The Alternative Story Review
The Alternative Story is a solid choice. Sessions are on the lower side at ₹710 and you can book online without a call first, but therapists average only 2 years in practice and there is no clear policy on switching therapists.
The Alternative Story is a mental-health organisation offering online and in-person individual, couples, and family therapy, group work, support groups, and corporate programmes. Based in Bengaluru and Mumbai, it also offers accessible pay-what-you-want therapy options.
The verdict on The Alternative Story
What works
- Priced below market at ₹710 a session, against a ₹1,450 average.
- Sessions in 16 languages, so you can work in your first language.
- Confidentiality is backed by a signed contract, not just a privacy policy.
- Self-serve online booking, no discovery call needed to get started.
- Priority slots are available if you need to start quickly.
Worth knowing
- Therapists average just 2 yrs of practice, which is junior for complex work.
- No clear policy on switching therapists, so confirm this before you commit to a package.
- Therapist quality varies within any platform. The score reflects the platform's standards, not the individual you'll be matched with.
Choose The Alternative Story for
keeping the cost per session down; therapy in Hindi or Punjabi; couples work.
Look elsewhere if
you may need medication, there's no psychiatrist here; being able to change therapists easily is important to you.
How The Alternative Story scores
The same five measures we apply to every platform, each marked out of 100. Weighted together they come to 75 out of 100, which is 4.7/5 on our 5-point scale. See how the scoring works.
Is The Alternative Story good value?
That's 51% below the ₹1,450 average across the 41 platforms we track. At this price the thing to check is therapist qualification, Masters is what they advertise as a minimum.
What The Alternative Story offers
Services
Specializations
Languages
Meet the founders
Paras Sharma, Rashi Vidyasagar
Counselling psychologists Paras Sharma and Rashi Vidyasagar co-founded The Alternative Story in 2018. They built the collective around affordable, accessible, politically informed mental healthcare. Their work emphasizes intersectional feminist, trauma-informed, queer-affirmative, caste-aware practice and recognises that social conditions and unequal systems strongly influence individual mental wellbeing.
Contact & links
The Alternative Story vs the alternatives
The closest comparisons by location, services and approach, scored on the same five measures.
| # | Platform | OTI score | Price | Experience | Services | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SirayaMumbai | 4.8/5 | ₹1,050 | 2.5 yrs | Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy +4 | Review |
| 2 | The Alternative StoryBengaluru, Mumbai | 4.7/5 | ₹710 | 2 yrs | Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy +4 | Review |
| 3 | Beautiful MindsBengaluru | 4.5/5 | ₹2,500 | Not stated | Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy +3 | Review |
| 4 | Thought PuddingMumbai, Bengaluru | 4.0/5 | ₹2,500 | Not stated | Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy | Review |
The Alternative Story FAQ
Short, direct answers to what people ask us most. Still stuck? Ask us directly.