MentCouch
Psychology Centre
Commencing its entrepreneurial excursion in the year 2020, MentCouch International Psychology Centre Sdn Bhd has now become an influential and well-reckoned psychology & wellbeing centre based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In spite of being an entrepreneurial venture that is still in its infancy, the Institute has been grabbing eyeballs across the business world, owing to its exclusive service offerings. Catering its holistic services to the populace across the globe, MentCouch has witnessed substantial growth in the number of its clients in a short stint.
Team MentCouch always strives for quality services by keeping affordability, determination and commitment as their core principles. The exponential growth witnessed by the institution is the end-result of their sheer determination to be relevant and substantive to the people by ensuring mental well-being. The service parasol of the company includes various services some of which are psychological consultation, mental health assessment, yoga, online psychotherapy, assessment for children, text-based therapy, online consultation and counseling.
“At MentCouch, there is something for everyone. At our Psychology Centre, we believe mental health services are not only meant for people with problems, it is for everyone!,” states Tanjina.
At present, Tanjina is leading the company as the CEO. When asked about the inspiration that stimulated her to establish MentCouch, she reveals, “I was unable to find a centre that was fluid to cater to everyone’s unique needs, so I decided to create it!” She further adds that during our early childhood, our aspirations were to attain a 9 to 5 job while making a difference to the lives around us. But later, societal norms and sensibility tamed our dreams and goals accordingly.
Her career trajectory also underwent a detour when she left a 9-5 lucrative job, to delve into entrepreneurial space. It was a realization, to be unable to ‘create’ something ‘meaningful’ while pursuing someone else’s dream by being an ‘employee’. Thereby, she decided to begin her phenomenal journey as an entrepreneur by building her own company from scratch.
Tanjina firmly believes that love and passion are the linchpins to make anything we do, a roaring success. She asserts, “The simple fact that our work is going to fill a large part of our lives, and the only way to be truly satisfied with it is to do something we love and something that we are good at. You will not be able to sustain something that you don’t like, you will just give up at one point.”
AN INSIGHTFUL LEADERSHIP ALIGNING WITH THE ‘CHANGE’
Being a leader is not just limited to attaining great feats or remarkable milestones, it is more about being inclusive. A dynamic leadership shall be identified past the achievements, awards or accolades. For Tanjina, leadership is all about being inclusive to her team, rather than establishing micromanagement system at her company. “I think in order to run a psychology centre, the leader needs to be someone you would enjoy being around and also someone you could learn from. And that is exactly what I do,” quotes the iconic leader.
She also wanted to convey her unique perspective that states a leader should always be adaptable to change and well-acknowledge that his/ her strength depends on two aspects- the system and the workforce. As change is said to be the only constant, one must keep oneself abreast of it to stay ahead of the curve. And in lieu of focusing on one aspect, a leader needs to maintain a perfect balance between the system as well as workforce for growth in leaps and bounds.
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS -DISRUPTORS OF VALUE GENERATION
With the current scenario, when more and more women are leaping out of their comfort zones, we are noticing more indulgence of female populace in the SMEs as the founders or C-suite executives. Beyond any doubt, the women’s involvement in the entrepreneurial space has stimulated and escalated product innovation and value generation. Today, such women are the major contributors to the economies across the world. From creating a gateway of glistening possibilities for themselves to ensuring golden opportunities to other woman folks, they have become the torchbearers of some phenomenal turnarounds.
Indeed, the list of challenges that women entrepreneurs need to overcome is quite long, but their phenomenal efforts and committed zeal have allowed them to carve a niche for themselves in this patriarchal society. And of course, we cannot deny the fact that their journey as business leaders or C-Suite executives have made businesses become more relevant and resilient.
Adding more into this segment, Tanjina shares some imperative lessons with our valued readers, that she learnt as a female entrepreneur. She continues by quoting that the journey is astoundingly lonely! “You will be surrounded by people who tell you that what you are trying to achieve isn’t possible. My personal relationships were affected greatly when I stepped into this space where most men (and women) were not happy to see a girl soar in the success or simply did not believe in me and that’s ultimately a lonely place to be,” elucidates the outstanding leader.
Thereby, she learned to be self-resilient and started to rely upon herself which is quite commendable. As an entrepreneur, one can just overlook the negative aspects and see the positive side of the coin by witnessing exemplary personality development.
Apart from this, she also claims that vulnerability is a trait that has to be eradicated when one wear the ‘entrepreneurial shoe’, as it has always been a taboo for a business woman to showcase her emotions.
Moreover, she reckons that being an independent and confident woman is not enough. Rather one needs to develop some alpha qualities to make one’s steadfast presence being felt in the relevant space. She advices women leaders to seek such a partner who ebbs and flows with them ‘like a river’, as it is a famous saying that nothing can harm your business more than an unsupportive spouse!!
“Someone who is supportive of your dreams alongside his own, isn’t emotionally or financially needy, and won’t be threatened by what you achieve,” says Tanjina.
Furthermore, sailing through the murky waters of personal, social, and professional lives in not a cakewalk at all. Being women, we are compelled to maintain a perfect harmony among all these aspects and honestly, there is no chance for a single mistake here. But, sometimes for one’s own well-being, you have to figure our your priorities and trick ourselves to not feel guilty about it. Then only, we can ensure an absolute balance within ourselves
A TOKEN OF ADVICE TO WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
The magnetic woman leader wanted to dispense some tips to the aspiring women entrepreneurs to excel in any field. Tanjina comments that firstly one must schedule a routine on daily basis to make calculative efforts towards one’s growth. Then, one must turn towards getting enlightened with all the facets of one’s business. “Understanding every single aspect of your own business also makes you resilient and quick,” asserts the Founder.
Alongside the above mentions, a leader must ensure swift business adaptation in response to wavering market trends. Making yourself a keen learner can do wonders to your business as you often come across some new-fangled and relevant ideas, platforms, events, etc, that can make a paradigm shift to your business, taking it to greater heights.
‘WHERE COMPASSION IS IN THE AIR’
When it comes to the work culture of the company, MentCouch stands apart from other organizations in multiple ways. Where most enterprises propose leave policies that include sick leave, maternity and paternity leave, and much more to mention, the Institute offers ‘Mental Health Leave’ to its values employees that they take quite seriously.
According to the management, their exemplary and exceptional inclusion of mental health day at the workplace on a regular basis, is beneficial to the overall institution in a myriad of ways. But most importantly, it allows their employees to focus on their mental health and make themselves happy and joyous while serving the company, that in turn enhances the overall productivity.
Moreover, MentCouch nurtures a culture where new ideas are always prioritized and compassionate approach is ensured at every step.
“We follow an open culture, where there is full freedom throughout all the levels of hierarchy. It is a difficult theme to follow but yeah, we have been successful by keeping it alive,” discloses Tanjina, about the work ecosystem at her company.
MOTIVATING THE WORKFORCE
Tanjina avidly gives credence to the fact that workforce is the backbone of any prosperous organization. She asserts that it is of utmost importance to acknowledge their outstanding performances to keep the employee’s spirits high. “Something as simple as a department-wide e-mail thanking an employee for completing a task can make a big difference in employees’ level of motivation,” continues Tanjina. Moreover, she also strives to radiate positivity as much as possible at the workplace. To her, an optimistic and radiant culture is always a preference irrespective of the circumstances, and it has allowed her to maintain a balanced and jubilant workspace at her organisation.
Simultaneously, a transparent approach towards the employees is something that is quite unique at the organisation. Tanjina ensures highest level of transparency where all the decisions are made after an open and cordial discussion with the employees. Everyone gets a chance to raise a query or give a feedback. This unique approach has allowed them to sustain motivation as well as enhance loyalty among the workforce, that will allow them to taste sweet fruits of thumping success in the near future.
GLIMPSES OF CSR INITIATIVES
It has only been over a year, since MentCouch came into existence. Yet it has been successful in attracting the spotlight at national as well as international level. Tanjina, being the phenomenal brain behind the company, was recognized and featured in Forbes India Magazine for her matchless business acuity and unique service offerings via MentCouch.
Aside from being an emblematic businesswoman, Tanjina also recognizes her Corporate Social Responsibility quite well. She takes immense pride to convey that under her guidance, her team has been organizing visits and free mental health screenings for families in the B40 category of Malaysia. “The B40 category is assigned to Malaysians in the bottom 40% household income range.
This project aims to provide mental health services to those who are underprivileged and look into the community’s needs in the aspects of psychological and well-being services,” speaks her. Also, they also ensure to open annual applications for over 10 B40 families to address their needs for mental health services while raising the awareness in this respect.
Moreover, team MentCouch has also launched an awe-inspiring Free Mental Health and Wellbeing Magazine to extend its reach across the global audience. This special e-zine offers absolute coverage to a number of topics and tips pertaining to mental health, fitness, lifestyle and wellness. And for enhanced reader’s engagement, the magazine also features their motivational stories from diverse diaspora.
SOME ENLIVENING WORDS BY THE FOUNDER
“Just as a flower, growth takes place step by step with its support system i.e air, water and soil in order to blossom. We too must progress step bystep with the help of others and with resilience, for our goals to blossom. As a flower can’t bloom before it buds, without air, water and soil, we too can’t accomplish our goals alone or by skipping steps and efforts.” – TANJINA ASHRAF KHAN MOU (Founder and CEO)
