Let’s Talk!

We love to listen, share experiences, and find resources together.

CAREsessions are online peer support sessions, a designated safe space to have personal and private conversations together. Our team of listeners a.k.a CAREleaders, are trained in a support method called “Peer Support.” Peer Support mimics the qualities of a good friend. This includes being an empathetic, non-judgemental listener, prioritizing you, and honoring your privacy.

Our peer support model is unique. CAREleaders have had relatable, personal experiences in the Indian Performing Arts. Whether you want to unpack a painful experience, share some joy, need a friendly face, or anything in between, our CAREleaders are here to listen.

If you would like to talk to them, click on the button below! Our CAREleadres can’t wait to meet you!

Our Peer Support Model

  • Peer support is a form of mental health support that seeks to remove the hierarchy between the people providing & receiving support, unlike in clinical settings. This form of support connects people who have shared experiences and nurtures honest conversations through empathetic and active listening. We want you to feel like you are talking to your friend!

    We also understand that clinical mental health support is extremely valuable. If that option feels right for you, we would love to first hear your story through our CAREsessions and then help you find the best clinical mental health resource (or other resources) that fits your needs.

  • Topics such as misconduct or accountability are not often easy ones to talk about honestly and constructively. This has been especially true in the Indian performing arts community. Where words or trust falter, peer support can help!



    You can speak to us without fear of conflict of interest or having to explain yourself– our peer support providers come with experiences similar to yours! We want to make these conversations more accessible and relevant to the needs of our community.

  • In niche communities such as the Indian performing arts community, we often find that we share friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. During the #metoo movement, we found that reporting services and survivor resources were not transparent and did not mitigate conflicts of interest. Therefore, it is our priority to make sure that you are sharing your story with someone you can trust AND relate with, and that we are as transparent with our procedures as we can possibly be.

About CAREleaders

We have interviewed, recruited, and trained 11 volunteer members of our community who are your CAREleaders (peer support providers). CAREleaders are either active members of the Indian performing arts community or individuals with the willingness to listen and respond to the nuanced narratives of individuals in this space! They are not clinically or formally trained in mental health support, but often have backgrounds in mental health advocacy, and well-being promotion.

About CAREsessions

  • Scheduling a CAREsession:

    • Step 1: Filling out a quick google form

    • Step 2: Upon submitting the form, you will be redirected to a submission confirmation message with a scheduling link. This will also be sent to you via email.

    • Step 3: Upon clicking on the scheduling link, you will get to choose which CAREleader team (team of 2 CAREleaders) you would like to speak to. They have been paired based their monthly schedules.

      • You can schedule a session as early as 72 hours from now! Rescheduling and cancelations are always possible.

    • Step 4: After selecting your CAREleader team of choice, you will be able to view all of their availabilities. You can select the one that works best for you, and you will get an immediate confirmation email for your session with a Google Meet link!

      ***We are always here to help you with any part of this process! Please email: carespaces.careleaders@gmail.com

  • During a CAREsession:

    • Hosted on Google Meet for up to an hour each

    • Can be a video or an audio only call based on your preference.

      • You can always email carespaces.careleaders@gmail.com if you are worried about your internet connection or you are not familiar/comfortable with Google Meet. We can always work it out!

    • The calls are never recorded or archived and are 100% confidential.

      • Other than the CAREleaders supporting you and the peer support directors, no one will receive your information or will even know you reached out for a session. (the executive team does not have access to information regarding CAREsessions).

    • If you do reach out to us for a CAREsession, we ask that you choose two CAREleaders to speak to.

      • We like to have 2 CAREleaders speaking to an individual to create a more natural and less intimidating conversations with multiple perspectives!

  • After a CAREsession:

    • Your CAREleaders will guide on next steps to schedule another session, or match you with resources based on your needs.

    • You can choose to speak to the same or different CAREleaders if you choose to return for subsequent sessions!

CAREleader Training & Credibility

We are ready for you. To make sure anyone can feel supported by a CAREsession, our training for peer support providers reflects the communities we serve.

We have worked extensively to train our CAREleaders and provided them with the necessary context by:

  • drawing from various anecdotes for practice case scenarios

  • codifying the different identities and interactions in this context

  • conducting conversations with community members across the globe.

Using this context, we have built effective strategies to help CAREleaders specifically address your needs. Select members of our leadership team, who specialize in mental health, peer support, and developmental education, have created this first-known effort to systematically analyze the tapestry that is the Indian performing arts community.

Emphasizing the conversational nature of peer support, our CAREleaders have been given tools to:

  • help organize their and your intuitive thoughts

  • listen non-judgmentally and empathetically

  • see you for the multiple identities you may hold

  • share similar experiences or suggest professional resources if appropriate

  • sensitively navigate topics .

In the spirit of constant refinement, CAREleaders’ trainings are also continuous. We are alway expanding and refining our knowledge and resource base to support you!

Meet Our CAREleaders | Class of 2022-2023

Chaitra Sankarabandi (she/her/hers)

  • "Thank you for being here. I know it takes a lot of strength to come out and seek support or reach out to talk. Once you do, it's life-changing in a good way and I can vouch for it with my personal experience. Since my childhood, I have always been sensitive to others’ feelings and paid attention to things that my near ones are struggling with. I have tried to be there for them in every way they wanted. I can assure you a safe space to share your thoughts and concerns.

    The sessions will be free of judgments or assumptions, will be focused on you and your needs, and will work to your convenience. We will approach our conversations in a strength-based manner that works best for you and your circumstances. At the end of the session, I hope to make you feel calm, supported, and confident to make your own decisions."

  • Coming from a social work background, I am comfortable talking to various stakeholders and also open to learning new things. In instances where I feel I need to know more to support an individual, I am willing to go the extra mile.

    I have the ability to navigate discomfort in conversations and be respectful when such topics come up. Being calm, open minded, optimistic and resourceful are few of my skills as a CAREleader.

    I will support someone by being empathetic and respectful of their circumstances. For me support means a space where I can express my thoughts without feeling judged or ridiculed, and receive feedback/suggestions on the things that I need support with. This is the kind of environment I would like to create in my CAREsessions.

  • The training process was exceptional and thought-provoking!! Learning from others' experiences and having a structure to organize our thoughts and the support work that we will be doing was helpful.

    I am happy to have met so many wonderful people who are genuinely caring human beings and are extremely talented in various fields. I have understood that learning can happen in different ways and does not always have to be in a lecture format.

Dheeraj Venkatachalam (he/him/his)

  • Many times, the complexities of life prompt another person’s presence to feel support. We might just need someone to be with us in silence, or to vent about a Mango Lassi we just had that did not have enough mango in it (believe me, I know that feeling), or to help us process a major life event. I hope that as a CAREleader, I can provide any of these for you. I have had moments in life where peer support played a major role in helping me see the light at the end of the tunnel.

    Please do not hesitate to ask for help; we welcome anyone and everyone and are willing to give you how much (or how little) peer support you need.

  • As a CAREleader, my strongest skill is being a listener; I try and ensure my peer feels comfortable sharing whatever they want to share with me.

    I also believe I am good at being open-minded to new opinions and perspectives as I am fully aware that not everyone is going to have the same opinion on a topic as I would.

    This open-mindedness has meant that I have been comfortable with most topics of discussion that could come up in a CAREsession.

    Finally, with whatever knowledge I can gather from listening to a peer with an open mind, I am able to perceive the role and identity they would have in the Indian performing arts space and relate my own 1st and 2nd-hand experiences to provide support and resource referrals as appropriate.

  • The training process was a lot of fun; meeting fellow CAREleader trainees who were passionate about the same cause that I was for the same community I am a part of meant that we could share and relate to each other’s experiences and bounce ideas off each other. The ability to practice peer support both explicitly (e.g. during roleplays) and implicitly (e.g through support as onlookers of a roleplay session) was of incredible value and I could see what makes me a good peer supporter (empathy, heart, emotional presence, alliance) and what I could improve to become a better peer supporter (e.g. how I word what I am trying to say). Until this training session, I have been inadvertently shielded from misconduct that happens in the Indian Performing Arts space, making me at least somewhat naïve in my understanding of what I thought was an industry that advocates for humanity.

    Seeing how different identities get treated differently and seeing how I may have actually experienced the same without my realizing, has changed me to have a more rounded perspective on the reality of our community, fueling my desire to truly make this space one with integrity and solidarity for people who need protection and safety in this community.

Harshitha (she/her/hers)

  • I’m so glad you are here and I’m going to do my best to help you. I’ve personally benefited so much from peer support in my life and I’m honored to be able to pay that forward.

    Please know that whatever we discuss stays between us and I’m on your side.

    We can go as slow or as fast as you need to, and I’ll keep checking in with you along the way so you can stop whenever you want to.

  • I believe I have the ability to zoom out of the experience the person is describing and perceive their various stakeholder identities and how those identities are interacting with each other. Intersectionality is something I am passionate about understanding!

    At the same time, I also zoom in on the experience and put myself in the person’s shoes to understand the experience/feelings they’re describing. Empathy is definitely something I have a lot of and I hope to share that with you.

  • I have enjoyed the trainings tremendously because they allowed me to think more deeply and constructively about the kind of support I’d like to offer folks in need. Having the opportunity to learn from the other CAREleaders and their experiences has been an invaluable experience and has definitely equipped me with different perspectives and points on every scenario presented to us.

    Personally, being on the CARESpaces team is giving me the opportunity to get closer to my goals as a social justice advocate and, hopefully, someday, a clinical social worker.

Manasa
(she/her/hers)

  • Thank you so much for choosing to be here with us.

    CAREspaces is a place for you to feel comfortable and free from judgment. You can choose to spend this time in any way you like, whether it is to talk about what you are experiencing, to sit silently, or talk about the weather. Regardless, I’m here to let you know that I support you.

    I’d like to reassure you that whatever is spoken about will stay between us. I hope I can be of help to you.

  • I believe that one of my strongest skills as a CAREleader is to listen without any prior assumptions or biases.

    Ideally, I’d love if an individual feels they can be open with me; therefore, it’s my duty to create that type of open and non-judgemental space for them.

    I’m always open to learning new perspectives and learning from the experiences of others. Those new perspectives will help me to become a better CAREleader over time.

  • The training process was very educational and enjoyable. I learned a lot about the process of peer support, how to strategize/plan, and how culture can also have an impact on mental health.

    Even though I too was once a part of the Indian Arts community, there is still much for me to learn in regards to the experiences many people have faced that I haven’t. Since the first training session, I have grown in my ability to participate, ask more questions when necessary, and simply listen.

    Simply being present can be very impactful to an individual, and I hope I can provide that space to someone who needs it.

Pooja Natarajan (she/her/hers)

  • Thank you for being here. My way of supporting you would be to let you speak freely and to foster an open-ended conversation that will hopefully help you come to a better solution, conclusion, or clarity on anything you need an extra perspective on. I truly believe every individual knows exactly what they need even if they can’t say or express it. Allowing you the space to figure that out, and guiding you on that journey will hopefully help you feel empowered.

    Reaching out for support does require a lot of trust. Trust, for me, is too big a word. It’s layered with varying intensities and can change based on different contexts. I do believe it will take several conversations and interactions to build trust with one another. As a CAREleader, I hope to build trust together, slow and steady. To do so, I will always come with an open mind to welcome vulnerability and transparency

  • Usually, the advice I have needed or sought has come from an objective interpretation of the experience. I believe firmly, that once the meaning attached to the experience can be defined, it is possible to derive actionable solutions from the same. That said, I’d use visual representation ie words or quick exercises which can give an insight into someone’s current feelings.

    I am also a huge believer in meditation and breathwork. I think in this day and age we all can benefit from the same. I’d probably find a way to include it in the session if the person/ peer is open to it!

  • The training process was interesting in the sense that it allowed first-hand experience by simulating real-life issues and problems that could happen (an ”on-the-job training” which gave an insight into the long-term, short-term, and immediate solutions). We also learned about potential bottlenecks we as CAREleaders would experience.

    Interacting with folks who have similar or completely different life experiences gave me a perspective of how a solution may work for someone but may not for someone else. This shed light on how important it is to tweak and gauge the emotional capacity of someone we are speaking to, and to stay empathetic and adaptive throughout the course of a conversation.

Shilpa Sathyanathan (she/her/hers)

  • Welcome to CAREspaces, a non-judgmental space for us to chat-- I’m happy you’re here.

    Peer support has been incredibly helpful to me in my own personal life, and I’m hopeful this experience will be the same for you.

    As a Carnatic music student and performer myself, the Indian arts continue to play an important yet tricky role for me, and I deeply understand how experiences affect us.

    From me to you, I promise to be attentive and compassionate, your supporter first. We are in this together, and you are not alone. Thank you for reaching out and I look forward to meeting you.

  • I am a thoughtful listener. I am attentive and respectful, and I will always strive to make those in my sessions feel heard and cared about. To me, a session is simply a conversation, a chance to unwind and destress. I believe I’m best suited to handle topics related to culture, career, and mental health.

  • The training process was highly detailed and carefully curated and it showed in our meetings week after week. I enjoyed weekly exercises and mock sessions. I was most interested in adding to my toolbox and having a variety of skills to use in situations, and I very much received a ton of their resources.

Shruthi Thyagarajan (she/her/hers)

  • Looking forward to meeting you soon, and thank you for being here!

    Indian Arts spaces and the people within them have always meant a lot to me, as I was a Carnatic Music student in the NJ Carnatic Music community from the age of 5 onwards. I have always wanted to give back in any way that I can, most especially in the form of friendship and camaraderie with others whose lives have been touched by these various communities.

    I’m truly honored to be in conversation with you soon and, with time, I hope that we are able to help and trust one another.

  • Some of my strongest skills as a CAREleader include: being effective at getting others to open up; empathizing in a raw, honest way; building credibility; and being mindful and understanding of others’ needs. I would love to talk to stakeholders across the board, but admittedly am very interested in speaking to other victims of harassment. I find that it’s become something quite easy for me to listen to without getting triggered. I just want to help people heal from the pain that harassment of any kind comes with.

    I am not particular about the identities I speak to because I think everyone has a story. I’ve primarily heard the stories of many students, and am very interested in hearing more of theirs and helping to address any concerns students may have, in whatever ways are possible/allowable. That being said, I would also love to speak to others.

  • The training process has really changed my perspective on effective ways to support others. My way is not always the only way or the correct way! There are so many ways to help others. Additionally, I have learned that harm reduction and emotional support are always about those in distress. It is important to keep others’ needs in mind as we provide a listening ear and counsel. That is the most caring thing we could possibly do.

Snigdha Desiraju (she/her/hers)

  • I'm delighted to be there for you through your journey. I've had times when I found myself in need of a friend to talk to. Whether it was just chatting about the course of events in a day or going over concerns that had been piling up in my head for days, weeks, months, or years too; getting the right support made all the difference to me.

    I'm extremely glad that CAREspaces has given me the opportunity to give you the support that you deserve and that I wished for sometimes. Rest assured that this is a safe space for you to share your thoughts, emotions, and experiences without being faced with judgment.

    Everything you share here is 100% confidential. I'm here as your soundboard, so feel free to talk about anything that's on your mind or has been bothering you lately and I'll be there to help you to my best.

  • As someone who has been through a multitude of experiences, one of my biggest strengths is being able to empathize. I try to put myself in others’ shoes and understand the situation from their perspective to my best ability before I make any assumptions on my own.

    It helps me be more aware and sensitive to their condition, emotionally as well as mentally. I've had struggles and still do, with finding my way through certain cultural settings both related to the art space and outside.

    Overcoming cultural/language barriers has helped reshape my understanding and be accommodating to the customs of people from backgrounds that differ from mine.

    I'd say my ability to interact and blend in with people across various cultures has resulted in several long-lasting friendships and meaningful conversations and I would consider it a strength. This has also enabled me to be more open-minded and non-judgemental as a person.

  • The entire CAREleader training has been a wonderful experience. Interacting with other CAREleaders helped me gain fresh insights each time on how to provide care better. Through observation and participation in the role plays, I learned how to navigate through difficult conversations, ask appropriate questions, how to be a better listener.

    The role-plays felt very real and there were moments where I felt triggered and overwhelmed.

    Seeing how the other CAREleaders maintained their composure shed light on how I could change my approach toward similar situations.

    The meticulous design of the training material gave me so much perspective on the breadth and depth of intersectional identities and how their experiences can differ.

Swathi Ravichandran (she/her/hers)

  • We are glad that you discovered us and are here to explore and learn more about our organization and all of us.

    I have benefitted from peer support - talking to my friends, colleagues, peers, seniors who all have given me perspectives and helped me with objectivity on a variety of topics and helped me become a better person and navigate my problems seamlessly. I am also someone who always found it difficult to ask for help - but over the last decade, I have made a lot of progress by talking about my problems with those I trust. And, this helped me believe that “Asking for help is never a sign of weakness. It's one of the bravest things you can do.”

    I hope to be your CARELeader and listen to whatever you have to share with me. I hope through our conversations, you find the needed clarity on your problems. Even if we don’t have solutions to everything, I hope to be a trusted person in your journey and see you shine as a person.

  • As a CARELeader, my singular objective is to listen to you and learn more about your journey. We are living in a time where “listening” as a skill is fading and I want to offer just that to you while we connect for a conversation. I want to value your emotions without any assumptions and biases.

    You could be a mother of a child who is learning from a guru and don’t know how to navigate some uncomfortable conversations with the guru. You could be a student for many years and thought you had a trust-worthy relationship with your guru, but felt betrayed of your trust with the guru. You could be a guru and felt taken for granted and struggled with monthly remuneration for your service. You could be a performer and experienced misconduct from your sponsor / organizer / co-artistes / rasika. You could be an artiste-host and experienced being harassed by some artistes.

    You could be anyone from the arts community and are seeking support with any unpleasantness you’re experiencing. Or, you simply care enough about this space and want a safer and better community for the future. I’d love to connect, listen and help you in my best capacity through our conversations and continue to focus on solutions that help you and in turn the arts spaces.

  • CARESpaces Training sessions emulate a safe environment for all of us to be ourselves. A lot of times, it is all about “the environment”. An environment that has individuals with the right intent and helps you open up.

    This has been one of the safest teams to voice out whatever you want to and know that you’re not going to be judged for it. The training team constantly asks us about our own well-being and this is a skill that I always want to carry forward.

Vidhi Dixit (she/her/hers)

  • First, a big kudos to you for taking steps towards your well-being and realizing the importance of it. I would love to be your friend to help you through this journey, and I can assure you that the experiences you may share with us will be kept between us. Feel free to talk about anything with me! I will be a safe space for you always. I am not calling our space a safe space just for the sake of assuring you. I feel very strongly about creating an environment where you feel comfortable talking about the things that you may not have shared with anyone else. I will listen and observe while you share your story, I understand that it takes time to open up with things, and I will always be patient throughout our conversation.

  • As a CAREleader my strongest ability is to be non-judgemental and try to listen and observe an individual as much as I can. When I say that you are in a “safe space” it isn't just for the sake of assuring you. I really want to create an environment where someone would feel safe to talk about the things that maybe they haven't shared with anyone else.

    I will try to be patient throughout my session because I understand that it takes some time to open up with things.

    I want to gain a new perspective by communicating with different people and will try my best to help them.

  • I always wanted to learn more, and joining the training with CAREspaces was the best decision to learn new things from everyone. Every training was a new experience and it helped me understand how to conduct a CAREsession, how to understand the peer, and most importantly how to understand my personal boundaries.

Sneha Semaleesan (she/her/hers)

  • The fact that you are reading this, wanting to know about us and the work we do, itself brings me immense pleasure :) Throughout my journey I have observed that something as tangible as physical health itself is seldom spoken about within the Indian Performing community, let alone mental health. In an attempt to be a part of the solution- by creating a safe, confidential and non-judgmental space for you to share your experiences- here I am! I thoroughly believe that it takes a lot of courage to seek help and I am massively proud of it. Looking forward to being a friend who listens to you for anything under the sun :)

  • In all honesty, through CARESpaces, my primary focus is to create a comfortable space for peers; a space where you feel heard and understood. As a CARELeader, I am empathetic and patient, giving the peer as much time as they need in building trust and opening up. Even though I may come from a background of dance, I understand that every person has their own background and journey, and I am here to listen to that :)

  • Through the training process, I not only learned how to navigate through a peer session but learned a lot about myself too. This kind of self reflection was possible only because of the dialogue we had during the sessions. I recognised my comfort zones and my triggers which in turn has helped me become a more self-aware CARELeader. Understanding how establishing and maintaining trust plays an important role in peer support will be one of the key takeaways that I would bring into my peer sessions.