For listening and facilitating the therapeutic process of another human being to be effective in any way, we are called to respond from the place of our own complete humanness. It needs us to engage from our minds, our hearts and bodies; from what we know from past learning and what we can only discover freshly in the present moment of an alive, dynamic encounter.

In my research on where to learn this, I found either the extremes of places that emphasized rigid, mechanistic ways of knowing a person - flattening the richness and mystery of being a human to fit the fashionable theories of a time. Or I found places that in the name of the mystery, had no sound theoretical framework to guide - risking the anti-ethical stance of ‘anything goes’. I was surprised to find a place like Just Being, where the teachers so skillfully imparted this ‘middle path’ - of integrating evidence-based methods with the capacity of being intuitive and human. Just Being’s pedagogy is highly experiential, which is what it needs to be in learning the ‘art’ and not just the science of facilitation. I feel enormously grateful for discovering this authentic place of learning.

Batch 2022-23

I recently completed my Post Graduate Diploma in Mindfulness based Couseling and I am so grateful for the team at Just Being Center for Mindfulness and Presence under the guidance of an amazing teacher and mentor Sandy Dias Andrade and to all my peers who made this journey such an enriching and wholesome one, I really want to thank you for filling in an empty space in my life that I didn’t even know I had 😇 I learnt so much through the one year, deepening my understanding of what it means to hold space for someone and how I show up in a therapy space and these learnings have brought an enormous change in how I hold myself as a therapist in therapy sessions now. I hope I continue to use these learnings to grow and nurture myself and my practice. Adding the title Mindfulness Based Counselor to the hat now.

Batch 2023-24

This course has helped me much more than I had expected. I came to this course wondering if I wish to pursue a career in counselling. Also, to understand what goes in a listening process, since many people around me had appreciated me for my ability to listen. This course set the ground for me. One of the peers who attended the course and is also a clinical psychologist said once, “This course orients you to the human side of the counselling process.” In my experience, this listening process serves as a holistic approach to counselling process. The course definitely has helped me become a better listener in the counselling process, and along with it, I also see myself growing as a human being. This actually means that I’ve benefitted from the course on different levels.

Batch 2018-19

I am extremely delighted to share that I was able to experience a course so profound & experiential, that enabled me to tap into my inner space. The course not only provided hands on extensive training with consistent supervisions to aid in professional development, but also has helped me find and tune into parts of myself that I was not aware, existed. This has given me the opportunity to help the other in the listening space navigate their way through with an enhanced sense of groundedness and mutuality.

The deep embodied listening that is at the core of this course, has enabled me to be present with the other with more openness, less resistance & enhanced responsiveness. I have experienced moments of feeling strong emotions and yet allowing them and creating space, while at the same time holding space for the other, which I believe is crucial to the process of listening to the other with depth and the course has given me to lean into & cultivate this wonderful capacity to navigate my own inner processes.

Sandy, Harini & the team have given me the possibility to be more aware of my own processes & some glimpses into myself, through this course, which help me in being empathetic, receptive & intuitive in the space that I hold with the other. To be able to cultivate this ability as a listener & psychologist has essentially provided me ways to help the other tune into themselves by just being present.

I am extremely grateful to be able to experience this beautiful course and to meet wonderful people, in whose presence I have come to learn & value the attributes of safety, compassion & containing, as we hold space for the other & ourselves.

Batch 2022-23

I completed my listening course with Sandy at Just Being in 2018. From the time I heard of the program, to my first conversation to understanding the program, I have felt a deep resonance with the vision of the centre. Going through the course was a process of self-actualization for me on many levels.

Every discussion and interaction has taught me so much; not only knowledge of the subject but an inner-understanding. It is rare in these times to come across such a genuine team of people with deep knowledge, integrity and such empathy.

I feel so much joy and privilege to have been connected with JBC and the programs they continue to add are wonderful. I hope for a long-sustaining relationship of continued learning with them

Batch 2017-18

Mindfulness based Counselling program has made a huge difference in my life, personally and professionally. The program, Sandy’s presence and teaching methods are very unique and precise.

I loved how the modules flowed and progressed. It’s a perfect combination of practical and theoretical learning. I now listen to myself more deeply and hence able to bring a deeper listening presence in the spaces I am in.

As a yoga and movement facilitator, I am able to listen better to my clients too. When I look back it seems like vast experience shared with us with such simplicity and grace. I feel very lucky to have received Sandy’s incredible guidance through this program.

Batch 2021-22

The MBC-LWEP program has truly been a unique and life-changing experience for me. The program’s andragogy, which insists on learning wholly through experiencing, sets the program apart from others. I believe the program has contributed to calming my overemphasized cognitive, slowing me down, noticing my inner world, catching somatic sensations, and also softened me, given me the courage to become vulnerable, and helped me see the softer aspects of humanity and life. Suffice to say that post the program, I have discovered that the act of listening to anyone deeply, non-judgmentally and compassionately, is extremely nourishing, energizing and fills my heart with joy.

Sandy, as the core facilitator, is a treat to sit with. She lives a life steeped in mindfulness, compassion and authenticity, all of which make her a perfect role model to emulate. The other facilitators and assistants, who have held our hands and guided us through the program, have always been available and approachable.

In summary, the MBC program has provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime experience of self-discovery and growth. I wholeheartedly recommend this program to anyone seeking a deep dive into themselves, with the intention of cultivating harmonious connections within themselves and with others. The MBC-LWEP program has the power to truly transform lives and nurture a profound sense of interconnectedness.

Batch 2022-23

Sandy Dias Andrade is the Founder–Director at the Just Being Center for Mindfulness and Presence. She has been a practicing psychotherapist for over twenty-five years and works with a Mindfulness and Presence-Oriented Psychotherapeutic approach, integrating somatic, attachment-based, and trauma-resolution perspectives. Her specialization is in developmental trauma in adults. She is also an internationally certified Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) teacher.

She is deeply interested in merging mainstream psychological processes with wisdom-based approaches, an integration that has shaped the vision and work of the Just Being Center and the professional trainings she has developed for mental health practitioners.

Harini is an associated counselor with Just Being and holds individual as well as Group therapy spaces. She facilitated Grief Circles for the community on behalf of Just Being Center in association with Connecting Trust. She also works in the area of strengthening leadership in education and child development.

Harini Raval holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from ‘College of Social Work Nirmal Niketan’ and a Doctoral Degree in Education from ‘University of Twente, Netherlands’. She has trained in ‘Mindfulness Based Counseling: Listening with Embodied Presence’ from Just Being & St. Mira’s and ‘Mindfulness & Presence Oriented Psychotherapy’ from Just Being Center.

Dr Mary Kuttikadan is a mindfulness based practitioner and Embodied Listening Facilitator with a background in developmental and behavioral pediatrics. Her work involves assessment of neurodivergent children and supporting families in their journey. As a mindfulness based practitioner she also holds one on one and group spaces for Adults and adolescents.

While practicing as a developmental pediatrician since the last 7 years, she also noticed the need for a more holistic approach for supporting parents and children in her own practice. This led to exploring mindfulness based approaches leading to the presence oriented psychotherapy and RDI, which support her philosophy of supporting emotional health and embracing neurodiversity.

As a mindfulness practitioner, Mary holds one on one as well as group listening spaces for adolescents and adults. Holding spaces for Grief Apart from that, Mary also conducts assessments and supports the diagnosis and management of neurodivergent individuals in her role as a developmental pediatrician

Trained as a developmental and behavioural pediatrician. Trained as an RDI consultant for autism. Trained as a storyteller (Kathalaya Institute for Storytelling), Yoga instructor(The Yoga Institute), EQ facilitator (Equipoise Pvt Ltd). Mary completed her PG diploma in Mindfulness based Listening: Listening with Embodied Presence and is currently completing the Advanced Training in Presence Oriented Psychotherapy.

Jaya is the The Principal In-charge at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune and has served at St. Mira’s as Head of the Department of Psychology. She teaches many theory-based modules on the course and brings the theory alive for students. She has an ability to teach in a way that makes theoretical concepts lucid and places them in a concise yet comprehensive framework.

She has actively designed courses to advance students’ understanding of psychology as a profession, designed curriculums for undergraduate programs with psychology as a specialization, taught varied psychology courses for undergraduate levels, including psychopathology, research methodology and counselling psychology. She is also responsible for developing several volunteering programs that were very popular with the community and students. She is also a coordinator of the Internal Quality assurance cell and is instrumental in launching a very successful mental wellbeing program for students.

Romana Shaikh’s journey has and continues to be in pursuit of A Thriving Life for Every Child.

In seeking to make meaning of her own lived experiences of adversity, trauma and marginalisation, Romana has engaged with formal public education systems, comprehensive sexuality education and a training in Presence Oriented Psychotherapy.

​Romana is the co-founder of Kizazi, a global not-for-profit with the mission to develop, implement and codify breakthrough school models that promise this generation of children a thriving life. Her experience over the past two decades spans across fields of mental health, education, peacebuilding, social entrepreneurship, and leadership. A Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, A Teach For India alum and a teaching assistant for the Presence-Oriented Psychotherapy Diploma, Romana has developed her expertise as a facilitator of personal and collective transformation that weaves an understanding of the human mind, sexuality and the impact of trauma and systemic oppression. Her experiences, reflections and insights form the basis of her first book, Weaving Wholeness.

Romana facilitates a session on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on the program.