About Sukoon
Sukoon offers online therapy for the South Asian diaspora — and for anyone wanting care that truly understands their lived experience. Our therapists blend clinical expertise with cultural awareness, so sessions feel familiar, relevant, and grounded in your reality. You don't need to explain your culture or translate your experiences — you're met with understanding from the very first session.
Alongside therapy, we also offer support through nutrition and movement, recognizing how deeply these elements shape well-being in many South Asian communities. People choose Sukoon because they finally feel seen — and they stay because they start to feel better.
Our Beginning
Sukoon was born from a deeply personal journey — shaped by my challenges of seeking mental health care as a South Asian in a system that often overlooks cultural realities, generational influences, and the values we grow up with. Through this experience, I dreamed up Sukoon as the kind of support I wished existed: online therapy and well-being rooted in cultural understanding, compassion, and meaningful connection.
The name "Sukoon" was chosen with intention. It means peace, comfort, and solace—qualities that embody what mental health and wellness should provide. Sukoon is more than a word; it’s a promise to create a space where individuals feel truly seen, understood and supported.
The lotus, our icon, holds profound significance in South Asian cultures. Growing through murky waters, it emerges unblemished—a timeless symbol of resilience, transformation, and inner strength. Like the lotus, Sukoon represents the ability to rise above life’s challenges and discover beauty and peace within.
Our mission
To deliver expert-led, culturally adapted online therapy and well-being support inspired by South Asian principles — helping the diaspora feel understood, supported, and empowered to heal and thrive.
Our Vision
To empower individuals to lead authentic, balanced, and fulfilling lives by providing care that truly understands them.
Our Team and Advisors
At Sukoon, our team and advisors bring decades of experience, expertise, and dedication to mental health and wellness.
Fahad Zahid
Founder
My own journey with mental health wasn’t always easy. Finding support that understood my cultural background, especially as someone from a South Asian community, was a challenge. This experience highlighted a deeper need for care that goes beyond just mental health, but also addresses nutrition and fitness—three pillars of holistic well-being. Sukoon was born from this realization. We’re building a platform where individuals can access support that is culturally sensitive and also embraces the full spectrum of mental health, nutrition, and fitness, helping people thrive in every aspect of their lives.
Dr. Mina Husain
Advisor
General Adult Psychiatrist
Assistant Professor | University of Toronto
Film Producer | Dia Productions
Dr. Mina Husain is a Clinician Teacher at a top research institute in Toronto and Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Alongside her clinical work she has wide-ranging involvement in academia, teaching and the Creative Arts. She has a strong interest in Global Mental Health and her research has been published in peer reviewed journals. She is passionate about capacity building and has spent time as an Honorary Clinical Tutor at the University of Malawi.
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Dr. Farooq Naeem
Advisor
Senior Scientist
Professor of Psychiatry | University of Toronto
Dr. Farooq Naeem is a full Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a psychiatrist at a top research institute in Toronto. Farooq pioneered techniques for culturally adapting CBT. These techniques have been used to adapt CBT in South Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, Kenya and China. Currently, this methodology is being used to adapt and test CBT in Canada in a multicenter study. More than 20 RCTs have been conducted on adapted CBT using Farooq’s model of adaption- Southampton adaptation framework for CBT.
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Dr. Ishrat Husain
Advisor
Lead, Mood Disorders Service and Senior Scientist,
Cameron Wilson Chair in Depression Studies and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry | University of Toronto
Dr. Ishrat Husain is a Senior Scientist and Scientific Head of the Clinical Trials Unit at a top research institute in Toronto, where he also serves as the Lead of the Mood Disorders Service. Dr. Husain is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and holds the Cameron Wilson Chair in Depression Studies. Dr. Husain’s research program focuses on advancing the understanding and treatment of mood disorders across populations through clinical trials of emerging pharmacological and psychosocial interventions.