Breakups can jolt sleep, work, and judgement. Counselling gives you a steady hour to grieve, decide boundaries, and try small changes. If safety is at stake, call Tele-MANAS on 14416.
Short answer. After a breakup, counselling helps when your days are derailed, you keep looping the story, or choices feel impossible. You do not need to be broken to ask for a steadier room. I walk with you while you grieve, sort what still matters, and try the next small steps.
In short:
Breakups shake routines and confidence. It can truly disorient. A counselling room gives you regular time to name what happened without performance, test boundaries like contact or silence, and decide support for sleep, food, weekends, and work so life does not collapse. We make room for the ache and for the choices ahead.
I refuse the role of fixer or judge. We look at your habits around checking, blocking, reaching out, and deleting, and how those line up with your values today and the future you actually want. Some people want to win the person back, others want to exit cleanly; together we design a plan you can live with for the next few days. You can change your mind.
Pain after a breakup is ordinary. This can look different. I pay attention when sleep swings hard, work errors clump, your phone becomes a compulsion, or your chest keeps jumping with dread, because those patterns suggest your system needs steadier support for a while. They are signals, not verdicts.
Sometimes the hurt blends with anxiety or a flatness, and the mix is confusing to name in the middle of the day. If you are unsure which thread is louder, this piece may help: Am I depressed or anxious?. When you catch yourself dismissing it as drama, read Do I need therapy or am I overreacting? and decide what support you actually want this week. Neither piece replaces a conversation; they help you sort your first questions.
We start very simple. In that first thirty minutes, over video or in person in Bengaluru, you tell me what happened, we map the stuck loops like late-night scrolling, weekend dread, and the reach for their Instagram, and we agree the smallest change that would make tomorrow less jagged. You request that call through the form, then we see whether working together makes sense.
Rafiq means the friend who walks with you. I am a counsellor; I do not diagnose. If medication seems worth considering, I refer because I am not a doctor and cannot prescribe. Across sessions we keep it plain and practical, run concrete experiments, notice how your body and your day respond, and track what actually changes across your week rather than chase ideals.
Some situations need another door. If you are actively planning to harm yourself, facing threats, or stuck with someone harassing or stalking you, call Tele-MANAS on 14416 or go to emergency services near you immediately. Your safety comes first. Tell a trusted person nearby what is happening.
For a medical assessment or medication, see a psychiatrist. A formal diagnosis or documentation for work or court needs a clinician authorised to issue that. If you are under 25, this room is not for you. When the goal is tactics to win an ex back quickly, a coach may suit you better.
There is no clock. Waves happen, and certain songs, addresses, a grocery aisle you both used, or the chai stall near their office can spike the ache months later while other days feel gentler, which is a normal pattern, even though your mind may argue that you are going backwards. We plan for the waves rather than waiting for willpower.
Many breakup feelings overlap with grief; if that rings true, this may help: Do I need grief counselling?. When the main feeling is a flat, heavy nothing, read Depression as flatness rather than sadness and see whether that description fits your days. Sometimes exhaustion is centre-stage even though nothing hard is scheduled; if that sounds familiar, try Why you are exhausted after a day of doing nothing difficult, and if the ache turns into fear about money or housing, we plan practical steps first.
I am Satlaj Sachan, counsellor in Bengaluru, practising since 2015. I work with adults roughly 25 to 45 in English and Hindi, over video and in person. Rafiq is the practice at heyrafiq.com; the name comes from my podcast running since 2020. I have worked with more than 140 people since I began.
First call is free. You request it through a short form, choose video or Bengaluru in-person, and then we decide the next step that respects your pace and budget. I am not a doctor and cannot prescribe; if medication is worth considering I refer. I also host a small cafe gathering in HSR, five or so people; the day moves, and it is not counselling.
How soon after a breakup should I start counselling?
Come in when days are derailed, decisions feel impossible, or loops will not let you rest. If you are coping but curious, a session can still help you sort what you want. There is no correct waiting period. Some people come days later, others months later. Use the free first conversation to see whether now feels right.
Will counselling help me get my ex back?
I do not run persuasion tactics. We clarify what you want, what contact respects you, and what boundaries keep you steady. If your main aim is strategy to win someone back, a dating coach is a better fit. In counselling we focus on steadiness, grief, and choices you can stand by tomorrow.
How many sessions will this take?
There is no fixed count. Some people check in a handful of times around hard dates and handovers. Others stay longer while they rebuild routines and confidence. We review often and decide together what is working. You can pause or stop at any point. We do not do packages.
Can we do this in Hindi, and can I switch languages?
Yes. I work in English and Hindi, and you can switch between them mid-sentence if that is easier. Choose whatever helps you say the thing straight. Video and in-person options are both available. The form lets you tell me your preference upfront, and we keep it flexible as we go.
Can you prescribe medication or give a diagnosis letter for work?
I am not a doctor and cannot prescribe. I also do not issue formal diagnoses or letters. If a medical assessment or documentation is needed, I refer to a psychiatrist or an appropriate clinic. Counselling here focuses on decisions, boundaries, support, and relief in your actual week.
Written by Satlaj Sachan, a counsellor in Bengaluru working Book a first conversation.