⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of grief, self-harm, and harassment. Please listen with care. If hearing about these topics doesn't feel right for you today, please skip to another episode or return at another point in time. What happens when you lose a parent just months after arriving in Australia as a 19-year-old international student? How do you keep going when grief, visa timelines, and financial pressure collide and there's no space to stop? In this powerful episode of the Asian Mental Health Podcast, Asami speaks with Maneesha Singh, a registered psychologist, founder of ManAsha Psychology, and former international student from India. Maneesha shares her deeply personal story of arriving in Melbourne at 19, navigating culture shock, losing her father within her first year, and feeling the overwhelming pressure to "just keep going" through grief, study, and survival. Now as a clinician specialising in culturally responsive trauma-informed care, Maneesha works with international students, migrants, and second-generation Asian Australians facing similar struggles. She opens up about what she sees in her practice: students arriving at crisis point, the shame and stigma around mental health in South Asian communities, self-harm as a coping mechanism, and the systemic barriers that keep international students from seeking help until it's almost too late. This conversation offers both a mirror for those who've walked this path and a roadmap for mental health services, educators, and peers who want to better support international students navigating migration, grief, and belonging. 🎧 You'll hear about: ✅ Arriving in Australia at 19 from India: culture shock, food struggles, mixed-gender accommodation, and learning to navigate Melbourne alone ✅ Losing a parent as an international student and the pressure to return to uni within a month ✅ Why international students don't feel they have the option to pause, defer, or grieve ✅ The financial and visa pressures that drive students to keep going at all costs ✅ How grief manifests physically: panic attacks at ATMs, gut health issues, chronic headaches ✅ Common patterns Maneesha sees in her clinical practice: late-stage crisis presentations, perfectionism, disconnection, and reversed sleep cycles ✅ Stigma, shame, and the fear of being seen as "weak" or bringing shame to the family ✅ Self-harm as a coping mechanism among international students ✅ How to support a friend who's struggling without beating around the bush ✅ What mental health services are missing when working with international students ✅ The importance of language, cultural attunement, and small sustainable steps in therapy ✅ The story behind ManAsha Psychology: mind, heart, and hope 👤 About the Guest Maneesha Singh is a registered psychologist and founder of ManAsha Psychology, a Melbourne-based practice specializing in culturally responsive and trauma-informed care. Originally from India, Maneesha moved to Australia at 19 as an international student, where she navigated culture shock, grief, and the challenges of building a life abroad. Her lived experience deeply informs her clinical work. 🔗 Find Maneesha's profile on the Shapes and Sounds Asian Mental Health Practitioner List 🌐 ManAsha Psychology website 🙌 Connect with Shapes and Sounds InstagramLinkedInWebsite🎁 Free Resource: Download "International Students and Mental Health" ✨ If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review the Asian Mental Health Podcast on your favourite podcast app. It really helps other international students and migrants find these conversations. Share this episode with your friends, especially if you know or are an international student, because word of mouth helps destigmatise mental health in Asian communities. 💛 The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a production from Shapes and Sounds, the leading voice for Asian mental health in Australia. Thank you for listening!
