"I Just Had to Keep Going": Maneesha Singh on Grief, Visa Pressure and Psychology Practice

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of grief, self-harm, and harassment. Please listen with care. If hearing about these topics doesn't feel right for you today, please skip to another episode or return at another point in time.

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What happens when you lose a parent just months after arriving in Australia as a 19-year-old international student? How do you keep going when grief, visa timelines, and financial pressure collide and there's no space to stop?

In this powerful episode of the Asian Mental Health Podcast, Asami speaks with Maneesha Singh, a registered psychologist, founder of ManAsha Psychology, and former international student from India. Maneesha shares her deeply personal story of arriving in Melbourne at 19, navigating culture shock, losing her father within her first year, and feeling the overwhelming pressure to "just keep going" through grief, study, and survival.

Now as a clinician specialising in culturally responsive trauma-informed care, Maneesha works with international students, migrants, and second-generation Asian Australians facing similar struggles. She opens up about what she sees in her practice: students arriving at crisis point, the shame and stigma around mental health in South Asian communities, self-harm as a coping mechanism, and the systemic barriers that keep international students from seeking help until it's almost too late.

This conversation offers both a mirror for those who've walked this path and a roadmap for mental health services, educators, and peers who want to better support international students navigating migration, grief, and belonging.

Watch the episode below or find us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

🎧 You'll hear about:
✅ Arriving in Australia at 19 from India: culture shock, food struggles, mixed-gender accommodation, and learning to navigate Melbourne alone
✅ Losing a parent as an international student and the pressure to return to uni within a month
✅ Why international students don't feel they have the option to pause, defer, or grieve
✅ The financial and visa pressures that drive students to keep going at all costs
✅ How grief manifests physically: panic attacks at ATMs, gut health issues, chronic headaches
✅ Common patterns Maneesha sees in her clinical practice: late-stage crisis presentations, perfectionism, disconnection, and reversed sleep cycles
✅ Stigma, shame, and the fear of being seen as "weak" or bringing shame to the family
✅ Self-harm as a coping mechanism among international students
✅ How to support a friend who's struggling without beating around the bush
✅ What mental health services are missing when working with international students
✅ The importance of language, cultural attunement, and small sustainable steps in therapy
✅ The story behind ManAsha Psychology: mind, heart, and hope

💡 Episode Highlights:

• Culture shock moments: 5pm dinners, "bring a plate" potlucks, learning how to open Melbourne train doors, and navigating mixed-gender shared housing for the first time
• The scary experience of being harassed in shared accommodation as a young international student
• Freezing at an ATM during a panic attack: "My brain just blanked out... I just sat there. It was my body telling me it's a lot, slow down. But that pressure of being an international student, I just felt like I had to keep going"
• Why international students present at crisis point: "They've gone to GPs for gut issues, headaches... and all of this buildup has got them here"
• The stigma barrier: "If I have a mental health issue, I'll be considered weak... My reputation, my family's reputation, everything's gonna be ruined"
• How to support a struggling friend: "Don't beat around the bush. If you notice something, say it. 'I've noticed you haven't been turning up for classes. I'm really worried. Do you want to talk about it?'"
• What therapists need to understand: "Telling an international student to take a three-month break doesn't work. There are visa timelines, financial pressure... We need to be working through what is going to be possible"
• ManAsha Psychology: "Man means mind, and also heart in Hindi. Asha means hope. It's about the combination of mind, heart, and hope for healing"

🧠 Key Takeaways from Maneesha:

"When you come in as an international student... you've done so much to get here, you just have to go on. A lot of times when services say 'take some time, defer', that's not even something that registers for you because of the visa timelines, the financial pressure, and worrying about your family."

"Most people come at the pointy end. They've been going through this for years: panic attacks, gut health issues, headaches, and they've finally reached the point where nothing's functioning."

"In South Asian culture, there's so much shame that comes with mental health. People don't want to tell their families because they're worried about the shame it's gonna bring, not for the individual, but for the family."

"If you notice a friend struggling, don't beat around the bush. Say 'I've noticed this. I'm really worried. Do you want to talk about it?' Sometimes people are just waiting for someone to notice."

"It takes a lot of strength to seek support. This is not forever. Sometimes all we need to do is process through things, work through things, have some strategies, and that's all you need."

👤 About the Guest

Maneesha Singh is a registered psychologist and founder of ManAsha Psychology, a Melbourne-based practice specializing in culturally responsive and trauma-informed care. Originally from India, Maneesha moved to Australia at 19 as an international student, where she navigated culture shock, grief, and the challenges of building a life abroad. Her lived experience deeply informs her clinical work.

Maneesha supports individuals experiencing trauma, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and the unique pressures faced by international students, first-generation migrants, and second-generation Asian Australians. ManAsha Psychology is intentionally designed to center cultural attunement. The practice offers services in approximately 10 languages and creates space for clients to express themselves in the language of their heart, not just their education.

Maneesha brings a compassionate, nuanced approach to mental health conversations, recognizing the complex interplay of culture, migration stress, isolation, stigma, and systemic barriers. Her work emphasizes small sustainable steps, body-based healing, and meeting clients where they are, not where textbooks say they should be.

🔗 Find Maneesha's profile on the Shapes and Sounds Asian Mental Health Practitioner List   
🌐 ManAsha Psychology website

🛠️ Resources Mentioned:

• ManAsha Psychology: Culturally responsive trauma-informed care in Melbourne, services offered in 10+ languages
• University counseling services: First step for international students (usually free or low-cost)
• Shapes and Sounds Asian Mental Health Practitioner List: Search by "international student support" filter

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🎁 Free Resource: Download ⁠"International Students and Mental Health" ⁠

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Do you work with international students? If so, you may be interested in learning more about the Student Changemakers program as well as downloading our project summary report HERE.

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✨ If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review the Asian Mental Health Podcast on your favourite podcast app. It really helps other international students and migrants find these conversations. Share this episode with your friends, especially if you know or are an international student, because word of mouth helps destigmatise mental health in Asian communities. 💛

The Asian Mental Health Podcast is a production from Shapes and Sounds, made on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. This show is hosted by Asami Koike and Marcus Lai and produced by Yeo Choong. This season is brought to you by Embrace Multicultural Mental Health. All thoughts and ideas you hear are independently ours and our guests.