Sasswati (who prefers to be anonymous) is an androsexual. For the uninitiated, the term refers to someone who’s gender fluid. “His exacts words were, I don’t understand this but I will learn about it,” says the 21-year-old recalling his experience of ‘coming out’ to his father. Though his personal journey of understanding his own sexuality wasn’t easy. As several other gender-queer people, the Mulund resident too suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. What has helped the computer engineering student is SAAHAS, a support group for queer people. An acronym for ‘Sexuality, Awareness, Acceptance, Health and Support’, the initiative is the brainchild of two mental health professionals who practice at Thane’s Institute for Psychological Health (IPH).
Jagruti Wandrekar (30) and Advaita Nigudkar (31) founded SAAHAS in 2018, catering to individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+. The sessions, free to all, are conducted at Saptasopaan in Thane West (provided by IPH), every third Sunday of the month.
Sasswati stumbled across the group online one day, as he was scrolling through Instagram. “The group has done wonders,” he says. “Sitting there and listening to people talk has actually helped me understand more about myself.”
Outreach programme
Initially, Wandrekar and Nigudkar reached out to people by sending Google forms to several LGBTQIA+ organisations in Mumbai. “We also reached out to a lot of mental health professionals in the city because they often have queer clients but they don’t know where to send them for help,” says Wandrekar. They also spread the word through panel discussions and Facebook groups. After participants enrol online, the therapists meet every individual in person to clarify their concerns and doubts. They ensure confidentiality of other group members and participants have to adhere to set strict guidelines, such as respecting pronouns.
Emotional resilience
The goal of SAAHAS is to build emotional resilience and provide solidarity. Through ‘cognitive behaviour therapy’ and ‘LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy’, they focus on various issues such as identity exploration, acceptance and the ‘coming out’ process. Wandrekar and Nigudkar plan to publish the results of the group therapy on their Facebook page. “One of the things group therapy does is essentially provide psychotherapy in a group setting and this reduces the feeling of isolation,” says Wandrekar.
Each two-hour therapy session is usually thematic. The last five were based on isolation, self esteem, media, relationships and dealing with family members, and sex. Participants are also expected to do their homework before each session.
“The therapy focuses on mental health, not in terms of illness, depression or anxiety but in terms of emotional well-being that encompasses all aspects of one’s life,” explains Nigudkar. “Often queer individuals [carry] double the burden [of] gender identification and stigma,” adds Wanderekar.
Queering ahead
Next month, SAAHAS will complete a full year and will have successfully conducted 12 sessions. The group started off with five members but grew to 25, as per the last meeting. Initially, the group was dominated by gay men but now there’s presence of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women as well.
“Within the group, people have become more open and willing to share and they take more initiatives,” observes Wandrekar. There’s also a noticeable rise in confidence and assertiveness among the members. “Some have come out [but] not everybody needs to come out because that’s not the aim of the group. Their ability their own internalise stigma has definitely improved,” concludes Wandrekar.
Email SAAHAS at saahastherapygroup@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/SAAHASTG/
