About Us
We built this because our community deserved better than silence.
JiVA Mental Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit transforming how South Asian communities understand, access, and experience mental health care. Founded in 2023 by Ektha Aggarwal, LCSW, JiVA exists because mainstream mental health systems kept asking South Asian clients to leave their culture at the door. We built the door around them instead.
JiVA comes from the Sanskrit word jiva meaning life force or the soul within. We believe healing must be holistic. It must honor both ancestral wisdom and modern clinical care. And it must be available in the language your grandmother speaks.
We serve South Asian individuals, families, couples, youth, mothers, men, LGBTQIA+ community members, immigrants, and elders across California. Therapy is available in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, and Bangla. Sessions start at $30. If $30 is still out of reach, we offer free therapy. Apply through our financial assistance form at the link below the programs section.
1,000+
people reached since founding
400+
therapy sessions delivered
5
South Asian PSI-certified clinicians trained in California
$30
where therapy starts, free if you need it
MEET THE FOUNDER
Ektha Aggarwal, LCSW
Founder and Executive Director, JiVA Mental Health
Ektha has spent over 15 years sitting across from South Asian families carrying things they were never supposed to say out loud. The grief of immigration. The weight of not being enough. The loneliness of navigating two worlds with no map that fits either one.
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker licensed in California (LCSW #71098) with deep training in existential, narrative, psychodynamic, somatic, and interpersonal therapy. She holds 6 to 8 years of clinical supervision experience and completed 36 hours of formal Clinical Supervision Training.
JiVA was not born from a strategic plan. It was born from the realization that the system was not built for our community, and no one else was going to build it.
Our leadership
JiVA is governed by South Asian American leaders with lived expertise built into every program and every decision we make.
Board of Directors
Ektha Aggarwal, LCSW
Founder, Executive Director and President, Board of Directors
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of clinical experience, Ektha founded JiVA after seeing firsthand how the mainstream mental health system consistently failed South Asian families who needed it most.
Poorvi Mehta, MBA
Board Member and Treasurer
A Senior Program Manager at Google with over a decade of experience in technology, finance, and retail operations, Poorvi brings rigorous strategic and financial oversight to JiVA’s governance.
Arun Ponnusamy
Board Member and Secretary
Chief Academic Officer at Collegewise and a longtime community advocate, Arun brings expertise in education, organizational development, and community engagement to JiVA’s leadership.
Impact Board
Neesh Riaz
Impact Board Member
Founder of Neesh Media, host of The Garage Mahal on iHeart Radio, and a South Asian content creator and community builder with 43,000 followers, Neesh leads JiVA’s media visibility and men’s community programming.
Huma Qureshi, MD
Impact Board Member
A board-certified psychiatrist with over 20 years of clinical experience, trained at UC Davis and King Edward Medical University and practicing in Southern California, Huma brings clinical depth and psychiatric expertise to JiVA’s program development.
Volunteers
Nupur Gupta, Dev Pathak, Sunita Mukhi, Nysa Lilani
Our team is growing. If you are a South Asian mental health professional, clinician in training, or community organizer who wants to be part of this work, reach out at info@jivamentalhealth.com.
The problem is real.
Statistics: 2022 AAPI Data Report and JiVA internal program data, April 2026.
What we do
JiVA operates across clinical therapy, community wellness, training, and advocacy. Every program was built specifically for South Asian communities.
Culturally adapted individual, couples, and family therapy in 4 or more South Asian languages. Sessions start at $30. If that is still out of reach, therapy is free. Apply using our financial assistance form linked below.
A postpartum mental health program for South Asian mothers who are suffering in silence. It combines clinical care with ancestral wisdom and community healing in a space built for them.
Boldly Brown
California’s first South Asian men’s mental health group. A space where South Asian men can speak honestly without code-switching, performing strength, or leaving their culture behind.
JiVA grew the number of PSI-certified South Asian clinicians in California from 1 to 5. We train the providers our community needs because they do not yet exist in sufficient numbers.
Workshops and Community Programs
From Ramadan Together to Maan Mukti to our Desi Affinity Space at Crossroads School, JiVA runs culturally grounded group programs, workshops, and events where South Asians can come together and be honest. 7 sold-out events in 2025.
Our flagship fundraiser and one of the most visible expressions of our mission. 169 attendees in 2024. A transformative evening, not a standard nonprofit dinner.
If you cannot afford therapy, this form takes less than 10 minutes. No one is turned away due to cost.
What our community is saying
“It’s not just about breaking taboos — it’s about breaking barriers that hinder access to an already broken mental health system. Let’s make care equitable and available to all with JiVA Mental Health. JiVA collectively empowers the human spirit and promotes your journey toward strengthening mental well-being.”
Richa Moorjani
Actress and Activist, Never Have I Ever
“In a world that demands conformity, let our South Asian community stand out for embracing diversity in mental health experiences. Let’s be the change-makers with JiVA Mental Health and make our new ‘normal’ one of compassion and empathy. It’s time for us to reclaim our voices and rewrite our narrative as a community with JiVA’s support.”
Aparna Shewakramani
Author and former Indian Matchmaking cast member
Organizations we work with
You do not have to figure this out alone.
Whether you are looking for therapy, want to volunteer, or want to support this work financially, there is a place for you at JiVA.