Case Studies - Nitya Gurukula

This case study is about a married couple Raj (58) and Lakshmi (55); for both it is their second marriage. Raj, an established businessman, is father of two kids; Lakshmi, a leader in a multinational company, lived with her parents following her divorce. The couple got married with familial encouragement and support.

A year into the marriage, they started facing challenges. Communication gap, lack of emotional support & fears of being dominated created turmoil in their relationship. With a desire to save their marriage, the couple decided to approach Nitya Gurukula for couples’ counselling.

NG Counsellors contractually assisted the couple to build an emotional connection & gave them space to explore themselves; compassion was kindled and nurtured in them. Counselling sessions empowered the couple to be receptive to each other’s ideas and needs. The couple expressed the desire to be together as they were able to respect and acknowledge individual differences by accepting each other.

Suresh is 27 years old and works abroad for a reputed MNC. This seemingly calm & composed person struggled with deep anxiety issues. During the session, Suresh vented about the problems he had while the counsellor patiently heard him. Suresh lived with his friend in a PG during the pandemic. There were several restrictions in the country they lived. Whenever his friend came back home after work, Suresh had a habit of excessively sanitizing the shared accommodation.

Following the observation and other issues which he shared, the counsellor was able to identify that Suresh was struggling with cleanliness issues and their intensity slowly turned into an anxiety problem. Realising that Suresh was interested in a few animated characters, the counsellor interacted with him having the characters in mind. There was a subtle shift in Suresh’s behaviour. He acknowledged the reality and started to be gentle with himself. Also with the help of a few psychological concepts along with the recognition and validation techniques, the counsellor navigated Suresh beyond the challenges. In less than 10 sessions, he started living a happy and peaceful life.

Narmadha was in a long-distance relationship with her husband as he worked abroad. She had a 2-year-old kid. She visited Nitya Gurukula for anxiety issues. Her mother had passed away long back & her father was not keeping well. All her assets were controlled and managed by her aunt. Irrespective of the geographical distance, Narmadha and her husband shared a strong bond but family responsibilities & pressure from her aunt made Narmadha worried about her marriage and relationship with her husband. During the sessions, the counsellor allowed her vent to out and narrow down the issues troubling her. She got an insight into the root cause of her problem.

The counsellor highlighted the underlying issues and advised Narmadha to set a boundary with her aunt and take charge of her life. This gave her confidence and she clearly expressed her feelings & views to her aunt, thus settling down the issues. Within a couple of sessions, she felt happy that her bonding with her husband improved and they began to live a happy life.

❝ Sara was depressed and anxious when she visited Nitya Gurukula. She had trouble concentrating and falling asleep, as her father is an alcoholic, and her sibling has aggression issues. The mother unable to balance the family, has been overly accommodating to the needs of others. Sara was uncertain about her future, lost her confidence and wanted to quit her studies. Looking for love and affection, she felt that she had lost her childhood.

The psychological space provided during the counselling sessions allowed her to communicate her grief & painful experiences with her father and brother; she needed someone to understand her without passing judgement. With help from her counsellor, she gained understanding of her internal tensions and behavioural patterns, which enabled her to change her body language. Slowly, she began interacting comfortably with her family and encouraged them to have a family goal, which gave her settlement and hope in life. ❞

❝ Paru had recently recovered from a stroke which had turned her life upside down.

She had gone from being a caring, and supportive mother to being a doubtful and confused woman, requiring assistance from her children. Moreover, despite her medication, she still panicked and her doctor stated that everything would get better over time. But Paru’s insecurity and depression made her quite ill. In addition, she struggled with her decision whether to be with her daughter or return to her native village.

The counsellor stayed with her mindfully, carefully listening and assisted her in identifying the reason for her underlying struggles.

The cause of the problem it seemed, was she yearned for the connection she formerly shared with her son and daughter. As grownups, they now have their own responsibilities, in addition to taking care of their ailing parents. So NG counsellor used recognition & validation techniques, which guided the couple recognize their space and they now lead a happy life.

Paru’s daughter was happy and thanked Nitya Gurukula for helping to bring a healthy shift in the lives of her parents. ❞

Please note: Clients names changed to protect their identities