Nida Shaikh
Nida Shaikh is a Mental Health Practitioner from Pune, India, practicing for the last 11 years. She currently runs Manah Center For Mental Well Being in Pune and plays the role of Founder, Director and Senior Therapist at the same.
She holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Mahayana and Buddhist Psychology and Ethics from University of Pune.
Over the last 11 years, Nida has worked majorly with the addict population along with populations struggling with trauma, Complex-PTSD, stress, anxiety, depression, mood and personality disorders, Schizophrenia, and relationship related challenges.
Her therapeutic methods incorporate the age old wisdom of Buddhist Philosophy with an eclectic approach of Western Psychology. She has conducted various corporate workshops aimed at team-work, leadership skills, employee performance enhancement through mindfulness, developing a healthy work-life balance, stress management and anger management. Other than direct client interaction Nida loves to train and mentor budding psychologists and undergraduate psychology students while running a project called ‘Living With Metta’.
Outside of her Professional responsibilities, Nida loves to stay home with her two dogs and three cats. She likes reading and listening to music and going on occasional bike rides on the outskirts of her city.
Jinji Willingham
Jinji Eika Willingham is a U.S.-based Buddhist systems psychotherapist in private practice, a Buddhist palliative chaplain, and a caregiver educator, practicing for the last 14 years. She works with individuals, couples, and family systems experiencing acute, complex/developmental, and systemic/cultural trauma and PTSD, as well as anxiety, depression, illness, death/dying, and grief.
She trains mental health workers (psychotherapists, counselors, social workers, and psychologists) and medical professionals in ENSO Counseling & Psychotherapy Training, a clinical model which integrates Buddhist psychology, systems counseling, the neurobiology of trauma & neuroceptive relational repair, and mindfulness/compassion practices. She also trains caregivers (mental health, medical, educational) in the ethics of sustainable care and the prevention of empathic distress, moral injury, and caregiver trauma.
Beginning her Buddhist practice in 2007, she took Refuge with the late Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh in 2009, took her Bodhisattva Vow with Roshi Joan Halifax at Upaya Zen Center in 2016, and has been a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner since 2020. In addition to her two-year Buddhist Chaplaincy training at Upaya Zen Center (2016-2017), she has a B.A. and M.A. in Intellectual History, is a Ph.D. Candidate in English at UCLA, and has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology.
Ms. Willingham presented at INEB’s 1st International Conference on Buddhist Chaplaincy and Psychotherapy in Japan (2017), taught workshops at INEB’s 3rd International Conference on Buddhist Psychotherapy & Suicide Prevention in Thailand (2023). She has participated in monthly seminars with the Buddhist Psychotherapy & Chaplaincy Group since 2020.
Ms. Willingham lives in Austin, TX with her family and their chihuahua-dachshund rescue (Ada the Upright), and enjoys bookbinding, Japanese paper marbling (suminagashi), sewing, cooking, and swing dancing.
Ven. Youmin
Ven. Youmin was ordained in 2007 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Buddhist Studies at Kyoto University, where he also completed an MA and conducted research. His academic background includes studies as a scholarship exchange student in the United States and an MA in Buddhist Studies at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts in Taiwan. His research contributions include publications in the Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies, focusing on Yogācāra philosophy, karmic theory, and textual analysis.
As a monastic, Ven. Youmin serves as the abbot and lecturer at Xian Ju Monastery in Malaysia, leading ceremonies, teaching, and mentoring practitioners. He has also been a lecturer and resident monk at Tsz Shan Monastery in Hong Kong, organizing workshops, seminars, and meditation programs. He shares Buddhist teachings through engagements with Buddhist societies in Malaysia, Singapore, and online platforms.
Ven. Youmin’s training in meditation includes both Chinese Chan and Theravada traditions, emphasizing the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. He has also received training in Western counseling methods, incorporating practices such as deep listening and group facilitation. His approach combines traditional Buddhist practices with elements of modern psychology.
Ven. Youmin is fluent in six languages—English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Japanese, and Malay—allowing him to communicate in diverse settings. His work focuses on fostering understanding and addressing the practical and emotional needs of practitioners.
Outside of his academic and monastic responsibility, Ven. Youmin enjoys photography, writing, hiking, and cycling. These activities make him a happier person.
