Making mental health a priority
In 2020, the University set up a Student Welfare Office, and ensured mental health and emotional well-being services to its student community. The NLS Administration along with the Student Welfare Team has worked with the Student Bar Association (SBA) to carefully review the mental health and emotional well-being needs of the student community. We care about every member of our University community and seek to support your holistic development during your time at NLSIU.
We look forward to your support in destigmatising mental health and emotional well-being in our community. Let us offer support to each other while also taking care of ourselves. With continued collaborative efforts, let us make our community healthier and more sensitive to issues of mental health.
The University has made the following services available to the student community. Reach out to for guidance and support on mental health.
1. Counselling Services
In line with the recommendations of the Mental Health Review Panel (MHRP), the University is partnering with Maarga Mindcare, a well-known tertiary mental healthcare provider based in Bengaluru. Through this arrangement, two counsellors will be available on campus (on an alternate basis) from Monday to Saturday, to provide in-person counselling and mental health support. Students need to use their NLS ID to email the counsellors to seek an appointment in advance. This service is available to students free of charge.
Ms.Ruquiya Jabeen is available for in-person consultation and counselling on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12 pm to 8 pm. To schedule appointments, please write to .
Ms. Ashwini Bhat is available for in-person consultation and counselling on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 12 pm to 8 pm. To schedule appointments, please write to .
The counsellors will provide the appointment slots available, as well as details of the session.
2. Clinical Therapy and App-based Services
Clinical therapy services with therapists from Amaha are available to all students. Please find the profiles of the therapists here.
Students will have to download the Amaha app on their phones and request a session via the app. All students must have received an email from Amaha on their NLS id to download the app. Students are required to use their NLS id to register on the app to use the services free of charge. Please note that there is no cap on the number of therapy sessions you book.
Amaha is a self-help app that enables mental health and well-being support for each user. It facilitates early intervention by providing a series of clinical self-help tools (remote, anonymous, 24/7). Developed over the last 2.5 years, it provides for self-awareness through free assessments and a range of CBT based self-help tools delivered as personalised programmes.
3. Psychiatric Referrals
Counsellors & therapists may recommend a psychiatric referral. The University has collaborated with a well-qualified and experienced Bangalore-based psychiatrist. Please write to for the terms of engagement.
4. Consultation Hours with the Student Welfare Officer
Our Student Welfare Officer will be available to meet with students for any issue or concern they need help with or want to discuss. Please write to the Student Welfare Officer to schedule an appointment ().
‘Workplace Emotional Well-being Programme’ for Faculty & Staff
In January 2024, NLSIU launched mental health services for its faculty and staff . The University has partnered with MindCrescent Wellness Ventures Pvt. Ltd (Amaha), to create a ‘Workplace Emotional Wellbeing Programme’ as part of this initiative. Read more about this initiative here.
In addition to these services, we will organise sensitization workshops to build awareness and address existing gaps in mental health awareness. Periodically, we will garner structured feedback from you on the aforementioned services as we continue to work on our mental health policy to make it more inclusive and expansive.