We Create Change and Rewrite StigmasJiVA honors the past while healing the present by walking with you through generational wounds, cultural silence, and into a new legacy of mental wellness.
Serving all of California, virtually and in person Starting at $50/ session "When I began therapy with JiVA, I didn't realize how much of my pain was connected to my family's past. The stories of struggle and survival I grew up hearing weren't just history, they were alive in me, affecting my relationships and sense of self. JiVA has helped me see the connections and start the process of untangling my own identity from the trauma of previous generations." |
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About UsIn Sanskrit, JiVA (जीव) generally means "soul," "life," or "living being"
JiVA means life. And we believe every life deserves to be held with compassion, culture, and care. JiVA Mental Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit initiative transforming how South Asian communities understand, access, and experience mental health care. Born from a deep recognition of the stigma, shame, and generational trauma many carry, JiVA was created to meet our community where we are—with compassion, culture, and clarity. Founded by licensed clinical social worker Ektha Aggarwal, JiVA Mental Health emerged from years of witnessing the quiet pain carried by South Asians navigating the tension between cultural expectations and emotional wellbeing. From teens feeling unseen, to mothers facing postpartum challenges, to families weighed down by generational trauma, the need was clear. |
Did You Know?
Why JiVA Matters:
The Power of Therapy Backed by Data
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Only 22% of Asian Americans with a mental health condition receive treatment. South Asians represent an even smaller fraction. |
Stigma, shame, and lack of culturally attuned care are the top reasons South Asians don’t reach out for help. |
In 2023, less than 1% of certified postpartum mental health providers in the U.S. identified as South Asian. |
Language barriers, cultural guilt, and fear of family judgment keep many from seeking therapy, even when they’re struggling in silence. |
This is why JiVA was created.
Care That Understands Your Culture And Transforms Your Life
Your healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. At JiVA, we offer therapy that meets you where you are with cultural awareness, compassion, and proven results. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, identity, family pressure, or generational pain, JiVA helps you move forward with clarity and support.
Book a Free Consultation - Take the first step by booking a free 15-minute discovery call. Our therapists will guide you toward care that affirms your story, your heritage, and your emotional well-being. |
Experience Culturally Conscious Therapy - Our integrative therapy combines clinical care with cultural insight. Together, we’ll explore the root of your challenges and build emotional strength, peace, and self-trust. |
Create Change and Rewrite Your Stigmas - Whether you’re the cycle-breaker in your family or just beginning your journey, JiVA offers you a place to be seen, supported, and empowered, every step of the way. |
Who We Serve
At JiVA, we provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive care to South Asian individuals, families, and communities who are ready to break cycles of silence, reclaim their narratives, and prioritize their mental well-being.
South Asian Women & Mothers
Whether you're navigating relationships, career expectations, fertility journeys, or postpartum transitions, we provide a supportive space that honors your voice and your culture. → Whether you're holding it all together or breaking it down, we’re here to support you. |
LGBTQIA+ South Asians
We offer affirming care for queer and questioning individuals facing family pressures, identity challenges, or cultural stigma. You deserve to feel seen, safe, and celebrated. → Therapy that centers your truth without compromising your roots. |
Multicultural Couples & Families
We help partners and families bridge generational gaps, cultural expectations, and communication challenges with compassion and curiosity, not judgment. → Because healing family dynamics starts with shared understanding |
Youth, Teens, & Cycle-Breakers
For teens and young adults navigating identity, anxiety, and academic pressure, we offer culturally conscious therapy that empowers resilience and self-worth. → You’re not too young to feel this much. And you’re not alone. |
Culturally Rooted Support, Beyond Therapy
Healing in our communities goes deeper than talk. JiVA offers programs that uplift, educate, and reconnect us—with ourselves, our families, and our roots.
Perinatal Mental Health TrainingIn partnership with Postpartum Support International (PSI), JiVA offers scholarships to train South Asian clinicians and community members in perinatal mental health, expanding support for new parents and dismantling cultural silence around postpartum struggles.
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Workshops That Center Your StoriesOur wellness workshops are safe spaces where South Asians explore mental health through community, storytelling, and cultural insight. Whether it’s navigating shaadi pressure, identity, or generational dynamics, JiVA blends ancestral wisdom with modern tools to support healing that feels familiar.
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Cultural Events That Bring Us TogetherFrom chai & chat circles to 5K awareness walks, our events create collective spaces for joy, learning, and reflection. JiVA events are more than social—they're a form of resistance and renewal for South Asians reclaiming mental well-being as a right.
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Meet the JiVA Team
At JiVA, we believe that healing is both personal and collective, and the people guiding that healing must understand the stories, cultures, and complexities of our communities. Our leadership, advisors, and volunteers are South Asian changemakers, clinicians, and advocates committed to transforming mental health access for our diaspora. Together, they bring years of professional experience and lived wisdom to support JiVA’s mission: to make culturally grounded care a reality for all.
Board of Directors
JiVA’s Board of Directors provides strategic direction and leadership rooted in cultural understanding, trauma-informed care, and service to our South Asian and multicultural communities.
Ektha Aggarwal
Founder & President |
Poorvi Mehta
Vice President |
Arun Ponnusamy
Chair, Education |
JiVA Impact Board
The JiVA Impact Board is a dedicated leadership circle designed to collaborate on strategic initiatives, community partnerships, and program development—playing an active role in shaping the future of mental health advocacy for South Asian American communities.
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Volunteers
Volunteers are the heart of JiVA. They support us across community awareness, event planning, and grant writing.
Sanjana Mendon
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Aanya Jajoo
Grant Writer |
Almanya Narula
Event Coordinator |
Priya Prasad
Event Coordinator |