Dr. Gitanjali G Govindrajan, a Certified Rehabilitation Professional (CRR No: A93207) with Rehabilitation Council of India, Honoris Causa (Social Work, LADC Institute, USA) is an educationist, social innovator, entrepreneur, and an Arts Based Therapy (ABT) Practitioner, an Arts Practices for Inclusion (API) Educator. She is a fellow of the Complementary Medical Association (UK), a TEDx speaker with a Post-Graduation Diploma in Community Based Rehabilitation, a distinction with a CDP certified Diploma in Neuropsychology, and a university rank for her Masters in Biochemistry. She is on the path to be certified with the International Coaching Federation.

Sumathi Ramjee is the Joint Managing Trustee at Snehadhara Foundation and is part of the faculty of the Arts Practices for Inclusion Certificate course that has been launched in 2021. Sumathi, an Arts Based Therapy Practitioner has been the recipient of Pearson Teaching award for Outstanding Contribution to Special Needs children in the year 2012-2013 and Pearson Special Jury Award in the year 2012-2013. She has presented a poster on “Crossing Sensory Boundaries using Arts” at the South Asia International Autism Conference 2015, Delhi.

Ruthika J, an Arts Practices for Inclusion (API) is a certified Arts Based Therapy (ABT) practitioner with seven years of experience in facilitating therapeutic interventions using various art modalities. Previously a scientist with a Master’s in Biotechnology, she is now a special educator with a diploma of Special Education for individuals with Learning Difficulties (KPAMRC), a guest faculty at KPAMRC and an artist currently pursuing Post Graduation for Art Therapy from Maharashtra institute of technology (MIT), Pune. She recognises and believes in the profound impact of art as a tool for self-expression, healing and inclusion. She leads the Open Studio programme at Snehadhara Foundation. 

Sindhu is an enthusiastic, creative educator whose interests and wide range of skills have combined in her ongoing work with women and children. She is a Chevening Scholar with a masters degree in Holistic Science from Schumacher College, England, and is a certified Arts Practices for Inclusion practitioner, 2022. She has been working with children from marginalized communities in Rishikesh and has co-founded an initiative ‘joiningthreadsjoininglives’ for rural women; that provides training and employment using different craft skills. She likes to spend time with her cat and enjoys music and baking.

During her API course, Sindhu worked with children of ragpickers in a slum colony in Rishikesh. Her API community inclusion project focussed on creating shared group memories and learning experiences outside the learning center while visiting different communities and common spaces like playgrounds and river banks. 

Cristelle co-founded the Dil Se Association with Marina Racine in Switzerland in 2000. She has been the Managing Director of Dil Se India since 2009. Cristelle is an Anglo-Swiss national who moved to Kochi in 2000. Since then, as a social worker, she has set up and run several children’s homes, helped families in need with food and education and worked with people living with HIV/AIDS. Throughout those years, she encountered many sexually abused children. When a 14-year-old who had previously been cared for by Dil Se became pregnant, Cristelle set up Tejus Home, a home for abused pregnant teenagers, along with Birthvillage (natural birthing centre). Between 2013 and 2015, Cristelle attended several workshops and training sessions on the prevention of child sexual abuse. Seeing Kerala’s desperate need for greater awareness and healing, she initiated the setting up of the Child Advocacy Centre.

Cristelle wanted to be able to work on a more personal level with people and so decided to become a certified Arts-Based Therapy (ABT) practitioner. Cristelle uses ABT mainly to work with abused and pregnant girls, but also with various other populations to help them express emotions. Cristelle lives with her husband and two young sons who study in a child-led learning centre. Her interests include nature and reading.

Yashaswini Gupta is an MA Psychology graduate from Ambedkar University Delhi. She completed her BA Psychology from Delhi University. Currently she is working as the Associate Director at Snehadhara, and is the Arts Practices for Inclusion Research Lead. She is on the path to be certified with the International Coaching Federation.

She is interested in research and has completed multiple research papers including presenting a paper at the International Purple Fest 2024 on ‘Socio-Emotional and Inclusion Wellbeing in Children with Disabilities using Arts Practices for Inclusion’ and her master’s Dissertation on the topic “Narratives of Indian Parents who have Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder”. She has worked with Light Up-Emotions Matter Foundation, facilitating Emotional Intelligence in residents of a juvenile home from 2018-202, and has worked on a research project to understand the impact of Social-Emotional Learning classrooms on children’s learning. Her internship experiences vary from content writing at BeepWeep, to clinical psychology at the Centre for Child and Adolescent Wellbeing and Moolchand Hospital.

Varahalakshmi (Vidya) has been a special educator for the past 11 years with experience of working abroad and in schools in Bangalore. She is currently the Head of the Learning Centre, Middle School at the Bangalore International School. An engineer by training, she quit her job as a software professional to take up teaching children with needs.  She holds a Cambridge international diploma for teachers and trainers (CIDTT) and is a certified Arts Based Therapy practitioner. She has been able to encourage the expressive capabilities in students through visual arts, voice and rhythm. Her passion is to work on helping children understand their true potential. She believes that the therapeutic aspects of arts, especially in a group, can positively impact one’s social skills and bring about behavioural changes. 

Aparna Chandrahasan is a Special Educator ( Diploma in Special Education – Autism Spectrum Disorder) and an Arts Practitioner (API batch 2022). She works as an Arts Practioner at Bubbles Centre for Autism and Pragati Towards Livelihood. She works with both children and young adults with special needs.

A mom to two girls and a lover of all things Bangalore – she loves to talk, dance and experiment with coffee.

Darvi is Facilitator at Snehadhara Foundation and  is an MA Gender Studies graduate from Ambedkar University Delhi. She completed her Bachelors in Political Science from University of Delhi. Currently she is working as an API fellow, while completing her Arts Practices for Inclusion course at Snehadhara. 

Her interests lie in community work, facilitation and research. She has experience in working with women and children residing in marginalised communities across Delhi, on the issue of gender based violence. Darvi enjoys music, doodling, photography and cat whispering.