About Thera

Thera is a global online therapy platform designed for people whose realities are often overlooked in mainstream mental health care, including communities in the Global South, diasporas, and those living between cultures. We connect clients with qualified, culturally aware therapists who offer evidence‑informed support in the languages and contexts that feel most like home.

Our mission

Our mission is to make high‑quality, culturally intelligent therapy accessible to people around the world who rarely see their identities, languages or beliefs reflected in traditional services. We do this by building a platform where clinical excellence and lived experience meet, so clients can talk about work, family, migration, faith and politics without having to explain their existence first.

Our values

Culturally intelligent care: We prioritise therapists who understand how culture, migration, class, gender and religion shape mental health, and who can work sensitively with these realities.

Representation and inclusion: We actively seek clinicians from and for the Global South, diasporas, and under‑represented communities, and we offer support in multiple languages.

Clinical quality and ethics: We work with licensed, experienced professionals and emphasise clear boundaries, informed consent, and evidence‑informed approaches to care.

Accessibility and transparency: Our pay‑per‑session model and online format are designed to reduce barriers to care, with clear information about fees, scheduling and what to expect from therapy.

Safety and privacy: We take data protection, confidentiality and psychological safety seriously, with policies and practices that protect clients’ identities and stories.

How Thera works

Thera brings together a network of vetted therapists with strong clinical training, cultural sensitivity and multilingual abilities, so clients can choose someone who understands both their context and their concerns. Sessions take place securely online, allowing people to access support from wherever they are, without losing the depth and continuity of a traditional therapeutic relationship.

Our therapists share detailed profiles, including their qualifications, areas of focus, languages and therapeutic approaches, so clients can make informed choices about who they work with. Clients pay per session, with no long‑term subscription required, which allows for flexibility while maintaining commitment to high‑quality care.

Licensing and quality assurance

Thera is a global platform, not a service limited to a single city or regulator. Our therapists are licensed or accredited in their respective jurisdictions, which may include Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Community Development Authority (CDA) and other recognised professional bodies internationally.

For every therapist, we:

Verify core credentials and professional registrations.

Highlight licensing and accreditation details clearly on their profile.

Encourage clients to review this information and ask questions, with support from our care team if needed.

This combination of transparent credentialing, user choice and ongoing collaboration with clinicians is central to how we maintain clinical rigour and accountability on the platform.

Why we build for a global audience

Thera was created for people whose lives and identities cross borders, geographically, culturally, linguistically and politically. Our work is shaped by Global South and diaspora perspectives, and by the realities of people living between multiple homes, value systems and expectations.

From the beginning, we’ve taken a global view of mental health access, starting from under‑served communities and expanding our network of therapists and clients across regions. Our aim is to serve people wherever they are in the world, especially those who have felt unseen, misunderstood or under‑served by existing mental health systems.

Our founder

Thera was founded by Sharmeela P., whose life between Paris, London and the Gulf region, and her own experience of burnout, revealed how stigma, access and cultural misunderstanding can keep people from seeking help. Trained in Clinical Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, and with a background in building campaigns and identities for diverse audiences, she created Thera to be more than just another “online therapy” website.

Her vision is a platform where people from the Global South, diasporas and other marginalised communities can find therapists who recognise their realities, and where clinical quality, ethics and cultural nuance are treated as non‑negotiable. While Sharmeela’s story shapes Thera’s foundations, the work today is carried by a growing network of clinicians, collaborators and clients who share this commitment.