Introducing NEPsychNet newsletter
Psychology and Mental Health in Nepal
Namaste!
We're thrilled to welcome you to read the very first issue of the NEPsychNet newsletter—a digital space dedicated to sharing stories, updates, insights, and reflections related to psychology and mental health in Nepal.
This initiative began with a simple idea: to disseminate valuable information about the state of the field by bringing together psychologists, students, researchers, and practitioners who care deeply about psychology and mental health in Nepal, and to foster a platform for dialogue and learning. We recently conducted a community survey to shape the direction of this newsletter—and your responses have been incredibly inspiring.
Whether you're a seasoned practitioner, early-career researcher, or a curious student, there's something here for you. And we hope you’ll not just read—but write, share, and be part of the dialogue in the coming days.
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe on Substack and share with your colleagues and friends!
🌐 Website Updates
In case you haven’t checked our site recently, you will see the NEPsychNet website has exciting updates!
We’ve extracted and published the record file of Nepali psychologists into individual profile pages—thank you to everyone who has contributed. You can now view your profile (or find colleagues!) at:
🔗 https://psychology.com.np/record/
Want to update or add your profile? Please fill in the form here:
📝 Submit Your Details
We’ve also started curating blogs and articles—featuring both original pieces and community contributions.
Survey Findings
The key findings from our Newsletter Interest Survey conducted earlier this year are presented below:
🔗 Full Report on psychology.com.np
Here’s a snapshot:
22 participants (students, professionals, and faculty from Nepal and beyond)
82% want a psychology newsletter, ideally monthly and bilingual
Preferred topics: mental health news, training, research, clinical case discussions, cultural psychology
Underrepresented areas: neuropsychology, geriatric mental health, LGBTQI issues, men’s mental health
Most suggested a friendly, formal-casual tone, and many want to contribute as writers
This confirms what we’ve long felt: Nepal’s psychology community is ready for connection, collaboration, and creativity.
Conversation & Podcasts
Interview with Dristy Gurung
Listen to Sujen’s thoughtful interview with Dr. Dristy Gurung, who completed her PhD earlier this year, focusing on mental health-related structural stigma in the healthcare system in Nepal:
🔗 Listen to the episode
Plus, we experimented with an AI-generated summary podcast to make her research accessible, we converted her over 500-page thesis into a half-hour podcast. Let us know what you think!
🔗 Podcast link
Blog Posts
Performative Healing and Our Dear Ones
Reuben explores a powerful segment from the podcast All in Your Head, hosted by Akina Singh Suwal. In Episode 5, Shantanu Sharma shares his story of surviving, healing, and living. Reuben reflects on how public sharing of trauma becomes both an act of resistance and vulnerability.
🔗 [Read more on the blog]
Silent Battles of Adolescence
Rita writes on the subtle emotional world of adolescents, reflecting on Netflix’s Adolescence and her own experiences in early counseling practice.
She emphasizes the importance of school-based mental health support—a timely and much-needed resource in Nepal.
🔗 [Read more on the blog]
Towards a Unified Mental Health Workforce in Nepal by Chhori Laxmi Maharjan
Based on her talk at the 2nd International Conference on Community Mental Health (Chitwan, May 2025), Chhori Laxmi Maharjan, PsyD, Ankur Counseling and Training Center, discusses the need for a collaborative and inclusive mental health workforce, moving beyond rigid categories and silos.
🔗 [Read full article on the blog]
🔗 Learn more about Ankur Counseling Center.
What We’re Listening To
Podcast Recommendations:
"Are There Still Reasons to Be Optimistic About Nepal?" by Marty Logan (featuring Gyanu Adhikari, editor of The Record).
With many seeking opportunities abroad, this conversation dives into what keeps us hopeful about Nepal’s future.
🔗 [Listen here]
🔗 Record Nepal mental-health-related articles.
“Running & Mental Health: How Running Heals”, Charu Arjyal, Vice Chairperson at Chhahari Nepal for Mental Health, and a veteran runner in the Nepalese running scene, in conversation with Nishanta Baidhya.
🔗 Learn more about Chhahari Nepal.
📅 Recent Events
2nd International Conference on Community Mental Health
📍Chitwan | 🗓️ May 1–3, 2025 | Hosted by NIOMH
🔗 Event Website
🎥 Event Pictures/Video: [Drive Link]
Photo Courtesy: Organizers
National Conference on School Counseling
🗓️ June 20, 2025 | Hosted by the School Counseling and Wellbeing Support Centre, KU
Photo Courtesy: Pujan Sharma
National Psychology & Counseling Conference – Psychology in a Changing World
🗓️ June 28, 2025 | Kirtipur | Hosted by Central Dept. of Psychology & Counseling Psychology Program
Photo Courtesy: Pujan Sharma
📢 Upcoming Event
Health & Humanity Summit by MSF South Asia
🗓️ August 18, 2025 | 📍Kathmandu
🔗 Learn more and register
Note: Not a specific MHPSS event but related to humanitarian work.
Throwback
Did you know we did something similar back in 2018?
Check out the NEPsychNet Digest 2017 for a trip down memory lane:
📖 Related Post
📄 Full PDF
(Note: Some links may be outdated.)
Acknowledgements
Huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue—especially Dristy, Reuben, Rita, Pujan and Chhori Laxmi. And of course, to all survey participants and the larger community: your voices make this work meaningful. Thanks, Sanjeev for new logo design and the website makeover.
 | A guest post by
|