Why are some people seeing more than one mental health therapist in India?

Therapy in India has shifted from taboo to infrastructure. With anxiety, stress, and depression affecting an estimated 149 million adults in the country, seeking a mental health therapist in India is no longer a last resort. For many, it’s becoming a framework for living. 

As therapy settles into everyday life, its structure is changing too. Seeing more than one mental health professional at the same time is becoming part of that shift. The term that is often used for this is ‘non-monogamy in therapy’—shorthand for consulting multiple therapists. 

Mental health experts can be categorised into different niches—from psychiatric and relationship counselling to clinical, somatic, and integrative therapy. Non-monogamy in therapy entails seeking the support of two or more kinds of mental health experts for layered or specialised support. 

Why some people are seeing more than one therapist  

Non-monogamy in romantic relationships usually carries a very negative connotation. In therapy, however, the question is less about ethics and more about structure. The term is used informally to describe a situation where one individual consults multiple professionals at the same time, sometimes for different—or the same—concerns. 

In India, accessing even one mental health therapist can still be shaped by stigma, expenses, and accessibility. Seeing multiple professionals at once remains out of reach for many. Yet among those who can access it, experts highlight the practice is gradually becoming normal.

“It’s more common than we openly acknowledge,” says Riddhi Gandhi, therapist with The Mood Space. “So many people, especially younger urban individuals, seek multiple opinions—sometimes for reassurance, sometimes out of uncertainty, and sometimes because they genuinely need layered support.”

For instance, for Bhuvana Bhaliga, a marketing professional, seeing a psychologist and therapist at once followed a period where therapy alone felt inconsistent. “I felt like my emotional and mental health was getting out of hand, and while therapy was helping me on and off, I realised I needed more intense support.” The ebb and flow of conversing with a therapist and psychologist was draining, but the latter’s push helped her take the next step and seek clarity. 

Psychotherapist Chandni Tugnait notes that seeing both a psychiatrist and therapist at the same time is already widely accepted. “One works with emotional and behavioural patterns, the other addresses clinical symptoms through medication when needed.”

The benefits of non-monogamy in therapy

Specialisation is one of the strongest arguments for seeing multiple therapists. Many practitioners focus on specific domains: trauma, addiction, postpartum shifts, or identity rupture. When distress spans multiple areas, a single modality can feel insufficient. 

 “SO MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY YOUNGER URBAN INDIVIDUALS, SEEK MULTIPLE OPINIONS—SOMETIMES FOR REASSURANCE, SOMETIMES OUT OF UNCERTAINTY, AND SOMETIMES BECAUSE THEY GENUINELY NEED LAYERED SUPPORT”–– Riddhi Gandhi

New Delhi-based psychotherapist Vartika Singh explains that therapy demands emotional stamina. “Non-monogamy in therapy—consulting a psychiatrist and a therapist at once—ensures you are treating both the brain and mind.” Medication can stabilise the nervous system. Therapy reshapes patterns. Each discipline occupies a different layer of recovery.  

“If the client does not have the emotional and psychological capacity, then therapy can feel overwhelming, like a burden, rather than a healing space,” Singh adds. “In such cases, one expert helps manage the chemical and hormonal balances for more mental health stabilisation, while the other helps you understand, recognise and unlearn patterns, and build new cognitive pathways.”

Naimita Jagasia, founder of Mumbai-based bakery An Ode To Gaia, has been consulting both a traditional and a naturopathic therapist for some time now. “While conventional therapy involves a lot of verbal exchange, self-retrospection, and action, naturopathic therapy like Reiki works through silence and surrender. Both calm my nervous system in different ways, which has only helped my holistic healing journey.” 

Meanwhile, for Goa-based Aahana Mulla, author, poet and founder, JoyShop Land, double-duty emerged through reflection rather than a crisis. “With my therapist, we explore talk therapy and inner child healing work, and with my Pranic healer, we explore energy cleansing and energy reset. The way I see it, it is the same as taking care of your physical wellness. Sometimes I prefer yoga, sometimes kickboxing or HIIT, and other times, a mixed bag for my physical health. The same applies to mental health.”

“THE WAY I SEE IT, IT IS THE SAME AS TAKING CARE OF YOUR PHYSICAL WELLNESS”–– Aahana Mulla

Research supports integrated care in certain conditions, particularly severe anxiety and depression. Explaining the science, psychologist Sanam Devidasani says, “For someone struggling with severe anxiety, depression, or other distressing symptoms, medication can sometimes play an important stabilising role.” Therapy requires psychological capacity. When someone is chronically overwhelmed, medication can make engagement possible rather than theoretical. “In that sense, psychiatry and therapy are not competing—they’re supporting each other.” Coaching, she suggests, can translate insight into action while therapy explores underlying structures of fear.

Does seeing multiple mental health therapists in India have risks?

Non-monogamy in therapy isn’t cheating; it’s complementary calibration. However, the more-is-more approach is not without risks. Due to information overload and cognitive strain, seeing multiple therapists can become a double-edged structure. 

“The risks are mostly not in the ethical domain, but there is a risk of clients becoming overwhelmed, taking too much on at once, and there's always the concern that multiple therapists will be giving conflicting suggestions, which could make neither therapy work well,” says one Reddit user. 

Seeing multiple therapists simultaneously can backfire when clarity, goals, distinction, and integration begin to blur. “The most common difficulty is receiving conflicting guidance. Different professionals may hold different frameworks, and without coordination, the client may feel pulled in opposing directions,” says Devidasani. Another challenge is emotional overload.

Therapy is work, and overstimulation could cause exhaust before progress catches up. “Therapy is incredibly valuable, but there is such a thing as too much therapy. If someone is constantly analysing, processing, reflecting—moving from one session to another, one framework to another—they may begin to feel emotionally exhausted rather than supported. Particularly with individual therapy alongside couples counselling, the person can feel like they are endlessly ‘working on themselves,’” explains Devidasani. 

“MANAGING TWO APPOINTMENTS A WEEK AND TWO DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS CAN BECOME A STRESSOR IN ITSELF, ESPECIALLY FINANCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY” –– Vartika Singh

According to therapist and relationship counsellor Ruchi Ruuh, non-monogamy in therapy risks trading growth for validation. “If a client uses one therapist to overcome the discomfort created by another therapist by challenging the client's beliefs, it can actually be counterproductive.” 

It can also paralyse real progress if it simply becomes a way of avoiding difficult conversations, says Gandhi. “In some cases, it could lead to ‘therapist splitting’, where one therapist is idealised and the other dismissed, often mirroring relational patterns that need attention.” 

Another risk is fragmentation. If details are shared selectively, healing becomes compartmentalised, cites Tugnait. “Growth requires staying present with discomfort, and if someone keeps shifting between professionals to avoid hard conversations, the real work and growth often stall.”

Besides “analysis paralysis”, non-monogamy in therapy can introduce financial strain. “Managing two appointments a week and two different professional relationships can become a stressor in itself, especially financially and emotionally,” says Singh. 

Jagasia concurs, adding, “I am committed to two forms of therapy (and two different therapists) because I feel the merit. However, the financial upkeep shoots up significantly on a weekly basis.”

How to safely see multiple mental health therapists in India

“As mental health awareness grows in urban India, especially among professionals, therapy is no longer just about [managing] crisis,” says Singh. “It is about growth, identity, communication, and emotional intelligence. This often creates a desire for multiple, layered support systems.” 

There is nothing right or wrong about going non-monogamous in therapy. The structure matters more than the number. Transparency is foundational. “I have definitely mentioned my therapist and Pranic healer to each other at some point over the years, and honestly, it’s not something to not be transparent about in the first place,” says Mulla. 

Ethical non-monogamy in therapy means honesty and consciousness. “Be transparent where appropriate. Avoid ‘shopping’ for opinions in ways that leave you more confused. Respect the process you’re engaged in rather than constantly comparing it,” says Devidasani. “All the professionals should be aware of each other so that healing work does not happen in complete isolation, and the client can reap the benefits of going to them for addressing all areas of their lives,” says Singh. 

Problems arise when roles blur. If two professionals are working on the same emotional layer without awareness, advice can collide. 

While boundaries between therapists matter, compartmentalisation also becomes a skill. Compartmentalisation works best when it’s thematic, not secretive. “A healthy example: Therapist A for trauma processing; therapist B for couples work; psychiatrist for medication. An unhealthy example: Telling each therapist different versions of your reality,” explains Gandhi. 

"THE CLIENT’S JOB IS NOT TO MERGE ADVICE, BUT TO NOTICE WHAT RESONATES, WHAT CONFLICTS, AND TO BRING THAT REFLECTION BACK INTO THE ROOM" –– Ruchi Ruuh

Emotional compartmentalisation is more complex than it may appear. “Sometimes a therapist becomes ‘the one I don’t want to disappoint.’ Another professional becomes ‘the one I can vent to.’ Or one space becomes associated with comfort, while another becomes linked with challenge or discomfort. It’s rarely conscious, but it can subtly shape the work,” says Devidasani.

Ruuh offers practical guardrails. “Medication decisions stay with the psychiatrist. Deep relational patterns belong in therapy. Couple dynamics go to relationship counselling. The client’s job is not to merge advice, but to notice what resonates, what conflicts, and to bring that reflection back into the room.”

Ultimately, if layered care in therapy feels sustainable, seeing multiple therapists is not unethical. “Healing does not require more voices; it requires coherence. If the work across spaces aligns, transformation multiplies, and when it does not, it fragments. The difference completely lies in awareness,” says Tugnait.