Mumbai: The leading real-life dating app, happn, joined forces with The Alternative Story, a mental health service provider, to introduce an awe-inspiring initiative- Sunday Sharing Sessions. Through this collaboration, happn provided users with free counselling sessions, offering a safe space to discuss various topics, including digital dating nuances, identifying red flags, practising self-love, and coping with emotional burnout.

During the month-long association, which consisted of four Sundays, the initiative received an overwhelming response, with over 34,000 users visiting the Sunday Sharing Sessions website and over 735 successful counselling sessions. While the conversations were completely confidential, the therapists revealed that the major concerns were around societal expectations, guilt, loneliness and other such dilemmas.

The initiative also sheds light on specific situations which are especially challenging for people to deal with. These range from experiencing loneliness while living away from home, struggles of building new connections, intimacy issues including guilt about masturbation, attraction to perceived inappropriate individuals, and dealing with break-ups.

While women candidly shared their expectations for finding the right partner and family pressure regarding marriage, most men confessed to having trouble being vulnerable outside romantic relationships, highlighting the need for deeper connections and emotional support networks.

Through Sunday Sharing Sessions, happn and The Alternative Story provided a safe and supportive space for singles to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences related to dating and relationships.

As happn continues its commitment to fostering meaningful connections and supporting the mental health and well-being of its users, this partnership stands as a testament to the power of community, empathy, and collaboration in creating positive change.