About Us
DISCOVER OUR STORY AND VISION
Our Founder
Dr. Sona Mehta
This Training institute was founded by Dr Sona Mehta, a Practicing Psychiatrist and a certified teacher and supervisor of intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy in India. She has been teaching Psychodynamic Psychotherapy since 2020 to Indian and International students. She travelled from India and attended the annual symposium by Dr. Habib Davanloo the founder of ISTDP in 2016 at Montreal. Beginning 2014, she took a three-year core and later advanced training from the ISTDP Institute Washington DC. She did 3-year teachers training course from the ISTDP Institute as well. She currently offers certified courses in ISTDP and short workshops to add new skills to one’s psychotherapy work .She has already taught and currently teaching over 20 mental health professionals from India and abroad who have taken up a three year course in ISTDP and over 200 therapists have taken up a three-day training workshop in ISTDP. In addition she regularly teaches at national conferences of the Indian psychiatric Society .She has organized workshops in India for mental health professionals by inviting other exceptionally talented teachers of Psychotherapy including author and teacher Jon Frederickson MSW and psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Dr Thomas Brod from the USA
Our Mission
To offer world-class ISTDP training and supervision in India while cultivating emotionally competent, ethically grounded, and clinically skilled psychotherapists.
Transforming the Way Mental Health is Taught and Practiced in India
The ISTDP Training Institute is based in Tapovan, Rishikesh, is the country’s first and only dedicated training center for Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and is affiliated with The ISTDP Institute Washington DC.Founded by Dr. Sona Mehta, a practicing psychiatrist and certified ISTDP teacher and supervisor, the Centre is committed to advancing psychotherapy education that encourages clinical thinking, is emotionally transformative for both the therapist and the patients, and grounded in evidence-based research.
At the ISTDP India Centre, we believe psychotherapy is not just a technique—it’s a healing relationship rooted in truth, connection, and emotional courage.
Frequently asked questions
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Whether you're a student starting your clinical journey or an experienced practitioner seeking depth, the ISTDP Training Institute invites you to become part of a growing movement toward emotionally engaged, evidence-based psychotherapy
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Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, our physical centre in Tapovan, Rishikesh, offers more than just a learning environment—it offers a space for personal reflection, renewal, and emotional clarity. The serenity of the surroundings supports the depth of work ISTDP demands.