Psychotherapy in English & Hindi

Beneath
the Noise.

There is a lot going on in your head. Old beliefs, repeating patterns, thoughts that spiral. Beneath all of it, there is something clearer. That is what we work toward together.

overthinking
Ananya Khandelwal
i.Meet your therapist
Ananya Khandelwal
Psychotherapist · Ed.M, M.A · Columbia University

Together, we will make sense of what is going on — your thoughts, patterns, and the things that keep repeating.

I use structured approaches like CBT and REBT, but in a way that feels real, interactive, and not clinical. The goal is simple: help you understand yourself better and give you tools that actually make day-to-day life easier.

Therapy with me is collaborative, practical, and tailored to you — your personality, your experiences, and what you are struggling with right now.

Meet Ananya
i.About

A practice rooted in evidence, shaped by who you are.

"Most of us move through life reacting to the noise — the overthinking, the old beliefs, the patterns we never chose. Therapy is where we learn to tune into something clearer."

3,000+Clinical hours
02Languages spoken

I am Ananya Khandelwal, a psychotherapist trained at Teachers College, Columbia University, with over 3,000 hours of clinical experience across private practice, community mental health, and non-profit settings.

My work is grounded in evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), including specialised training from the Albert Ellis Institute. I focus on helping clients understand the patterns in how they think, feel, and respond — particularly the beliefs and thought processes that may be contributing to emotional distress or keeping them feeling stuck.

I work with adolescents and adults navigating anxiety, stress, relationship challenges, life transitions, and identity-related concerns. Therapy with me is collaborative, practical, and tailored to your individual needs, with the goal of helping you build insight, develop healthier ways of coping, and create meaningful, lasting change.

Areas of focus

AnxietyStressRelationships Life transitionsIdentitySelf-doubt LGBTQ-friendlyCulturally sensitiveEnglish & Hindi
Book free 15 min consult
ii.The approach

We help you understand what is Beneath the Noise.

The ABC model helps us understand how our thoughts shape our emotional and behavioral responses. It is not just what happens to us, but how we interpret it, that influences how we feel.

The ABC Model · developed by Dr. Albert Ellis, 1955.

The way we interpret an experience often matters more than the experience itself.

Tap the belief bubbles to see how the same event creates two different outcomes
A Activating event

What happened?

You fail an important exam.

B Belief 1

What might you tell yourself?

Tap to reveal

B Belief 2

Or, alternatively?

Tap to reveal

C Consequence 1

Reveal B1 first

C Consequence 2

Reveal B2 first

Same event. Two different outcomes. The goal is not to think positively all the time, but to think accurately and helpfully — so you can find the signal beneath the noise.

In therapy, we work together to understand where these beliefs come from and how they shape your current experiences. From there, we challenge unhelpful patterns and develop more balanced beliefs.

iii.Services

You might be a good fit if the noise sounds like any of these.

  • You find yourself overthinking or feeling stuck in the same patterns.
  • You are navigating a transition in career, relationships, or identity.
  • You are experiencing challenges in your relationship and want to improve communication.
  • You appear high-functioning on the outside, but feel overwhelmed internally.
  • You struggle with anxiety, self-doubt, or constant pressure to get it right.
  • You find it difficult to set boundaries or prioritise yourself.
  • You want to understand your thoughts and reactions more clearly.
  • You are looking for practical tools to manage your emotions more effectively.
  • You want to make meaningful lifestyle changes but feel unsure how to do so sustainably.
  • You are ready to do the work, but are not sure where to begin.
What I offer

Individual & couples therapy

For adolescents and adults navigating emotional, relational, and life transitions. Sessions are conducted virtually and tailored to your individual needs.

  • FormatVirtual sessions
  • Length45 minutes
  • LanguagesEnglish & Hindi
  • LocationIndia-based
Book free 15 min consult
iv.Frequently asked

Questions people often ask before beginning the work.

If you have been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or simply curious about understanding yourself better, therapy can help. There is no threshold to meet. If something is taking up space in your mind, that is reason enough.
The first session is a conversation. We will talk about what is bringing you in, what you have tried before, and what you are hoping to get out of therapy. There is no script, and you do not need to come prepared.
Yes. I offer a complimentary 15 minute phone consultation to briefly understand what brings you to therapy, answer any questions you may have, and help determine whether we would be a good fit to work together.
Most clients begin with weekly sessions, though frequency may vary depending on your needs, goals, and schedule.
Therapy looks different for everyone. Some clients seek short-term support around a specific concern, while others prefer longer-term exploratory work and ongoing personal growth.
Both are structured, evidence-based approaches that focus on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. REBT places extra emphasis on identifying rigid or irrational beliefs and replacing them with more flexible, accurate ones. I draw from both depending on what is most useful for you.
Sessions are confirmed once payment has been made at least 24 hours in advance. Cancellations or rescheduling requests made within 24 hours of the scheduled session time will incur the full session fee.
Yes. What we discuss stays between us, with the standard ethical exceptions. We will go over confidentiality in detail in your first session.
Yes. I work with clients in both English and Hindi, and we can switch fluidly between the two if that feels more natural to you.

Still unsure?

A brief consultation call can help determine whether this feels like the right next step.

Book free 15 min consult
v.Testimonials

What clients say after doing the work.

"
Ananya's expertise in CBT and REBT helped me gain practical tools to manage anxiety and challenge negative thinking. She creates a warm, nonjudgmental space that made it easy to open up. I always left sessions feeling heard, supported, and empowered.
— JB · Anxiety & negative thinking
"
Working with Ananya has been a truly supportive experience. I came to her feeling overwhelmed by loneliness and depression, and her thoughtful approach made a real difference. She listens with empathy and offers practical strategies that helped me feel more hopeful.
— JK · Depression & loneliness
"
Ananya was extremely helpful in helping me recognise historical negative behaviors that were impeding my ability to grow. She helped my partner and I learn effective methods to communicate and set achievable goals. I would highly recommend her.
— MS · Couples & communication
"
Ananya provided incredible support and guidance during a tough period in my life. She listened deeply, offered practical strategies, and helped me view things from a healthier perspective. I always left each session feeling lighter and more empowered.
— JM · Life transitions & resilience

All testimonials shared with consent. Names withheld for privacy.

vii.Blog

Where I unpack the patterns beneath the noise.

Anxiety · Overthinking

How to Stop Overthinking at Night: The Difference Between Processing and Rumination

If your mind won't switch off at 2am, the problem may not be that you're thinking too much — it's that you're looping instead of processing. Here's how to tell them apart, and step off.

Read
REBT · Therapy

What Is REBT? How Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Helps With Anxiety

REBT is one of the most practical, evidence-based approaches in therapy — and it rests on one deceptively simple idea: it isn't the event that upsets you, it's the belief you hold about it.

Read
People-Pleasing · Boundaries

How to Stop People-Pleasing: Signs, Causes, and What Actually Helps

Saying yes when you mean no isn't kindness — it's often fear wearing kindness's clothes. Here's where the pattern comes from, and how to begin unlearning it.

Read
Online Therapy · India

Online Therapy in India: What to Expect From Counselling in Hindi and English

Thinking about starting therapy online but not sure how it works, whether it's effective, or if it's for you? A plain, honest guide to online counselling in India.

Read
Anxiety · Overthinking

How to Stop Overthinking at Night: The Difference Between Processing and Rumination

If overthinking worked, you'd be free by now. You've turned it over four hundred times — and you're still lying awake. The problem usually isn't that you think too much. It's that you're looping instead of moving through.

Most people who want to stop overthinking at night assume the goal is to think less. But the real distinction isn't quantity — it's direction. There is a kind of thinking that moves you somewhere, and a kind that just circles. One is processing. The other is rumination. They can feel identical from the inside, which is exactly why the loop is so convincing.

Processing moves you through. Rumination keeps you stuck.

Processing is what happens when you genuinely engage with a feeling or a problem: you notice it, make sense of it, and something shifts — even slightly. You come out the other side with a little more clarity than you went in with. It has an exit.

Rumination has no exit. It's the same thought, the same 3am replay, the same imaginary argument you've rehearsed forty times. It feels productive because it's exhausting — but exhaustion isn't progress. You can spend an entire night "thinking it through" and wake up in exactly the same place, only more depleted.

Why the loop happens at night

Night removes distraction. During the day, tasks and people keep the mind occupied; at night, there's nothing left to drown out the noise, so the unprocessed thoughts finally have the floor. On top of that, an anxious mind treats "what if" as if it were information — as if running every worst-case scenario one more time will somehow make you safer. It won't. Anxiety doesn't want to solve the problem; it wants to relieve the discomfort of uncertainty, and looping is how it tries.

The one question that separates the two

The next time you catch yourself spiralling at midnight, ask a single, honest question: is this thought leading somewhere — or just looping? Processing asks, "What is this telling me? What can I do?" Rumination asks, "What if, what if, what if" — and never lands.

If it's leading somewhere, follow it. If it's looping, that's your cue: you're allowed to step off. Not because the worry isn't real, but because circling it a forty-first time won't change the answer.

Small ways to actually step off

Name it out loud: "This is rumination, not problem-solving." Naming it breaks the spell that it's useful. Write the worry down and add one line — "There is nothing I can do about this at 2am" — which is almost always true. And if a thought genuinely needs action, park it for the morning, when you can actually do something about it. The loop shrinks the moment you stop treating it as a task.

Overthinking convinced you it's a form of care — that if you just think hard enough, you'll be prepared, protected, in control. But the way out was never more thinking. It's learning to tell the treadmill from the journey, and letting yourself get off the treadmill.

If overthinking has been running your nights, you don't have to untangle it alone.

Book a free 15-min consult
REBT · Therapy

What Is REBT? How Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Helps With Anxiety

REBT is one of the most practical, evidence-based approaches in modern therapy — and it rests on one deceptively simple idea: it isn't the event that upsets you, it's the belief you hold about it.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) was developed by psychologist Albert Ellis and is the original form of cognitive behavioural therapy. If you've ever wondered why the same situation devastates one person and barely touches another, REBT has a clear answer — and, more usefully, a method for doing something about it.

The core idea: it's not the event, it's the belief

REBT uses a simple map called the ABC model. A is the activating event — something that happens. C is the consequence — how you feel and what you do. Most people assume A causes C directly: the thing happened, so of course I feel terrible. But REBT points to B, the belief in between. It's the belief about the event — not the event itself — that creates the emotional consequence.

Two people can fail the same exam. One believes, "I failed, which means I'm not capable, and I never will be" — and feels shame and hopelessness. The other believes, "I didn't do well this time; I can understand what went wrong and improve" — and feels disappointed but motivated. Same event. Different belief. Completely different outcome.

Rigid demands vs. flexible preferences

REBT's real insight is about the kind of belief that causes suffering. It's rigid demands — the "musts," "shoulds," and "have tos." "I must be liked." "I can't get this wrong." "They should treat me fairly." These demands can never be fully satisfied, so they keep you anxious and on edge.

The healthier alternative isn't giving up what you want — it's holding it as a preference instead of a demand. "I'd like to be liked" rather than "I must be." A preference lets you feel disappointed when things don't go your way, without feeling destroyed by it. The wish stays; the tyranny goes.

How REBT helps with anxiety specifically

Anxiety thrives on demands and catastrophic "what ifs" that the mind treats as facts. REBT gives you a way to catch those beliefs and question them — not with forced positivity, but with three honest questions: Is this belief true? Does it logically follow? Is holding it actually helping me? This is called disputation, and it's the engine of change in REBT. Over time, disputing the rigid belief loosens its grip — and the anxiety that grew from it starts to ease.

What sets it apart

REBT is active, practical, and skills-based. It isn't only about understanding why you feel a certain way — insight alone rarely changes anything — it's about learning to work with your own beliefs so they stop running you. That's what makes it especially effective for anxiety, perfectionism, and the kind of relentless self-criticism that keeps so many capable people stuck.

Curious whether REBT is the right fit for what you're carrying?

Book a free 15-min consult
People-Pleasing · Boundaries

How to Stop People-Pleasing: Signs, Causes, and What Actually Helps

Saying yes when you mean no isn't kindness — it's often fear wearing kindness's clothes. If you're the dependable one who never lets anyone down, this is worth reading.

People-pleasing is one of the most socially rewarded struggles there is. The world calls you thoughtful, easy-going, low-maintenance — while inside you're exhausted, quietly resentful, and unsure what you even want. Learning how to stop people-pleasing starts with seeing it clearly: not as a personality trait, but as a pattern you learned, usually for good reasons.

Signs you might be a people-pleaser

You say yes when you mean no, then resent it later. You apologise reflexively — sometimes for things that aren't your fault, sometimes for simply existing. You over-explain your decisions, as if you need permission for them. You feel responsible for other people's moods. You struggle to name what you want, because you've spent so long tracking what everyone else needs. And the thought of someone being disappointed in you feels genuinely unbearable.

Where the pattern comes from

People-pleasing rarely comes from weakness. It usually comes from an environment where being agreeable, useful, or "no trouble" was how you stayed safe or stayed loved. If approval felt conditional growing up — earned through good behaviour, achievement, or keeping the peace — you learned to read the room and manage everyone in it. That was intelligent. It protected you. The problem is that the strategy kept running long after the danger passed.

The belief underneath it

At the core of most people-pleasing is a single belief: "If I disappoint them, something bad will happen — they'll leave, they'll be angry, I'll be unworthy." That belief feels like fact, but it's a prediction — and usually a distorted one. Saying no to someone healthy does not end the relationship. It's the fear that says otherwise, and the fear is what keeps you saying yes.

What actually helps

The shift isn't becoming cold or stopping caring — it's learning that a boundary is not an act of cruelty. Start small: notice the moment you begin to justify or over-explain, and pause there. Ask the honest question — do they actually need this from me, or am I managing a fear? Practise letting someone feel a small, survivable disappointment without rushing to fix it. And, slowly, let safe people prove that they don't need you to earn your place with them.

You were never too much for asking. You were taught to make yourself smaller to be sure of love. Unlearning that is some of the most freeing work there is — and you don't have to do it perfectly to begin.

If people-pleasing has quietly run your relationships, therapy can help you find your way back to yourself.

Book a free 15-min consult
Online Therapy · India

Online Therapy in India: What to Expect From Counselling in Hindi and English

Thinking about starting therapy online but unsure how it works, whether it's effective, or if it's really for you? Here's a plain, honest guide to online counselling in India.

Online therapy in India has quietly become one of the most accessible ways to get real mental health support. If you live somewhere with few local therapists, have a demanding schedule, or simply feel more comfortable opening up from your own space, online counselling makes therapy possible in a way it often wasn't before. Here's what to actually expect.

Is online therapy as effective as in-person?

For most common concerns — anxiety, low mood, stress, relationship patterns, perfectionism, life transitions — research and clinical experience both suggest online therapy works just as well as sitting in a room. What makes therapy effective is the quality of the relationship and the method, not the medium. A good therapist, a private space, and a stable connection are what matter.

What a session actually looks like

You book a time, and at that time you join a private, secure video call. Sessions usually run around 50 minutes. You'll want a quiet, private space where you won't be interrupted, decent internet, and headphones if others are home. That's genuinely it. Many people are surprised by how quickly it stops feeling like "therapy over a screen" and simply feels like being heard.

Therapy in Hindi and English

One real advantage of online therapy in India is language. Emotional work is hard enough without also translating yourself. Being able to move between Hindi and English — to use whichever words actually carry the feeling — often makes therapy deeper and more honest. You should never have to flatten your experience to fit a language you think less naturally in.

How to know if it's right for you

Online therapy suits most people looking for support with everyday mental health concerns. It's worth noting it isn't designed for acute crises or emergencies — if you're ever in immediate distress, please reach a crisis line such as Tele-MANAS (14416, 24/7). But for the ordinary, heavy, human things — the overthinking, the pressure, the patterns you can't seem to break — it's a genuinely good place to start.

Taking the first step

The hardest part of therapy is rarely the therapy itself — it's booking it. If you've been meaning to for a while and keep pushing it to "later," that hesitation is common and understandable. A short, no-pressure first conversation is often the easiest way to see whether it feels right, before committing to anything.

Curious about starting online therapy, in Hindi or English? Let's have a short, no-pressure conversation.

Book a free 15-min consult
vi.Get in touch

Ready to find what is beneath the noise?

Whether you are certain you want to start or just exploring the idea, you are welcome to reach out. Most people find a short message is the easiest first step.

Email
hello@beneaththenoise.net
WhatsApp
+91 99813 54780
Response time
Within 24 to 48 hours
Sessions
Virtual · India-based

Ready to do the work?

There are two ways to start. Book a free 15 minute consultation if you'd like to have a quick conversation first — or fill out the intake form if you're ready to begin.