Are you a Desi Sister trying to improve your sibling and family relationships?
You aren’t alone.
Connect with a like-minded community of South Asian women that can help!
Are you a Desi Sister pursuing holistic wellness and improved mental health?
You aren’t alone.
Connect with a like-minded community of South Asian women that can help!
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
Feeling truly seen and heard is essential when working with a counsellor. It can be especially meaningful to connect with someone who understands your culture, offering deeper insight into the challenges you face. South Asian culture and family dynamics are unique and can differ greatly from those in North America. Yet, mental health care that reflects these experiences remains hard to find—especially when seeking support is still met with stigma.
This stigma can often be accompanied by unhealthy family dynamics which create conflict, stress, and emotional strain. When these struggles are avoided, ignored, or invalidated, they can lead to frustration, resentment, and even impact mental well-being. In toxic family environments, seeking mental health support can feel even more difficult.
Maintaining or striving for optimal mental health while family stress potentially weighs heavily on you is a struggle. With how complicated all this can be, don’t you think there’s a lack of guidance, especially for South Asian sisters such as yourself?
Do you feel that a South Asian community with experts on mental wellness and family dynamics and would be helpful? Well, keep reading on, because we’re here for you!
The South Asian Sisters Support Group is a safe space with an expert-led and designed program for South Asian women who hope to improve their overall mental well-being and family relationships.
The coaching support group regularly meets to learn and explore:
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
Counselling for All is dedicated to providing a safe space where you feel at ease in sharing your authentic experiences and vulnerabilities.
Created and led by tenured trauma counsellor Mobina Hasan, support group participants can access:
All of which allows them to improve their quality of life.
Let's meet your facilitator!
FACILITATOR
As a South Asian woman who lived in five countries and in a cross-cultural unhappy marriage for 28 years, I have navigated cultural challenges for many years. Being a mental health therapist, I recognize the role culture plays in making or breaking a family, and by extension, relationships.
The reason I started the South Asian Sisters Support Group is for us to share our collective wisdom, allowing us to offer support, advise and celebrate each other's successes.
I envision that through our shared life experiences, we will make positive lasting changes in our families, relationships and future generations.
FACILITATOR
I am a mother, daughter, sister, wife, friend and a veteran Social Worker and psychotherapist. As a South Asian woman, I am no stranger to navigating several roles and responsibilities daily that are unique and often challenging due to our cultural landscape. The South Asian Sister's Support Group was conceived as a powerful catalyst for personal discovery, growth, community and fellowship for all those involved. I look forward to learning, sharing and creating a healthy support system!
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
Let's break down the details!
We meet through video call every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, starting March 25th
5PM Pacific/ 6PM Mountain/ 8PM Eastern/ 9PM Atlantic
Each meet up is an hour long with the opportunity to interact with others in breakout rooms of 2-4 people
It's all casual —feel free to bring a cup of tea, a snack or dinner!
The first part of the meet up is for us to get to know each other and discuss things like:
The following segment will take place in breakout rooms.
A reflective topic is usually offered by facilitators to support you through your personal journey.
Last, but not least, the closing of the meet-up allows for time to share our insights.
A private South Asian community of sisters pursuing healthier family relationships
Learning and discussion under the guidance of mental healthcare professionals
Have access to resources and an expert designed program to make positive change
Connect to other members and guest speakers through live chat
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group before, access South Asian Sisters through here.
Check out these benefits you will gain!
Feel comfort knowing there are others have a similar experience
Be understood and encouraged by fellow South Asian sisters also navigating similar challenges
Guidance or pointers for awkward or difficult situations
Gain clarity on how to move forward with life
Find methods to increase internal resilience when feeling challenging emotions like jealousy, isolation or rejection
Have space to discuss, normalise and validate difficult experiences
Discover relevant practical perspectives from other South Asian sisters within the community
Meet guest speakers with experience and wisdom on South Asian culture
Learn how to manage and improve your familial and sibling relationships
Pursue an increase in self-esteem and self-acceptance
Potentially make lifelong friendships and connections
And much more!
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
Maybe you’re thinking,
Culturally responsive mental health care for South Asians is not widely available. Due to the lack of support and stigma for seeking it out, South Asian women don't realize the additional obstacles they face:
Many feel isolated because they don't feel supported by their family while having difficulty connecting with mental health clinicians due to a culture gap
Growing up with unhealthy or emotionally immature parents can result in a distorted self-perception
Speaking out about your need for support, while others invalidate you or keep silent, can create feelings of insecurity
Resentment can grow from being forced to endure unfair or unhealthy expectations
Feeling like you’re missing a major part of your support system and have no one to turn to
Trauma can bleed and destabilize your relationships with others
You could be seeing your own children or loved ones in the next generation repeating the same patterns
Not having access to the right kind of mental health care is difficult. This is compounded if you grew up with a dysfunctional family. These challenges take from your ability to perceive yourself in a healthy and balanced way while negatively influencing your interactions with others. It’s common for others in your situation to wonder if there's something wrong with them, and there isn't!
Most make the mistake of denying the possibility of positive change, and choose to endure and continue unhealthy patterns, thinking it’s for the best to keep the peace. However, this can’t be farther from the truth.
Denying your needs, keeping silent in anxiety while slowly building resentment towards an unsupportive support system or family to do the same is not peace. We want you to experience true peace. You deserve wellness and happiness while being connected to others who uplift and celebrate you.
This change can start with you.
Do you want to pave the way for a better quality of life with more 'true' peace?
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
“...positive attachment experiences in early life result in an internal working model of attachment that includes a favorable image of the self as worthy of love and affection and of the surrounding social world as dependable and nurturing resulting in less anxiety, depression, delinquency, and aggression.”
—Brody, G. H., Stoneman, Z., & McCoy, J. K. (1994). Forecasting Sibling Relationships in Early Adolescence from Child Temperaments and Family Processes in Middle Childhood. Child Development, 65(3), 771–784. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00782.x
“Nothing will change. I have tried in the past and my efforts were wasted. Why should I put in effort if my family is unsupportive and none of them change for the better?”
It’s very understandable to be skeptical after past negative experiences. However, you should consider the difference in having the support of mental health clinicians who grew up in similar circumstances dedicated to helping you.
These expert facilitators are fellow South Asian sisters who understand the ins and outs of the mind, relationships and the culture you share. You can be sure to learn beneficial things from them that could make a positive difference!
In the past, you were alone. Now, you would be working with peers and expert facilitators who get it. Since you’re here reading, perhaps you still have hope. We’re here to help you ground that hope into a real action plan leading to positive change.
“What if people judge me and my family because they think we’re messed up?”
That’s a very valid concern. A lot of people think if they aren’t the “ideal family”, there is something wrong or broken with them. However, every family has challenges of their own, and no culture is exempt from this because it’s human nature to have imperfections.
And we’ll let you in on the big secret—everyone tries to hide their family issues. However, no problem is solved if it is hidden or denied.
Maybe your family situation is unique, and joining the coaching support group will help remind you that you aren’t alone in navigating this. By working together with other South Asian sisters also struggling with family, you have more brainpower to find a solution!
With the help of South Asian sisters who are mental health clinicians as your facilitators:
Learn ways to improve self-esteem and acceptance,
strategically manage familial dynamics,
foster stronger connections with your siblings,
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
Still thinking?
Members gain free access to:
South Asian Sisters Support Group is designed to provide a foundational support system for your wellbeing.
As you join the community, you’ll begin to realize how to make positive differences for yourself, your family and your future.
We highly recommend subscribing for at least 3 months to allow for enough time for you to grow and see positive change.
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
This is an ongoing online support community, members can join and leave as they see fit.
The support group does not replace professional therapy.
Do I need to share right away?
Not at all! You can choose to do whatever you feel comfortable with.
Our expert facilitators will make sure the support group is a positive and safe experience for you.
Do I need to turn on my camera?
Yes. It feels more comfortable to share when we all see each other.
Can I connect with other participants on the platform or outside?
Absolutely! We highly encourage participants to connect with each other through one-on-one chat and share contact details if they feel comfortable. Many of our participants meet outside the weekly meetings and have formed life-long friendships!
Do I need to engage with other participants outside of the sessions?
It’s totally up to you. You may decide how and where you engage with the other participants outside of the weekly meetings.
Research evidence indicates that support groups create more impactful positive changes when participants engage with each other and combine their various insights, perspectives and learned wisdom.
Will the facilitators be available for individual calls if difficulties come up and I need to speak with someone?
We encourage you to let us know you would like to speak with someone through the South Asian Sisters Support Group platform’s chat function. You will receive useful perspectives and encouragement from your fellow support group participants while gaining insight from the expertise of the facilitators.
The facilitators are not available for phone calls. If you need further individual support, we recommend exploring professional counselling services. Please see the Q&A below for more information.
What if I need more than what the South Asian Sisters Support Group community offers?
The South Asian Sisters Support Group is not a replacement for professional counselling services. If you feel that you need more individual support, counselling could be helpful for you.
You can reach out to Mobina Hasan at Admin@CounsellingForAll.org for a referral to a counsellor that specializes in working with other counsellors.
How will you protect my personal information?
The South Asian Sisters Support Group is a safe space for you and your information. We have measures in place to prevent doxxing and keep important data confidential. Support group participants are encouraged and regularly reminded to refrain from sharing personal information.
What are you waiting for?
*If you have joined another Counselling for All support group, access South Asian Sisters through here.
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©2025 Counselling for All is a service name of Chisti and Hasan Foundation.
