When You Decide It Stops With You
Maybe you grew up hearing things like, “That’s just how our family is.”
Maybe you watched certain patterns repeat like how people communicated, how conflict was handled, what emotions were allowed, what was expected of women or how love and responsibility were understood.
And now, you’re beginning to wonder:
“Do I really want to carry this forward?”
Being the person who chooses differently can be empowering. But it can also be lonely, uncomfortable and complicated. Sometimes changing a pattern means disappointing people you love. Sometimes it means questioning beliefs that once helped you belong.
The First to Break It is a psychology-informed workshop about recognising the patterns we inherit, understanding how they shape us, and creating space to consciously decide what we want to keep, change or leave behind.
Because breaking a pattern doesn’t always mean rejecting where you came from.
Sometimes, it means choosing what comes next.
Is this workshop for you?
This workshop may be helpful if you…
✓ Notice patterns in your family that you don’t want to repeat.
✓ Find yourself questioning beliefs you grew up with.
✓ Are learning to set boundaries with family.
✓ Feel guilty when you choose differently from what is expected of you.
✓ Are trying to build relationships that look different from the ones you grew up around.
✓ Feel like the “different one” in your family.
✓ Want to parent, communicate, love or live differently from previous generations.
✓ Feel torn between honouring your family and staying true to yourself.
Meet Your Facilitators
Akanksha Mehta
Founder, Mind Soul Bridge
Akanksha is a Counselling Psychology postgraduate (M.Sc, Christ University) with 600+ therapy sessions across EAP, private practice and relationship counselling. She works with individuals and couples around anxiety, stress, burnout, trauma and relationship concerns through an evidence-based, trauma-informed, integrative approach and has facilitated 100+ mental-wellbeing workshops in corporate and community settings.
Riddhima Nigam
Founder, Bekhauf Panchi
Riddhima is a Counselling Psychologist and the founder of Bekhauf Panchi by Riddhima. She works with adolescents and adults around emotional overwhelm, stress, self-doubt, relationship concerns, identity and life transitions through a human-centred, trauma-informed and integrative approach. Her work focuses on creating emotionally safe, collaborative spaces that help individuals understand their experiences, reconnect with their strengths and values and develop greater clarity and self-trust. She also works with adolescents around developmental, emotional, academic and social challenges.
What you’ll learn?
What We Inherit
- Understand how family beliefs, behaviours, communication styles and expectations can become patterns we carry into adulthood.
Recognising the Pattern
- Learn to notice recurring patterns without immediately judging yourself or your family for them.
Why Patterns Are Hard to Change
- Explore belonging, conditioning, loyalty, guilt and the fear of becoming “the difficult one” when you choose differently.
Boundaries & Differentiation
- Understand how creating healthier boundaries can allow you to remain connected without losing yourself.
Choosing What Comes Next
- Begin identifying which patterns you want to carry forward, which you want to change and what you want to create differently.
What you’ll take away?
A Pattern-Mapping Exercise
- Identify patterns, beliefs and behaviours you’ve inherited from your family.
A “Keep, Question, Change” Framework
- Reflect on what you want to preserve, reconsider or consciously do differently.
Boundary Reflection Tools
- Think through where boundaries may be needed and what makes them difficult.
Guided Reflection Prompts
- Create space to process the complicated feelings that can come with doing things differently.
Lifetime Resources
- Resources to support your learning beyond the workshop
What happens during the 90 minutes?
1- Understand: Interactive teaching
- We’ll explore how family patterns are formed and how they can influence the way we think, relate, communicate and make choices.
2- Reflect: Guided self-reflection
- You’ll have space to notice patterns you’ve inherited and the ways they show up in your life.
3- Map: A practical pattern-mapping exercise
- You’ll work through an exercise to identify what you want to keep, question or change.
4- Connect: Real-life examples + optional discussion
- We’ll explore situations around family expectations, boundaries, relationships and choosing differently.
5- Ask: Live Q&A
- Ask questions during and after the session.
Why this workshop is different?
You Can Love Where You Came From and Still Choose Differently.
This workshop is…
Psychology-informed
We look at family patterns through a psychological lens rather than simply labelling them as “toxic.”
Compassionate rather than blaming
Understanding a pattern doesn’t require blaming the people who passed it down.
Reflective rather than prescriptive
We’re not here to tell you which family traditions, values or behaviours you should keep or leave behind.
Practical
You’ll have frameworks and exercises to help you think about the patterns in your own life.
About conscious choice
The goal isn’t to reject your family. It’s to create enough awareness to decide what feels right for you.
Frequently asked questions.
Do I need prior therapy experience?
- No. These sessions are for everyone, whether or not you’ve ever spoken to a therapist.
Will I have to share personal experiences?
- Never. Participation in discussion is always optional. You’re welcome to simply listen and participate privately.
Will the session be recorded?
- Yes. Recording will be available for a week after the workshop.
Can I ask questions?
- Yes. There will be a live Q&A, and you can ask questions through the chat.
Will I receive resources afterward?
- Yes. Worksheets and a recommended resource list will be shared on WhatsApp after the session.
Can beginners attend?
- Absolutely. No background in psychology is needed.
Is there an age requirement?
- Yes. This workshop is for women aged 18 and above.
How do I get the joining link?
- Your Google Meet link and reminders will be sent to you on WhatsApp after you register.
Important Information
Before you register
- This is a psychoeducational workshop. It is not a substitute for psychotherapy or crisis support.
- Participation in discussion is always optional.
- You do not have to disclose anything personal during the session.
- Please join from a quiet, private space where possible.
- Worksheets and resources will be shared on WhatsApp after the session.
- Refund/cancellation policy:
We understand that plans can change. If you need to cancel your registration, you may request a full refund up to 24 hours before the workshop begins.
For cancellations made less than 24 hours before the workshop, or after the workshop has started, no refund will be provided.
To request a refund, please contact us at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time of the workshop.
If you are in distress or crisis, you can contact:
- Tele-MANAS: 1800-89-14416 | 14416
- iCall (TISS): 9152987821