Our People
A dedicated community of counsellors, educators, clinicians and changemakers committed to making mental health support accessible, compassionate and stigma-free.
Core Team
Chairperson
Since 1996
Currently, Fr. Bento is Head/Superior General of Fr. Agnel Society that runs educational institutions and orphanages in different parts (Goa, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, NOIDA, Gr. NOIDA, Vaisahli, Ghaziabad. The society has established and is successfully running 3 engineering colleges, 2 Management Institutes, 1 Institute of Culinary Sciences,1 Food craft institute, 4 polytechnics, 4 ITI‟s, and 12 Senior secondary schools. In all, about 40,000 students are benefiting out of these educational institutions. The society also runs 5 orphanages for about 700 children.
Vice Chairperson
Since 2005
She is an entrepreneur who helps, guides and establishes artistes (singers, bands and musicians) in the field of performing arts. Her 20 yrs young company named ‘Musical Dreams’ has been instrumental in shaping the lives of many young artistes.
She is a part and holds position in many social and global organisations like Snehi, Rotary and BNI. She is the Founder and President of TAF – The Artiste Foundation. She is a Published author, poet, trained classical dancer. Happiness and Gratitude are her favourite words in the dictionary.
Founder & Director
Since 1993
He is a trained counsellor and Master Trainer to train professionals in community mental health care, trauma counselling & care, resilience building, initiating intervention with survivors of violence within community, and has been working as counsellor and trainer for the last 31 years.
An alumnus of JNU, he has over 35 years of work experience in teaching, strategic planning, advisory, general management and supervisory roles in humanitarian development within the not-for-profit sector particularly in areas of human development, community mental health, child and adolescent wellbeing & mental health, child development, rights of people with psychosocial disabilities, education & training, peace education & interfaith dialogue.
He is ardent believer that “No Health is possible without good Mental Health”. He advocates that Good Mental Health is prerequisite to ensure sustainable development in the society.
Treasurer
Since 2003
Trained counsellor. Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court of India, practicing in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court since 2003. Partner at Dua Associates.
Executive Committee Member
Since 1995
Trained counsellor and former Chairperson & Vice Chairperson of Snehi. MBA, and Director of The Positif – An Organisation for Human Growth and Development.
Executive Committee Member
Since 1994
He is professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, New Delhi. He did MBBS from Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University and MD (Doctor of Medicine) in Psychiatry from National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, Bangalore. He has been teaching in AIIMS since 1997.
Secretary, Central Mental Health Authority (Regulatory body under Mental Health Act, Govt. of India)-2005-2018 then re-selected as member in 2018. Presently he is member of Central Mental Health Authority.
Appointed as the Honorary Advisor for mental health to Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India, 2013. His field of interest are Child & Adolescent psychiatry, Epidemiology & Community psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, adult clinical psychiatry
Executive Committee Member
Since 1994
He is professor of Psychology, Zakir Hussain Centre for Education, JNU, New Delhi. He did MA (Gold Medal) and PhD from Department of Psychology. DU, New Delhi. His area of interest is Social Psychology.
General Body Member
Since 2000
Sandeep has done B. Tech. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Delhi. He has also done an Executive Program in Leadership and Management (EPLM) from IIM Calcutta.
He is the cofounder and CSO/CTO of Peakmind.in. He was also the Global Representative (India) for International Positive Education Network and is passionate about applying positive psychology to educational and work domains.
He is a Gallup certified strengths coach, a 16pf accredited practitioner and a certified Master Trainer and conducts trainings and assessments for companies. His passion though is to conduct positive psychology themed sessions for school age students.
He had the fortune of getting trained in psychosocial counselling by Snehi – a Delhi based mental health NGO, is a member of Snehi and is a passionate advocate of mental wellbeing for all. Prior to making a lateral move into facilitation and psychology, he had an illustrious career spanning more than 16 years with leading telecom software product development companies including Cisco and Reliance. He has a couple of US patents as a result of that work.
Counsellor & Trainer
Since 2000
She has been working full time as a Professor at the Department of Elementary Education, Lady Shri Ram College and has been teaching since 2000. She has done her MSc in Child Development, MEd and PhD from University of Delhi.
Smriti has been a Fulbright Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellow at University of Washington, Seattle 2013-2014 and subsequently her project was selected for alumni award by United States India Educational Fund 2014. She has worked intensively with children, teachers and teacher educators from diverse backgrounds through various projects and consultancies with government, non-government and private organizations across India for conducting group activities with children; preparation of school textbooks; teacher education curriculum; faculty development of teachers and teacher educators; and evaluation and monitoring. Some prominent ones include – Working with children from underrepresented backgrounds for Arpana Trust, Gautampuri and Aga Khan Foundation Trust; involvement in school textbooks at SCERT, Delhi and NCERT; syllabi development at NCTE; faculty development programs for SCERT, Delhi, SIERT Haryana and Rajasthan; consultancy projects with ICICI foundation, Aga Khan Foundation and Save the Children Fund.
Smriti has conducted scores of group activities with various stakeholders, delivered numerous talks in seminars and conferences and her research has been published in several national as well as international journals and books.
Consultant & Theatre-in-Education Specialist
Since 2000
Ms. Surabhi Chawla holds an M.A. in Early Childhood Care and Education (Ambedkar University, Delhi) and a Master’s in International Performance Research (Erasmus Mundus, UK/Netherlands/Serbia). She uses theatre as a pedagogy tool to help students and teachers reflect, express, and connect with themselves. Currently teaching Theatre-in-Education at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, she has also contributed to curriculum development at SCERT and DIET. She has conducted workshops in various schools and universities on themes of resilience, empathy, and socio-emotional learning, and has worked with organizations such as Khushi, Ahvaan Trust, and Healthy Aging India. Her sessions are interactive, experiential, and impactful for both students and teachers.
Counsellor
She holds a master’s degree in psychology from University of Delhi and a Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance and Counselling from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She has worked as a Tele-counsellor with Snehi NGO and currently is serving as a Counsellor at Fr. Agnel Bal Bhawan. With over 4 years of experience in working with children and adolescents, she has been actively engaged in providing counselling support, facilitating workshops, and addressing the emotional and psychological needs of young people. She has also conducted several workshops for both school and college students, focusing on mental health awareness, resilience building, and life skills development.
Social Worker & Research Assistant
Since 2000
She previously worked in the banking sector, specializing in finance, where she developed strong analytical and relationship management skills. Recently, she made a career shift into the mental health field and began her journey with Snehi as a Social Worker and Research Assistant. She is passionate about contributing to initiatives that support emotional well-being, break mental health stigmas, and create a positive impact within the community.
Program & Communications Manager
Since 2000
With experience across both corporate and nonprofit sectors, she has led programs at Akshara, Urja, Sportathon Foundation, and Hema Foundation/Feeling Minds.
Her work spans youth leadership, emotional well-being, and community outreach.
She brings a strong foundation in storytelling and coordination from her background in English Literature.
At Snehi, she oversees program design, communication, and strategic outreach.
Her focus remains on building empathetic, sustainable systems for mental health support.
Guidance
Distinguished academics and practitioners who guide Snehi’s mission and programs.
Advisor & Trainer
Since 2000
He was a Professor and Head of Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi. A teaching and research career spanning more than four decades. His primary specialization is Applied Social Psychology, Organizational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, and Qualitative Research Methodology. He has been associated with Snehi as Trainer and Advisor since 2000.
Advisor & Trainer
Since 2005
She was Associate Professor at the Department of Human Development and Childhood Studies, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi, up to October 2015, having had a teaching career of 43 years at this institution. Currently she is Managing Trustee, Pratham Delhi Education Initiative, and Manager at Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi. She has been associated with Snehi as a trainer and advisor since 2005.
Advisor
Since 2000
She is a professional social worker who has more than 35 years of experience of working in the development sector. She has worn different hats – that of a social researcher, school counsellor, programme manager and consultant. Most of her work has been with women and children, especially for their education and livelihood. Other areas of work include policy advocacy, mental health and work in conflict areas.
Being part of an International NGO and a multinational consulting firm, she has exposure to different countries in South and South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She has worked with UN agencies, State Governments, Corporates.
She is a graduate in child development, was trained in social work at the Department of Social Work, Delhi University. She holds a Doctoral Degree in School Social Work from Jamia Milia Islamia. She has been associated with Snehi since 2000.
Advisor
Since 1999
He is an Additional Professor, Dept of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, Bangalore, and Consultant, Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT) Clinic, Consultant at Obsessive Disorder Clinic, at Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, Bangalore.
Helpline Active • 10 AM – 10 PM Everyday
Our trained counsellors are here to listen, support, and guide you – completely free of charge. Your call is confidential and judgment-free.
If we helped you, you can always donate to support our mission.
