From Vancouver to the world, a registered clinical counsellor is using her Canadian training to bridge critical gaps in mental health care globally.
Shivani Agarwal wants to ensure that therapy is safe, ethical and accessible, especially in places where the profession isn’t regulated.
Agarwal built the Centre for Self-Discovery in 2019, a women-led BIPOC organization based in Vancouver, serving immigrants and diverse populations across the country. It has since become a global organization, being offered in nine languages and in more than 10 countries, including India, Nepal, the U.S. and U.K., Bangladesh, Singapore, Pakistan and more.
When Agarwal expanded the practice to her home country of India, she recognized a stark contrast. Unlike Canada — where the mental health field is carefully regulated — India lacks unified standards for counselling psychologists.
In response, she created a program that qualifies existing therapists as Certified Ethical Practitioners (CEP). This designation is first-of-its-kind in India and trains therapists in the highest standards of international professional ethics as derived from the U.K., U.S. and Canadian Psychology Associations, but adapted to India’s unique cultural context.
"I’m using the knowledge I gained from Canada's mental health system to empower therapists in India to deliver safe and ethical care," said Agarwal.
The program equips practitioners with the tools to: Make ethical decisions confidently, protect client confidentiality and safety, build trust and legitimacy in their practice, and lead the movement toward a regulated and respected mental health profession.
“In India, anyone can call themselves a therapist,” she explained. “There’s no regulation at the counselling level, no framework for ethical decision-making, and no way for clients to know if they’re in safe hands.”
When she was hiring therapists to serve for her India team, she said that despite carrying the best of qualifications, most were under-confident in their ability to talk about topics like suicide.
“I have to often hold space for ‘therapy trauma’ which is trauma caused in a therapist-client relationship before I actually even get to the client’s life story,” she said. “There is no place for them to complain.”
In 2017, there were 197.3 million people with mental disorders in India, comprising almost 15 per cent of the total population of the country. The Mental State of India 2024 report suggests that mental well-being has worsened since 2020, particularly among youth aged 18 to 24. The National Mental Health Survey 2016 indicated a significant treatment gap of 85 per cent for common mental disorders and 73.6 per cent for severe mental disorders.
Some of the therapists Agarwal was interviewing were also unable to navigate the parameters of confidentiality when family relationships got involved.
“In a country like India, where family culture and dynamics can already make seeking therapy a tough choice for many, if a therapist is not clear about their own professional do's and don’t's, it can cause more harm than good,” she said.
Agarwal shared a story of a friend in India whose therapist called his parents to discuss the things he talked about in his sessions. That therapist then later shook off her friend’s concerns as “family therapy.”
She said that the stigma in India surrounding mental health not only prevents clients from accessing it, but also prevents interested students from becoming counsellors as the pay or training isn’t regulated.
“Psychology students in India pay the practicum sites to let them train, meaning their training isn’t on par with their skill, but rather who can afford the best practicum sites. Money should not be a part of this process when someone is doing practical training,” she expressed. “If anything, a student stipend needs to be given.”
Agarwal does believe that newer generations are doing better with overcoming the stigma, meaning more people are seeking services. But there are not enough ethically-trained practitioners to serve everyone, which is where the CEP program comes in.
To her, the program has the potential to revolutionize mental health care, not only in India but in unregulated markets worldwide.
She is also working toward the creation of a unified association for psychotherapists in India, with the ultimate goal of building a mental health ecosystem that mirrors the rigour and trustworthiness of Canada’s system, where her story began.
Agarwal completed her studies in counselling and art therapy in Vancouver at Adler University. She also went on to become a professor of Ethics at Adler and Rhodes Wellness College, supervising the next generation of counsellors.
“I graduated knowing not just how to help clients with trauma but also how to handle their information, protect their confidentiality, and build a truly ethical practice. It’s a foundation that every therapist deserves," she said.
As mental health takes centre stage globally, Agarwal hopes to drive meaningful change in mental healthcare systems around the world.
