Dr. Purnima Nagaraja
Mental Health Professional and Psychotherapist
Doctor Overview
Dr. Purnima Nagaraja is a Senior Mental Health Professional with over 32 years of clinical experience in mental health care. She is the Founder and Managing Director of Dhrithi Wellness Clinic, a centre dedicated to integrated, ethical, and holistic mental health support, wellness and lifestyle management.
Trained in General Psychiatry in England, with observerships at Lewisham and Guy’s Hospital, and Maidstone East Hospital, Dr. Purnima combines strong medical foundations with psychotherapy, counselling and lifestyle-based interventions. Her work spans across psychiatry, counselling, social causes, community mental health, media education, and advocacy.
She is widely recognised for her long-standing contribution to women’s mental health, child and adolescent mental health, special needs, geriatric care and support, trauma care, wellness and lifestyle management, LGBTQIA+ affirmative practice, mental health advocacy and public mental health awareness.
Educational Qualification
- MBBS
- Diplomate in Psychological Medicine (DPM)
- MSc in Counselling & Psychotherapy
- Certified Psychometry Testing Professional
Clinical Experience
- 32+ years of clinical practice (since September 1993)
- LGBTQIA+ affirmative practitioner for over 32 years
- Consultant Mental Health Professional & Psychotherapist
- Lifestyle Expert, Counsellor, Trainer, and Mentor
Areas of Expertise
- Individual counselling for adults, children, and adolescents
- Couple, marital, and family counselling
- Trauma, grief, and bereavement therapy
- Premenstrual, perinatal, and postpartum mental health
- Perimenopause, menopause, and geriatric mental health
- Neurodivergence support and training
- Health counselling and lifestyle management
- LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy and counselling
- Special needs mental health support
- Alcohol and substance use counselling
- Psychometric assessments (conducted by certified clinical psychologists)
- Pet bereavement, behaviour and emotional support
Institutional & Community Work
- Trainer and resource person for Bharosa, a one-stop support centre for women and children affected by Domestic Violence and POCSO
- Worked in Chanchalguda Women’s Prison, providing counselling for prisoners and undertrials through NGO Bhumika
- Conducted training programs for government bodies, NGOs, corporates, Anganwadi workers, and child protection officers
- Extensive work in child abuse prevention and trauma-informed care.
Media & Public Mental Health Engagement
- Over 25 years of public mental health advocacy through media
- Newspaper columnist for Eenadu (23 years), Indian Express, and Hans India
- Weekly guest speaker on Radio Mirchi for 7 years, currently with Tal radio, contributed to Red FM and Big FM.
- Hosted 2 mental health, social cause and lifestyle television programs:
- Life is Beautiful – ETV- 100 episodes
- Body, Mind and Soul – ETV Life – 12 episodes
- Regular guest expert on ETV Sakhi NTV Helpline, and other leading media platforms such as Doordarshan, Telugu One, Momspresso (Telugu), Sakshti TV and Suman TV, for over 11 years
- Advisory board member, MAA (Movie Artists Association) – POSH Committee
Awards & Recognition
- Recipient of Vishisht Chikitsa Award
- TV9 Naveena Award
- Telangana Psychologist Association
- Multiple awards and citations from:
- Rotary Club
- Vissa TV
- BNI
- CoWE
- Other professional and social organisations
Academic & Professional Contributions
- Presented papers at multiple conferences and academic forums
- Actively associated with voluntary organisations providing pro-bono mental health support
- Conducted numerous workshops and capacity-building programs
- Mentor and educator to psychology and medical students