Mpower, a pioneer in Indian mental healthcare from The Aditya Birla Education Trust, in its quest to create awareness and alleviate stigma around mental health illnesses, launched Mpower – The Centre in Indira Nagar, Bengaluru on 20th January 2019. This marks Mpower’s entry into Bengaluru with an aim to provide holistic mental health care solutions to children, adolescents, young people and their families.
The Centre will be led by Dr. Vinod Kumar, a senior psychiatrist based in Bengaluru. He has trained extensively in the UK and has qualifications and skills in various psychotherapeutic modalities. He has trained and worked in the National Health Service (UK), and has completed specialist training in MRCPsych at the Royal College of Psychiatry endorsement in Liaison Psychiatry and Eating Disorders. He has also acquired qualifications in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy.
The Centre will provide top-class services in psychiatric consultation, psycho-educational testing, counselling & psychotherapy, behavior therapy, family therapy, early intervention services, workshops & trainings, occupational therapy, speech & language therapy and special education/remedial services provided by expert mental health care professionals.
Mpower was born to be the Movement to affect change; to promote mental health and well-being in the most holistic manner conceivable. Mpower- The Centre was launched in May 2016 in Mumbai and offers counselling for individuals, couples, families and also provides psychiatric consultation. Mpower also recently launched Mpower – The Foundation that provides quality mental health care at lower rates to all individuals regardless of their socio-economic status. Since its launch in 2016, the movement has touched close to 11 million individuals and encouraged everyone to be a champion of mental health.
Commenting on the upcoming launch of Mpower- The Centre in Bengaluru, Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Mpower, said, “When we first launched Mpower, we had a big mission and a small team. Step by step, we have been making steady and tangible progress, and the launch of the centre in Bengaluru is the next momentous milestone in our journey. The success of the Mpower movement rests on the shoulders of its dedicated team and I look forward to welcoming and working alongside the community of mental health professionals in Bengaluru. Together, I’m sure that we will be able to broaden our impact and make sustainable progress towards our ultimate goal of normalising mental health and making mental health care more accessible. I know that through our collaborative efforts, we will be able to ensure that people value their mental health as much as their physical health and are able to get the support and care they need.”
Dr. Vinod Kumar, Head Psychiatrist, Mpower- The Centre in Bengaluru, said, “I’m excited be a part of the Mpower team and head The Centre in Bengaluru. Mpower has pioneered mental healthcare through the best in class services that it provides along with the numerous initiatives under Mpower – the Movement to initiate conversation around this ‘taboo’ subject. Our Centre here in Bengaluru Centre will adopt a motivated multi-disciplinary team, providing international standards of mental health care services for all age groups. Our priority is to understand the uniqueness of each individual and therefore services are customized to suit the individual’s need.”
The National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) released in 2016 states that nearly 150-million Indians suffer from some form of mental health issue and that only about 30 million seek help. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 76-85% people in low-and-middle-income countries receive no treatment for their mental health disorders either because they don’t speak up due to the stigma and lack of awareness about mental illness or because of the lack of access to professionals and to expensive treatment costs. With the certificate issued by the IRDAI on mental health now included under health insurance, conversations about mental health are on the rise. Now, more than ever, the need to sensitize our country is increasing. Mpower has been spearheading the movement to affect change in the society and encourage people to talk more about mental health.
The brainchild of Mrs. Neerja Birla, Mpower since its inception almost 3 years ago, has been at the forefront to affect change and proactively champion the cause of mental health, create awareness, advocate prevention and provide services with a professional, holistic and multi-disciplinary approach in the country.
