Dr Porpavai is a child, adolescent and family psychiatrist with more than thirty years of experience in the field. After completing MBBS at Coimbatore Medical College she studied Diploma in Psychological Medicine and MD in Psychiatry at Christian Medical College, Vellore. She furthered her interests in child and adolescent psychiatry at Melbourne, Australia and received the Fellowship at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2000. She was the recipient of the awards of best outgoing student in MBBS and DPM. She has worked in India, Australia and the UK. She has completed a Diploma in ethics and philosophy of medicine and an MA in philosophy and mental health.

With the aim of extending the benefits of her experience to her native place, Dr Porpavai started the NGO, Pathways Foundation at Coimbatore in December 2014.

 Dr Porpavai is passionate about her work and is dedicated to informing parents, teachers and professionals about the changes that can be done to improve the quality of life for our children and youth. With this in mind Pathways has developed a new training program in child and adolescent mental health. Dr Porpavai loves dabbling in a lot of art and craft, gardening, bush walking, spending time with her family and travelling.

Mrs Srividhya is a counsellor, born and brought up in Coimbatore. After completing B.Com and MBA she was busy raising her son and supporting her entrepreneur husband. However, she recollects that while doing her MBA she was greatly drawn towards psychology, a subject in human resources management. She has been pursuing studies in psychology through Transactional Analysis since 2004. She has also completed certificates in basic counselling skills, child and adolescent mental health (PG-Cert-CAMH through Pathways) and Pathways to Effective Parenting Program.

 Mrs Srividhya’s association with Pathways Foundation Kovai began while doing her course in child and adolescent mental health. She gained immensely from this course taught by experts in various branches of mental health from India and Australia. She organised and facilitated the summer camp for children and THRIVE mental health curriculum for schools along with Dr Shilpa. Mrs Srividhya has now associated herself with all activities of Pathways and looks forward to creating greater awareness in child and adolescent mental health and promoting skills in managing these issues in the community. She is a self-taught portrait artist and an accomplished singer.

Dr Manimala completed her MBBS from Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai and DPM (Diploma in Psychological Medicine) from Institute of Mental Health, Chennai. She has special interest in child and adolescent psychiatry and completed PGCAMH course through Pathways and is a life member of IACAM. She has previously worked as a consultant psychiatrist and research coordinator at SCARF (Schizophrenia research foundation) and on a research project on depression in HIV patients through Samarth (NGO) in collaboration with Madras Medical College. She is currently working as a consultant in RPS and MMRV hospitals in Chennai. She has worked as a sub editor for Tamil magazine for women “Penniyam” and is an author and speaker on women’s and children’s mental health. She provides clinical support to Pathways team and tutorial support in the PDCAMH course. Dr Manimala is a fitness enthusiast, practices Yoga regularly, loves exploring traditional and healthy cooking and is a passionate gardener. 

Ms Tharageswari holds an integrated post graduate degree in clinical psychology, M.phil in applied psychology, B Ed Special Education, PGCAMH certificate and PG Diploma in Yoga. She started her career as a clinical psychologist and lecturer in Saveetha Medical College & Hospital in Chennai. She has rich experience in teaching psychology for nursing & physiotherapy students. 

Ms Tharageswari is well trained in various areas of counselling, de-addiction & mental health issues in adolescence and adults. She is passionate about training young minds with learning problems in a positive way. She was a master trainer in the police wellbeing programme organized by Tamil Nadu Government & NIMHANS. She is an excellent team participant and is happy to be a part of Pathways.

Dr Preethi MBBS, MD Psychiatry, is a consultant psychiatrist with special interest in child  and adolescent psychiatry. She developed an interest in the field when she worked under Dr Jayanthini, renowned child psychiatrist in Chennai and went on to do a certificate course in NIMHANS and later did the PGCAMH course. She developed Dr Preethi’s child guidance centre in 2009 followed by a 10 bedded hospital in 2016 where a large number of children receive support. She has received best social activist award (2013), best doctor award from TMS Seva Sangam (2018), appreciation award from bench of magistrates, child welfare committee, Madurai branch (2019) and best poster award, TANPSYCON (2022). She has co-authored chapter on ‘Fertility Trauma” in the book Gender Trauma (2024). She provides community education as an invited speaker to educational institutions. She provides clinical support to Pathways team and tutorial support in the PDCAMH course. 

 Mr Khan holds a masters degree in  psychology MSc Psychology, B.Ed in special education and PGCAMH Certificate. He has been practicing in the field for more than 10 years. He has previously wortkend in the NGO sector (Manam Trust) and with the department of school education, Government of Tamilnadu. In these roles he has provided counselling for school students regarding academic, emotional and behavioural issues. He has also worked in the department of social welfare under the Government of Tamilnadu in the role of ensuring protection of children’s rights and welfare. Younus has been a dedicated member of the team since January 2020. He is passionate about helping children and adolescents presenting with mental health issues.