Sunika Joshi is a mental health specialist dedicated to advancing gender equality and psychosocial innovation. As the chief executive officer and co-founder of Lighthouse Neural, she adopts an ecological approach to mental health care that addresses the interplay of individual, familial, communal, and systemic factors in wellbeing. With over a decade of experience, Sunika has empowered marginalized communities—particularly women, youth, and LGBTQ+ individuals—through trauma-informed interventions.

She serves as a co-investigator with Mankaa Kura, a mental health counselling provider in Nepal, and Yale University, conducting research on suicide prevention in Nepal and designing culturally adapted psychological interventions for at-risk youth.

Sunika’s commitment to community-driven change has been recognized with multiple accolades, including Outstanding President of the Year 2015-16 by Rotaract District 3292 Nepal and Bhutan.

She holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a master’s degree in social and cultural psychology from ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, where her research focused on survivors of gender-based violence and the mental health impacts of discrimination on LGBTQ+ individuals. Sunika is a recipient of Erasmus Mundus and Chevening scholarships.

As an AsiaGlobal Fellow, her research explored the intersection of mental health, rapid urbanization, and climate change in South Asia, concentrating on inclusive and sustainable solutions to address mental health disparities.