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The People Behind Optimal Mental Health Alliance

Our Shared Commitment

Driven by Compassion, Guided by Expertise

At the Optimal Mental Health Alliance, our team is more than just a group of professionals.

We are advocates, caregivers, and experts who believe that mental health is a fundamental human right.

Our diverse backgrounds in psychology, mental health, corporate wellness, and social development allow us to approach mental health from a holistic perspective.

Behind every initiative we lead is a combined 30-year legacy of clinical and community mental health experience.

We don’t just teach resilience; we practice the empathy and respect that we advocate for every day.

Introducing OMHA's Founders

More About the Founders

The Team Members

Thameshree Moodley

Chairperson | Organisational Development & Mental Health Support

Biography

Thameshree Moodley is a multi-disciplinary leader who has spent over 25 years maneuvering the intersection of complex systems and human experience. As the Chairperson of the Optimal Mental Health Alliance (OMHA), she brings a unique "systems-thinking" lens to the mental health terrain, ensuring that organisational structures are designed to protect and serve the humans within them.

Her professional journey began in the high-pressure world of industrial engineering at the Engen and SAPREF refineries. These two decades in demanding environments provided a masterclass in precision, safety, and complex decision-making.

Today, Thameshree has evolved that structural expertise into the realm of human potential and ethics. She specifically focuses on how global technological systems and Artificial Intelligence can remain intentionally aligned with human needs.

Beyond her strategic leadership, Thameshree is a deeply compassionate advocate, serving as a Lay Counsellor and Training Facilitator for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).

This rare combination of corporate strategy, technical foresight, and frontline mental health advocacy allows her to lead OMHA with unparalleled perspective.

She is dedicated to a future where mental well-being is not an afterthought, but a core component of systemic design.

Academic Background & Training

BA Honours in Psychology (Psychological Counselling) – UNISA
BA in Health Sciences & Social Services (Psychological Counselling) – UNISA
BTech in Chemical Engineering (Environmental) – UNISA
National Diploma in Chemical Engineering – DUT
Accredited Lay Counselling Training – SADAG & Open Door Crisis Care
Technical Specialisations – Advanced Process Control and Process Safety training (Shell, Honeywell, Petronas).

Professional Focus

Thameshree focuses on the synergy between technical systems and human behaviour. She is a proponent of ethical AI, sustainable leadership, and the integration of mental health awareness into the corporate and industrial environment.

Why Work With Thameshree

Unique Hybrid Perspective: Bridges the gap between hard engineering and psychological wellness.
Tech-Forward Wellness: Expert insight into the impact of AI and digital environments on mental health.
Crisis Readiness: Active, hands-on experience in frontline mental health support and crisis intervention.
Strategic Visionary: A leader who understands how technology and people evolve together.

The OMHA Role

As Chairperson, Thameshree provides the strategic oversight necessary to advance OMHA’s mission, ensuring the organisation remains a leader in ethical, people-centered mental health advocacy.

Pragashnie Naidoo

Operations Director | Wellness Practitioner & Natural Learning Educator

Biography
Pragashnie Naidoo brings 25 years of experience in the healing, wellness, and personal development sectors to her role as Operations Director at the Optimal Mental Health Alliance (OMHA). Her work is defined by a holistic, heart-led approach, dedicated to helping individuals and groups cultivate emotional equilibrium and lasting resilience.

Since 2000, Pragashnie has mastered a diverse range of wellness modalities, including hypnotherapy, meditation, reflexology, and aromatherapy. Uniquely, she integrates her background in dance into her practice, using expressive movement as a powerful catalyst for emotional release and restoration.

As a self-published author and poet, she also champions creative expression as a vital tool for processing lived experiences and gaining personal insight.

Pragashnie’s leadership extends to crisis intervention and counsellor training, where she has spent years mentoring volunteers in emotional containment and practical counselling skills.

At OMHA, she bridges the gap between operational excellence and compassionate care, ensuring that mental health spaces remain safe, accessible, and evidence-informed.

Academic Background & Training

PhD (Social Science) Candidate – University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)
Specialist Wellness Counsellor – ASCHP (Reg. No: 8566)
Master of Education – University of the People
BSocSci Honours in Counselling Psychology (in progress) – UNISA
BSc in Health Sciences – University of the People
Accredited ETDP SETA Qualifications

Professional Focus
Pragashnie specialises in trauma-informed, holistic wellness that integrates body, mind, and spirit. Her focus is on creating environments where individuals can navigate emotional processing through reflective practice, ultimately achieving internal balance.

Why Work With Pragashnie

Quarter-Century Expertise: 25 years of deep immersion in personal development.
Integrative Approach: A unique blend of clinical counseling, traditional healing and expressive arts.
Crisis Leadership: Proven experience in emotional containment and crisis intervention.
Community-Centric: A steadfast commitment to making mental health support accessible to all.

The OMHA Role
As Operations Director, Pragashnie ensures that OMHA’s internal processes reflect its external mission: delivering mental health services with unwavering care, consistency, and professional integrity.

Jacquie Bhana

HR Director | Executive, Business & Mental Health Coach

Biography

Jacquie Bhana is a seasoned HR Director, Executive Coach, and Business Consultant with a career spanning more than 30 years. Her extensive background includes senior executive roles in blue-chip corporations, government advisory, and academia, making her a formidable force in people development and organisational performance.

Having served as HR Director for major organisations and as First Vice President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jacquie possesses a deep understanding of the pressures facing modern leaders. She now focuses her expertise on coaching, helping individuals navigate the complexities of high-responsibility environments, career transitions, and emotional fatigue with clarity and confidence.

Jacquie’s approach is unique in its integration of mental health awareness into executive coaching. She is a vital bridge between corporate excellence and mental resilience, ensuring that high-performance environments remain healthy and sustainable.

Academic Background & Training

MA Industrial Sociology – University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)
Honours in Industrial Relations – UKZN
BA Psychology and Sociology – University of Port Elizabeth
Executive & Leadership Coaching – University of Cape Town (UCT)
MBA & MDP Guest Lecturer/Moderator – UKZN
Trauma & Mental Health Training – Lifeline & SADAG

Professional Focus

Jacquie specialises in organisational behaviour and high-performance coaching. She provides practical strategies for managing leadership pressure and strengthening resilience within demanding corporate cultures.

Why Work With Jacquie

Corporate Pedigree: 30+ years of experience at the highest levels of corporate governance.
Strategic Insight: Expert in organisational behaviour and large-scale HR strategy.
Resilience Specialist: Specifically trained to support professionals through stress and burnout.
Cross-Sector Authority: Proven success in manufacturing, finance, retail, and academia.

The OMHA Role

As HR Director, Jacquie shapes the people strategy of OMHA, cultivating an internal culture of well-being while ensuring the organisation’s leadership practices remain world-class.

Anne Rajcoomar

Finance Director | Wellness Specialist & Mental Health Advocate

Biography

Anne Rajcoomar serves as the Finance Director at OMHA, bringing a sophisticated and valuable blend of fiscal expertise and a deep-seated passion for holistic well-being. With over 25 years of experience across the public, private, and NGO sectors, Anne has been a driving force in the design and implementation of Employee Wellness Programmes (EWPs) throughout South Africa.

Her work has focused on the early identification and management of critical conditions, including trauma, anxiety, depression and gender-based violence. She has been instrumental in training organisations to identify and manage mental health conditions within the workplace.

Anne has worked extensively with major government departments, including the Departments of Health, Education, and Justice, to provide psychosocial support and oversight to diverse communities.

She believes that sustainable health outcomes require a collaborative effort between the private sector, government, and civil society.

At OMHA, Anne ensures that financial strategy is not just about the bottom line, but about the sustainable delivery of mental health services.

Academic Background & Training

MSocSci (Industrial Psychology) – UKZN
BCom (Honours) in Industrial Psychology – UNISA
Bachelor of Commerce – UNISA
Bachelor of Speech-Language Therapy – UKZN
Trauma & Mental Health Training – Lifeline & SADAG

Professional Focus

Anne utilises a systems-oriented approach to integrate psychological insight with financial governance. She focuses on capacity-building, early intervention strategies, and the creation of sustainable support structures within communities and organisations.

Why Work With Anne

Corporate Pedigree: 30+ years of experience at the highest levels of corporate governance.
Strategic Insight: Expert in organisational behaviour and large-scale HR strategy.
Resilience Specialist: Specifically trained to support professionals through stress and burnout.
Cross-Sector Authority: Proven success in manufacturing, finance, retail, and academia.

The OMHA Role

As Finance Director, Anne oversees OMHA’s financial strategy and governance. She ensures that the organisation’s resources are managed ethically and effectively to support the long-term delivery of accessible mental health services.

Our Expertise

Why Our Team?

Our team is uniquely positioned to support your organisation because we understand the intersection of human emotion and professional demand.

We are united by the OMHA Core Values.

Our aim is to work collaboratively to ensure that every webinar, training session, and resource we provide is

Human-centric

Designed for real people with real lives.

Ethically Sound

Rooted in professional integrity.

Empathetic

Delivered with genuine care and without judgement.

Support the Mission

Why Support the Alliance?

At the Optimal Mental Health Alliance, we believe that mental wellness should never be a luxury reserved for the few.

While our leadership team brings a 30-year legacy of expertise to OMHA, your support provides the vital resources needed to bring that expertise into the heart of our communities.

When you support OMHA, you are investing in:

Bridging the Gap: Making high-level professional counselling and wellness programmes accessible to those in under-resourced areas.
Sustaining Safe Spaces: Funding the creative and reflective environments where our holistic healing practices take place.
Empowering Systemic Change: Supporting our mission to influence how mental health is prioritised within both corporate environments and social development sectors.

Our Commitment

Led by directors with a deep-seated foundation in financial governance and professional ethics, we ensure every contribution is managed with transparency and directed where it creates the most meaningful human impact.

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