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SAMHI

SAMHI ~ Sexuality and Mental Health Institute

The Sexuality and Mental Health Institute (SAMHI) was conceptualized as an extension of Anjali’s work on sexuality and mental health. The Institute brings together professionals from diverse fields to deepen understanding of the intersections between sexuality, gender, mental health, rights, violence and justice, and to reflect on how these understandings can inform practice.

SAMHI aims to encourage thought, study, enquiry and action by creating a rigorous and reflective space for discussion, exchange and the cultivation of ideas. It invites participants to question established frameworks, engage across disciplines, and critically examine notions of stigma, exclusion and marginalisation. Through this process, SAMHI seeks to contribute to more inclusive and holistic approaches to mental healthcare and related professional practice.

Anjali has completed five editions of SAMHI, held in 2018, 2019, 2023, 2025 and 2026.

January 04 - 09, 2027

Participants are expected to arrive by 3rd January 2027 and stay for the entire duration of the course.

Hyatt Regency, Kolkata

The Venue is disability friendly and fully accessible.

Accommodation

Accommodation will be on a single sharing basis.

Apply Now!

Application open from 15th September to 5th October 2026.

Selected candidates will be intimated by email by October 2026.

The Institute aims to

  • Facilitate the understanding of the nuances of psychosocial disability and sexuality
  • Create linkages with global work and programs that impact mental health
  • Examine existing laws – both national and international – that impact the work on mental health and sexuality
  • Discuss work that is already existing in the field and enable participants to connect their work with issues of mental health and sexuality
  • Create a dynamic point of enquiry, study and action on mental health and sexuality
  • Generate new ideas and public debates on mental health and sexuality
                       

Pedagogy

The Institute will use a mixture of lecture, discussion, group work, films, readings and case studies.

Core Faculty

                                   
  • Chayanika Shah - Queer feminist activist, educator, and independent researcher working at the intersection of gender, science, sexuality, and politics. She has been part of several voluntary collectives and has led pioneering work on population control, reproductive technologies, and queer/trans rights in India.
    •                                
  • KP/Ketki Ranade - Faculty at the Center for Health and Mental Health, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. KP’s work focuses on queer-trans affirmative mental health, legal advocacy, and policy. They bring decades of experience in research, teaching, and writing on gender, sexuality, and mental health.
    •                                                                
  • Ratnaboli Ray - Psychologist, Ashoka Fellow, and founding director of Anjali. With decades of experience in rights-based mental health, she has served on the Government of India’s Task Force on Standard Treatment Guidelines and received the Alison Des Forges Human Rights Defender Award from Human Rights Watch.

Participants

SAMHI is intended for professionals and practitioners whose work engages with issues of mental health, sexuality, gender, rights, violence or justice. This includes doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, medical educators, lawyers, researchers, and those working with women and gender-diverse communities.

We especially welcome practitioners with substantial professional experience who are looking for a rigorous space to pause, reflect and think beyond the limits of their professional training. SAMHI offers an opportunity to engage across disciplines, challenge one’s own frameworks, and bring these conversations back into clinical practice, legal work, research, teaching, advocacy or community engagement.

Participants are expected to:

  • Have professional or substantial practical experience in a relevant field.
  • Demonstrate an interest in critically engaging with questions of sexuality, gender, mental health, rights, violence and justice.
  • Be willing to reflect on their existing professional frameworks and engage with perspectives from other disciplines.
  • Demonstrate how the learning and conversations from SAMHI may inform their ongoing professional or community-based work.
  • Be willing to participate actively in discussions and carry these conversations into their respective fields.
  • Be proficient in English, as the Institute and its reference materials are in English.