Paras Sharma

Dr. Paras Sharma is the co-founder and Director at The Alternative Story – a mental health startup based out of Bengaluru.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling and a Doctorate in Psychology.

In a career spanning over 14 years, he has worked in hospitals, helplines, corporate mental health organizations, and academic institutions. He has helped set up India’s largest counselling helpline run by trained mental health professionals and has contributed to establishing and training government helplines to address Violence Against Women in states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.

Paras uses a strengths-based and solution-focused approach to counselling and views mental illness from an intersectional and systemic perspective. He is trained in Marriage and Family Therapy and is an expert on Men's Mental Health.

Paras lives with mental illness, neurodivergence, and chronic illness and is actively engaged in awareness-building and research on these topics.

Qualification: PhD in Psychology and MA in Counselling Psychology 
Areas of expertise: Men's mental health, LGBTQIA++, Marriage and Family therapy,
Therapy approach: Post-modern Approaches (Intersectional Feminist, Trauma Informed)
Work Experience: 14 years