, initial impact of family on communication etc. While thinking and talking about all these concepts, the participants were able to reflect, share and understand the topic in greater depth and they left with new tips for improving their mental health and communication. About 10-12 participants were present in both the sessions.

We plan to expand and build on this program over the next few years