The past two years have cracked India’s mental health crisis wide open. India's National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) found in its most recent survey that more than 150 million Indians need help with their mental health, but less than 30 million are getting it. There are many reasons for this, including a lack of access to mental health resources, lack of awareness, the high cost of care, and the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health. The need of the hour is a scalable solution that can democratize mental healthcare and resources. THAP does precisely that.
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aka The Happiness Project, is a one-of-its-kind Indian mental wellness app on a mission to make mental health resources more accessible and user-friendly to the masses.
THAP is the brainchild of Natasha Sagar (CEO and Co-founder) and Tintisha Sagar (COO and Co-founder). Despite the deteriorating condition of mental health among Indians, mental health issues are still considered a big taboo in India. With all the hush-hush around mental health, online therapy has emerged as a boon for many individuals in India. THAP is a giant repository of mental healthcare resources and mental well-being tools that help individuals with their fight against all mental health issues.
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THAP allows users to schedule online therapy sessions with qualified therapists listed on its platform. Users can choose therapists based on their specific needs and attend therapy sessions discretely from the comfort of their homes. It also includes daily mental wellness workouts in the form of modules and activities that encourage self-discovery and mindfulness.
“What makes THAP unique is its efforts to enhance the quality of the therapy sessions on the platform. It provides the therapists with access to a set of interactive post-therapy homework that they may assign to users via the app to do in between the sessions. Moreover, users can share their journal entries with the therapist ahead of their session safely and conveniently via the app, allowing them to make better use of their therapy time,” says Natasha Sagar.
She further adds, “THAP is more than just a therapy app. With THAP, we have created a digital mental health management ecosystem where people can privately access mental health resources. It is designed to cater to all the wellness needs and goals a person may have, in one place without being subjected to any stigma.”
To destigmatize mental health care, THAP has partnered with several colleges to spread awareness among the youth and has made therapy sessions more accessible. THAP also provides users with the tools required for healthy emotional regulation.
In addition to being riddled with stigma, India's mental health workforce is also severely understaffed. This largely skews the accessibility of mental health professionals to residents of the urban population. India has a long way to go to address its mental health crisis. Companies like THAP are helping build the much-needed infrastructure to make mental healthcare more accessible.
