As of March 2026, we have conducted a series of workshops designed to deepen the understanding of disability, ableism, and its profound impacts on mental health for 205 mental health professionals and relevant stakeholders from counsellors, therapists, special educators, teachers and staff of organisations working with persons with disabilities.
Through these workshops we have focussed on thematics and exercises from our 3 manuals: ‘Holding Space - Deconstructing disability experiences and navigating ableism in therapeutic conversations - Part 1’ and ‘Holding Space: Understanding invisible disabilities and intersectionality – Part 2’ and 'Connections: Unpacking the complexities of disability and relationships in therapeutic conversations'.
Deconstructing ableism with Pause for Perspective, June 2021
In June 2021, we offered a workshop based on Manual 1: 'Holding Space - Deconstructing disability experiences and navigating ableism in therapeutic conversations - Part 1', to 20 mental health professionals of the Pause for Perspective team. The workshop focussed on shifting perceptions, moving beyond the binary of “inspiration” and “pity” and understanding how we can unpack existing internalised ableism while providing care for persons with disabilities.
Deconstructing ableism, Online Workshop, December 2021
Deconstructing Ableism, a 4 day online workshop was organised in December 2021 to expand the understanding of mental health practitioners on disability experiences and ableism’s demands on disabled people’s lives and its effects on their mental health. The 20 participants ranging from counsellors, therapists and psychology students, applied through an open call. The workshop was based on the self-learning manual "Holding Space’ - Deconstructing disability experiences and navigating ableism in therapeutic conversations - Part 1.” This workshop centred the marginalization, oppression and violence experienced by people with disabilities and aimed to bring a deeper, more nuanced understanding to mental health workers.
Deconstructing Ableism: Understanding Invisibility, and Intersectionality, Online workshop, May 2024
We organised a three-day online workshop on ‘Deconstructing Ableism, Understanding Invisibility, and Intersectionality’, based on the second part of the self-learning manual series ‘Holding Space’. The workshop was open to all mental health practitioners, counsellors, and therapists. The 15 participants applied through an open call for applications.
The workshop deconstructed ableism as it manifests in shared spaces, explored how invisible disabilities affect people's mental health, as well as how various marginalisations intersect with the experience of disability. Utilising the resources in this manual, along with videos and quotes depicting the lived experiences of disabled individuals from India and around the world, this workshop helped participants to consider the diverse complexities of disability experiences and their intersections with other marginalisations, particularly those related to invisible disabilities.
Navigating ableism in therapy conversations, at Chai, Kaapi and Jugaad, January 2025
The workshop was organised at the International Narrative Therapy Conference, Chai Kaapi and Jugaad held at Pondicherry in January 2025. On 17th January, our mental health lead consultant, Dr Prathama Raghavan facilitated a workshop based on the two Holding Space manuals. In this workshop, we deconstructed ableism that sneaks into everyday lives, notice its tricks and games, make it visible, and challenge it. The sessions delved into experiences of people with disabilities and the effects of ableism on their lives. The 35 Participants worked together on discovering maps to explore ways of navigating ableism and nurturing preferred identities in therapy conversations with people with disabilities.
Deconstructing ableism teach-in: ReConference, CREA, December 2025
We organised a teach-in facilitated by our mental health lead consultant Dr. Prathama Raghavan on December 10th, 2025 at ReConference, a feminist global conference organised by CREA in Kathmandu, Nepal. Attended by 37 therapists, counsellors and social workers, the teach-in asked questions such as: How do you unlearn ableism you didn’t know you had learned? What stereotypes show up in your language, politics, or organising?
The interactive teach-in created space to question deeply embedded assumptions, reimagine feminist and justice spaces that are truly accountable and inclusive as well as explore how ableism operates—and how we can shift it together. This session focussed on recognising how marginalisation intersects with disability, and how practitioners and allies can be better equipped to support persons with disabilities while acknowledging the complex, lived realities of those who live with disabilities.
Disability and mental health- part of trauma course, TISS Mumbai, January 2026
Our mental health lead consultant Dr. Prathama Raghavan, facilitated a workshop on deconstructing ableism for 50 students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences as part of their course on understanding trauma. This workshop unpacked how institutionalizing dignity and improving access to mental health care that is truly inclusive and disability-affirmative helps transform the lives of people with disabilities. This workshop focussed on discovering ways of navigating ableism and nurturing preferred identities in therapy conversations with people with disabilities.