Children First Mental Health Institute Pvt. Ltd.

We believe in nurturing spaces where courage finds community and mentorship grows through dialogue and reflection. Through the Journey of Courage workshop with the KARM for Young Indian Women Fellows, young women came together in a circle of dialogue and reflection, mapping their personal journeys and discovering the quiet strength that lies within shared experiences. At the conclave, we facilitated an interactive mentoring session for young women to explore pathways into the mental health field. Together, we reflected on the changing world of therapy and how connection and community remain at the heart of mental health care.

Childhood is where stories begin. Learning happens in laughter, curiosity, connection, and simply being a child. Recently, Bachpan Manao, an NDTV social mission, completed one year of celebrating childhood, play, and joyful learning. In this special anniversary feature, our Co-founder, Director and Senior Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr. Amit Sen, shared why early childhood and play is a child’s most powerful teacher, reminding us that childhood is meant to be joyful, playful, curious, and deeply supported. At Children First, each day reminds us that when children are met with joy, empathy, and responsive care, they don't just learn but thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.

We’re delighted to be part of the National Mental Health Festival - Manotsava - National Mental Health Festival 2025, a celebration of mental health and community. Catch our Co-founder and Senior Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr Kavita Arora , join a panel discussion on ‘Suicidality - A Concern for All,’ moderated by Neha Kirpal ,Co-founder of Amaha, as they engage in conversations that explore how care, connection, and lived experiences shape our approach to mental health. Event Details: Manotsava brings together doctors, neuroscientists, therapists, social sector professionals, and people with lived experience to reflect on how mental health shapes our everyday lives. 🗓️ November 8–9, 2025 📍 The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru Join us - it’s free and open to all.

Why Mental Health Must Move from Margins to Mainstage: Neha Kirpal Neha Kirpal, co-founder of Amaha and founding cohort member of the India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) shares her personal journey, the scale of work ahead, and why mental health must be treated as a national development priority. Read more- https://lnkd.in/dy4CDYPm #FE #FEHealthcare #HealthUpdates #MentalHealth #HealthSector

We are pleased to share that our Co-Founder, Neha Kirpal, will be speaking at the 8th Annual Maternal Mental Health Symposium, hosted by El Camino Health Her session, “Lived Experience Expertise: Navigating Multigenerational Mental Health Illnesses and Trauma,” will explore the vital role of lived experience in shaping maternal mental health awareness and care. Drawing from her personal journey as a caregiver, Neha highlights how lived experience itself is a form of expertise, one that can shape compassionate and effective mental healthcare across generations. This symposium brings together global experts, healthcare professionals, and advocates to advance perinatal mental health education and reduce stigma. Date: 26th September 2025 Format: Virtual Register here: https://lnkd.in/daZSrH_K #MentalHealthIndia #Amaha

✨ Earlier this year with Children First… ✨ From schools to community spaces, we’ve been creating safe places for young people, educators, and caregivers to talk openly about mental health. Over the last few months, our work has included: 🌟 Honest dialogues with students on stress, support, and belonging 🌟 Training sessions with counsellors and teachers to strengthen school ecosystems 🌟 Collaborations with organisations like Salaam Baalak Trust, DMRC, and the Youth for Mental Health Network Every session is a reminder: when we listen with care, we build communities that nurture growth and resilience 💙 #MentalHealthMatters #ChildrenFirst #YouthWellbeing

Children First, in collaboration with Youth For Mental Health (YMH), is back with another exciting opportunity for Delhi-college students. We are happy to invite you to “Safarnama: Sharing our stories in ways that make us stronger”✨ This is a free-of-cost collective space for 20 people to come together on a safar with us. Using the metaphor of journey, we are inviting young people to share stories about the hardships youth face, the ups and downs of life, what sustains them and their hopes and dreams and co-create hopeful actions for our larger community. We are hoping to weave this metaphor together across 3 sessions and we invite you for our second collective, which you are eligible to join even if you did not attend the first collective. Please note this is not a group therapy space but a collective of young people, for young people. Join us if you believe in stories, human connections and mental health conversations. Register here: https://lnkd.in/dX_7sJbe Questions? Reach out at siddhigothi.ymh@gmail.com Children First - our commitment to building a community of concern for children and youth. #MentalHealthIndia #ChildrenFirst

I've long believed that owning and sharing our own lived experiences is key to embracing desired changes in ourselves, across all our professional and personal contexts. Homecoming grew out of that lifelong belief that I’ve carried in my solitary heart for the last 30 years, while enduring two generations of mental health challenges in my own family. Today, together with my co-author Dr. Nandini Murali and nine extraordinary women; I have come to find the strength and conviction to pour my living narrative into a book. Each of us cherish this collective space and journeying with our ever expanding tribe of courageous women - as we all survive and thrive in a life with severe mental health conditions - from depression, complex PTSD and suicide loss to intergenerational trauma, anxiety and OCD. Emerging from spaces that are not always safe or supportive, we have challenged the label of ‘brokenness’ with courage and vulnerability. Each of our account holds up a mirror to society’s discomfort with mental illness. These narratives of women from different walks of life - teachers, psychiatrists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, activists - weave a memorable tapestry of vulnerability and resilience, inspiring others to walk the path of pain with purpose and courage. In this collection of challenging and inspiring stories you will find; Businesswomen who organise their work and parenting responsibilities around their bipolar disorder and caregiving responsibilities. Aparna Piramal Raje @Pheroza Gordej Kairavi Bharat Ram Mental health professionals who have combined their clinical and lived experience expertise to build truly responsive care models and practices.  Poornima Viswanathan Sidrah Naiyer @Raisa A mother–son duo with ADHD struggle to navigate hostile learning institutions across two generations. Janani Iyer Daughters learn that their lives are multi-storeyed, and strive to become more than lifelong carers to parents afflicted with schizophrenia. Dr Kavita Arora A social entrepreneur explores gender identity and queerness despite societal pressure. Zainab Patel Beyond tokenism, Homecoming offers something rare: the opportunity to truly embrace and internalize others’ learnings in the context of one’s own life, as well as the inspiration to venture into and heal parts of ourselves, that we may have left behind. Come connect and share with us @homecoming_mentalhealth #Homecoming #MentalHealthJourneys #CommunityHealing #LivedExperience #HealingTogether #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters #depression #OCD #ptsd #integenerationaltrauma #anxiety Westland Books | Karthika V.K. | Vasvi Bharat Ram | Dr Shelja Sen | Amit Malik | Amaha | Children First Mental Health Institute Pvt. Ltd. | India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) | Fireside Ventures | Lightbox I The Forum of Young Global Leaders | The Aspen Institute

✨ Earlier this year, with Children First ✨ From classrooms to communities, we’ve been in conversation with parents, teachers, and school leaders, listening, learning, and sharing tools to support children’s emotional well-being! Across schools in Delhi NCR, our sessions touched on: ✮ Understanding adolescent behaviour ✮ Strengthening communication and trust ✮ Navigating mental health, stress & leadership ✮ Building supportive, open family relationships Every workshop was a reminder that when we come together with empathy and curiosity, children flourish! #ChildrenFirst #MentalHealthMatters