Our Story
We all need a space where we can share parts of ourselves, our mental health journeys, process and make sense of our lived experiences, sit with our feelings, or just be. Compassionate Curiosity hopes to create a brave space which allows us to express and navigate diverse human experiences, nurture our mental health, and re - discover alternate possibilities of life.
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Compassionate Curiosity is a space born out of love and passion to advocate for mental health, and co - create a space where we can nurture our mind and body without guilt, shame, or self - blame. We strongly believe that many of our problems are located within oppressive systems and contexts rather than in the person. Therefore, we unpack these problem stories together to negotiate and re - negotiate our ever - changing sense of identities, relationships, and worldviews. We hope to move towards collective accountability and action through our work while nurturing ourselves and the communities we live in.
The Essence of Our Work
Our work is informed by Narrative ideas and practices, Developmental psychology, and unique lived experiences.
We are made of multiple stories that exist in different contexts.
All of us are born into stories that exist in socio - cultural, historical, political, and economic contexts. We carry many of these stories with us in the present and to the future. We live multiple stories in our lives at the same time, which shape our identities, worldviews, and mental health.
All of us are meaning - makers.
Stories provide us a framework to actively make sense of and find meaning in our lived experiences. Based on the meaning, we give priority to certain stories over others which further shapes our lives, our mental and physical health, the choices we make, and the actions we take.
We are often resisting & responding to these stories.
We often enter the therapy space with our problem stories. Sometimes, it is challenging to navigate these stories as they are full of ambiguities, uncertainties, tentativeness, and contradictions. Yet, all of us knowingly or unknowingly resist and respond to these stories in our own ways. Even our silence or not taking any action is a way of response. There is no one 'right' way to respond to these stories. Through our work, we hope to understand these and many more responses, the intentions behind them, and their impact.
You are the expert of your own life.
All of us have inherent agency, expertise, and knowledge of navigating the problem stories in our lives. Sometimes, this knowledge and the repertoire of skills/know - hows are visible to us. But, sometimes they are not. Through our wide range of mental health services, we hope to re - discover, embrace this expertise, make it more visible, and move closer to our values, hopes, and dreams.
“Problems develop when people internalize conversations that restrain them to a narrow description of self.
Our Values
Anti - Oppression
We recognize that mental health concerns are not located within an individual, but in the oppressive, dis - enabling systems based on power, identity, and relational politics. Therefore, mental health concerns cannot be addressed in isolation from the context. Through this lens, we explore the person’s roles and identity in the system and deconstruct dominant single stories to move towards a gentle, kind, and preferred space.
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Trauma - Informed Care
We acknowledge that trauma is a complex, relational, and systemic experience that is not always easily visible to our eyes. We support people to navigate through and beyond their traumatic experiences using a systemic and somatic (body - based) lens. Our trauma - focused work is built on safety, choice, collaboration, and a gentle pace.
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Queer & Neurodiversity Affirmative
We embrace, advocate for, and affirm people’s journeys while exploring the landscape of their gender, sexuality, intimacy, and relationships. Further, we navigate the diverse human experiences, keeping in mind our visible as well as invisible abilities and disabilities in a neurotypical, ableist society.
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Intersectional Feminism
Our identities are multi - storied, multi - layered and multi - voiced. They are often rooted in caste, class, gender, sexuality, faith, religion, politics, lived experiences, and many other identity markers. Therefore, we navigate our life stories through an intersectional feminist lens based on our unique contexts.
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Mrunmayee Pathare
(she/they)
Founder & Counselling Psychologist
In my practice, I focus more on the lived experiences of the people I consult with rather than pathologizing on the basis of stringent diagnostic criteria. As a Narrative practitioner and psychotherapist, I am interested in understanding your hopes, dreams, and values as much as your concerns. I consider therapy as a form of resistance to systemic inequalities and injustices as well as unaddressed intergenerational patterns. In our consultation, we hold space for a wide range of emotions from sadness to surprise, and diverse experiences from feeling stuck to celebrating our milestones. Allowing ourselves to spend some time with our feelings, thoughts, and experiences helps us to explore and understand the nuances of complex human existence. Through my work, I hope to support people to make their skills, agency, and expertise more visible, build resources together, and move toward their preferred space.
When not working, you can catch me doodling, enjoying crispy dosas, engaging in reflective activities, going on adventures, and watching thrillers.
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Qualifications:
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POSH Train the Trainer Training, One Future Collective (2023)
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South Asian Diploma in Narrative Practices, Narrative Practices India (2023)
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Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy Training, Postpartum Support International, USA (2021)
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MA in Lifespan Counselling, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai (2019 - 2021)
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BA in Psychology, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai (2016 - 2019)
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Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Marathi
Fees: INR 1800 - 3000* Per Individual Consultation ( Online )
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*The consultation fees for students, people living in India, and Non - Resident Indians (NRIs) vary. I also offer limited sliding - scale slots for students and people from marginalized communities who are facing financial hardship and currently residing in India.​