Leadership Team
Who Leads the Clinical Direction at Zen Mind?
Experienced professionals guiding ethical and evidence-based mental healthcare.
The Leadership Team at Zen Mind consists of senior mental health professionals with extensive academic qualifications and decades of clinical expertise. They shape clinical governance, ethical standards, structured supervision, and evidence-based programme development, ensuring consistency across all services.
Through trauma-informed frameworks and scientifically grounded practice, the leadership maintains professional accountability and contextual responsiveness to Kerala’s evolving mental health needs. Their role strengthens service quality, supports team development, and ensures that every intervention remains clinically rigorous, ethically sound, and outcome-focused.
Dr. Krishnan Gireesh
Senior Mental Health Professional
Dr. Krishnan Gireesh holds an M.Phil in Medical & Social Psychology and a Ph.D, bringing over 38 years of clinical experience in delivering structured, evidence-based psychological care. His extensive practice spans diverse mental health settings, offering depth, precision, and compassionate professionalism.
He specialises in the assessment and treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety and depressive disorders, relationship and couple distress, sexual dysfunctions, addiction management, and crisis intervention. His therapeutic work integrates Trauma-Focused Therapy, DBT, CBT, ACT, EFT, and structured Couple Therapy, grounded in trauma-informed and scientifically validated frameworks. Dr. Gireesh works with adults and adolescents through in-person and online consultations. His transdiagnostic and collaborative approach prioritises psychological safety, ethical clarity, and tailored intervention planning. Sessions are conducted in Malayalam, English, and Tamil, focusing on sustainable resilience, emotional stability, and long-term mental wellbeing.
Adv Dr Padmakumar
Psychologist
Adv. Dr Padmakumar S serves as Psychologist and Director of Zen Mind, bringing over nineteen years of experience in education, training, and academic leadership, alongside a decade of legal practice as an advocate. His professional journey reflects a rare integration of psychology, management, law, and social sciences, strengthening institutional governance and therapeutic direction.
He holds a PhD in Management from Madurai Kamaraj University and multiple postgraduate qualifications, including M.Sc. Psychology, M.A. Sociology, MBA, LL.B., and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication. He is also certified in Guidance, Coaching & Counselling and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), enhancing his structured approach to behavioural insight and professional development. As an accomplished edupreneur and academic coordinator, he leads research initiatives in learning disabilities, multi-intelligence development, and future-ready skill frameworks, aligning mental health and education with emerging technological realities.
Dr Renju Joseph
Executive Director
Dr Renju Joseph holds an extraordinary academic portfolio comprising three PhDs, thirteen postgraduate degrees, and over six hundred professional certifications, reflecting an unwavering commitment to intellectual excellence and lifelong learning. Recognised among India’s most academically accomplished women, her multidisciplinary scholarship spans behavioural sciences, leadership, management, and finance; strengthening the strategic foundation of Zen Mind.
As Executive Director of Zen Mind, she brings over sixteen years of experience in accounting and finance, ensuring structured financial governance, institutional transparency, and sustainable organisational growth. Alongside her executive responsibilities, she serves as a Career Counsellor and Leadership Coach, empowering professionals and emerging leaders to make informed decisions and build resilient career pathways. Her leadership integrates academic depth, strategic clarity, and people-centred mentorship, enabling Zen Mind to evolve as a forward-thinking institution within mental health and educational services.
Dr. K. S. Shyla
Director
Dr. K. S. Shyla brings extensive experience from the public health and clinical services sector, having served in both government and non-government healthcare systems. Her professional work has been deeply connected with the health management and developmental support of children and adolescents, particularly those experiencing learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity conditions.
She retired from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala, where she served as Chief Medical Officer, contributing to community health systems and child-focused care frameworks. Within the leadership structure, she contributes strategic medical insight, developmental health expertise, and policy-level experience, strengthening programmes that support children, families, and educational systems. Her work aligns closely with initiatives that provide structured psychological support, behavioural intervention, and developmental guidance for young populations, ensuring that care frameworks remain ethical, evidence-based, and responsive to real community needs.
How Does Strong Leadership Benefit Your Care?
Experienced leadership ensures that every service at Zen Mind is guided by clinical expertise, ethical governance, and evidence-based standards. When senior professionals oversee programme design, supervision, and intervention frameworks, clients receive care that is consistent, structured, and professionally accountable.
This translates into clear treatment pathways, reliable assessment standards, and well-supervised therapeutic practice. Strong leadership strengthens team competence, safeguards confidentiality, and maintains quality across all services. The result is psychological care that is not only compassionate, but also scientifically grounded and sustainably effective.
