About
A Journey Shaped by Mental Healthcare
Dr. Shradha Malik is a psychiatrist, mental health leader and behavioral healthcare entrepreneur with two decades of experience in healthcare. She is the Founder & CEO of Athena Behavioral Health — an organisation focused on mental health, addiction treatment, rehabilitation and integrated behavioral healthcare.
Clinical Psychiatry
Evidence-based diagnosis and treatment — psychiatric assessment, psychotherapy (CBT, DBT, ERP, motivational interviewing), and medication management where clinically indicated.
Behavioral Healthcare
Addiction treatment and rehabilitation integrated with psychiatric care — medical detox, inpatient programmes, day care, and 12-month relapse-prevention aftercare.
Institution Building
Systems, teams, governance and infrastructure — five NABH-accredited centres designed so safe, dignified care happens consistently, at scale.
Personal Roots & Commitment
Mental healthcare was never simply a professional choice.
Her personal experiences with mental illness and addiction gave her an early understanding of the complexity that families face when someone they love needs psychiatric or rehabilitation care. As she progressed through her career, that understanding deepened through clinical experience.
She saw that treating the illness was only one part of the journey:
- Patients also needed dignity.
- Families needed guidance.
- Recovery needed continuity.
- And healthcare institutions needed to be designed around people rather than processes alone.
Those experiences eventually led Dr. Malik from being a clinician treating individual patients to becoming an entrepreneur building institutions for behavioral healthcare.
Patients also needed dignity. Families needed guidance. Recovery needed continuity. And healthcare institutions needed to be designed around people.
Dr. Shradha MalikThe Timeline
From clinician to institution builder
Clinical practice taught her to understand the individual. Building Athena taught her to think about the system around that individual.
Quick Facts
- Name
- Dr. Shradha Malik
- Profession
- Psychiatrist & Behavioral Healthcare Entrepreneur
- Current Role
- Founder & CEO, Athena Behavioral Health
- Experience
- Two decades in healthcare
- Areas of Expertise
- Mental Health, Psychiatry, Addiction Treatment, Rehabilitation & Behavioral Healthcare
- Recognition
- Nari Shakti Award 2024 · CARE HERO 2023
- Speaking
- TEDx Speaker — TEDxLakhotaLake
- Based in
- India
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Early Career
Began in healthcare administration and clinical psychiatry. Worked with Star Health Insurance and gained exposure to US healthcare systems through HCL Healthcare’s partnership with Johns Hopkins Medicine International and Sovereign Health behavioral health centres.
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COVID Period
Founded Yotalks.com — an online counseling platform — recognising the urgent need for accessible mental health support during the pandemic.
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2021
Founded Athena Behavioral Health in Gurgaon with a vision to create integrated, evidence-based, and dignified mental health & addiction treatment centres in India.
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2023
Launched Athena OKAS — India’s first exclusive women-only psychiatric recovery facility — and expanded the network with additional specialised centres.
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2023–2024
Delivered TEDx talk at TEDxLakhotaLake on perceptions about mental health. Received CARE HERO 2023 recognition and the prestigious Nari Shakti Award 2024 for women’s leadership in healthcare.
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2025–Present
Scaled Athena to multiple NABH-accredited centres across India (including Guwahati), focusing on clinical governance, institution building, and making quality behavioral healthcare accessible at scale.
Education & Formation
Clinical psychiatry training across Indian healthcare institutions, complemented by direct management exposure to behavioral health centres in the United States. Higher education in business at the University of South Wales — shaping the rare blend of clinician and institution builder she embodies today.
Recognition
Awards & Honours
2024
Nari Shakti Award
Conferred for exemplary women’s leadership in healthcare, pioneering India’s first women-only psychiatric recovery facility (Athena OKAS), and building ethical, patient-centric behavioral health institutions.
2023
CARE HERO
Recognised for outstanding contributions to patient care, advocacy, and transforming mental healthcare delivery in India.
2023
TEDx Speaker
TEDxLakhotaLake — “Perceptions about Mental Health & Its Impact” — addressing stigma and the need for evidence-based care in Indian society.
Ongoing
Institution Builder
Founder & CEO of Athena Behavioral Health — growing network of NABH-aligned centres delivering integrated psychiatric, addiction and rehabilitation care.
Ready to talk — about you, or someone you love?
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