Engage
100+
Community partners
Community-rooted learning
Engage
Step into classrooms, clinics and rural communities across Nepal. Engage programs blend dialogue, ethics and reflective practice.
Learn moreShapingminds. Transforming communities.
IPSW Nepal is a leading academic and applied institute for Psychology and Social Work. Engage with communities, Explore knowledge, and Experience real-world fieldwork — across hospitals, schools and rural programmes.
Joined by 900+ alumni across Nepal
- 100+
- Community partners
- 18+
- Research streams
- 20+
- Field placements
Featured in
The Kathmandu PostKantipurRepublicaWHO NepalUNICEF NepalWellcome Trust
Recognition
Best Practice in Field Education
Nepal Social Work Council · 2024
Open Access Research Award
South Asia Mental Health Network · 2023
Community Impact Recognition
Ministry of Women, Children & Senior Citizens · 2023
Three pillars
Engage.Explore.Experience.
Every IPSW journey moves through three integrated pillars — community, knowledge and supervised practice. Choose the entry point that fits where you are.
Explore
18+
Research streams
Research and applied inquiry
Explore
Pursue rigorous coursework, literature reviews and supervised research in psychology, social work and public mental health.
Learn more
Experience
20+
Field partners
Supervised field placements
Experience
Practice under licensed supervisors in hospitals, schools and NGOs — from Kathmandu Valley to Karnali and the Tarai.
Learn moreFoundation
Mission,Vision&Values
The principles that have shaped IPSW since its founding and continue to guide every programme, research initiative, and community partnership.
Mission
Why we exist
To prepare ethically grounded, research-informed psychologists and social workers whose practice strengthens Nepali communities and public services — from Kathmandu to the last mile of Karnali.
900+
Alumni
38
Districts
12+
Years
Vision
Where we are going
A Nepal where every person has access to dignified, evidence-informed psychosocial care — delivered by practitioners trained close to the communities they serve.
Values
What guides us
- Integrity
- Inclusion
- Impact
Impact in numbers
Twelve years of practice across Nepal.
0+
Alumni worldwide
0+
Community partners
0
Districts of practice
0+
Research streams
0+
Field placements
0+
Years of teaching
Programmes
Academicdepth.Appliedpractice.
IPSW Nepal offers undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education routes — each blending theory, fieldwork and supervised practice.
Engage Programme
Community-rooted learning across schools, health posts and women's collectives. Engage students train in dialogue, ethics and reflective practice in Nepali contexts.
- Community placements
- Ethics & reflective practice
- Dialogue-led sessions
Explore Programme
Rigorous coursework, applied research and supervised inquiry across psychology, social work and public mental health.
- Mixed-methods research
- Faculty-supervised projects
- Policy translation
Experience Programme
Supervised field placements in tertiary hospitals, NGOs and rural mental health programmes — from Kathmandu to Karnali.
- Hospital placements
- Live clinical supervision
- National field network
Program Finder
Which programme is right for you?
Answer 3 quick questions and we'll suggest the best fit.
Question 1 of 3
What is your main goal?
Courses
Coursesforeverystageofpractice.
Foundation degrees, postgraduate routes and short CPD pathways — taught by faculty actively engaged in research and frontline service.
Psychology
BA in Applied Psychology
An undergraduate programme grounded in cognitive, developmental and clinical psychology, with strong field components in Nepali contexts.
4 yearsFoundation
Social Work
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
Build the ethics, policy literacy and casework skills required for licensed social work practice across Nepal.
4 yearsFoundation
Postgraduate
MA in Clinical Psychology
A postgraduate route into psychotherapeutic practice, assessment and supervised clinical placement in tertiary hospitals.
2 yearsPostgraduate
Postgraduate
MSW in Mental Health & Wellbeing
A specialised Master of Social Work focused on mental health systems, advocacy and community-led recovery models.
2 yearsPostgraduate
Psychology
Diploma in Counselling Skills
A practitioner-focused diploma covering person-centred, CBT and trauma-informed counselling — taught in English and Nepali.
9 monthsIntermediate
Social Work
Certificate in Community Mental Health
For frontline workers in NGOs, schools and health posts — practical tools for psychosocial support in low-resource settings.
6 monthsIntermediate
Our story
What it means to practice psychology in Nepal.
In this short film, IPSW Director Dr. Pratima Sharma and a group of current students and alumni share what drew them to this work — and what keeps them committed to it.
6 min
Runtime
4 voices
Students & alumni
6:24
Projects & field work
Realpractice.Measuredimpact.
From rural mental health programmes in Karnali to school counsellor fellowships in Kathmandu, our projects translate learning into community change.
experience
Jumla & Mugu, Karnali Province
Karnali Rural Mental Health Initiative
A two-year placement programme training community health volunteers in psychological first aid and recovery-oriented care.
- 1,240
- Households reached
- 32
- Volunteers trained
- 4
- Health posts served
engage
Kathmandu Valley
School Counsellor Fellowship
IPSW students co-design wellbeing curricula with public secondary schools, supporting adolescents through life-skills sessions.
- 12
- Schools partnered
- 3,400
- Students reached
- 48
- Counsellor fellows
experience
Jajarkot & Rukum West
Post-Disaster Psychosocial Response
Following the 2023 earthquake, IPSW field teams supported displaced families with structured psychosocial recovery groups.
- 26
- Recovery groups
- 780
- Participants
- 9
- Trained facilitators
explore
Lalitpur & Bharatpur
Stigma and Help-Seeking in Urban Nepal
A mixed-methods study mapping how young adults seek mental health support, co-led with the IPSW Research Lab.
- 612
- Survey respondents
- 34
- In-depth interviews
- 3
- Policy briefs
Voices from IPSW
Storiesfromstudents,alumniandresearchers.
Hear directly from those who have walked through Engage, Explore and Experience.
“My field placement in a rural mental health programme changed how I see practice. IPSW supervisors held me to high standards and stayed with me through every difficult case.”
Sanjana Karki
BSW Graduate, 2024
All testimonials
“My field placement in a rural mental health programme changed how I see practice. IPSW supervisors held me to high standards and stayed with me through every difficult case.”
Sanjana Karki
BSW Graduate, 2024
“The Explore stream gave me proper grounding in research. I co-authored my first paper on adolescent help-seeking before I had even finished coursework.”
Aayush Shrestha
MA Clinical Psychology, Year II
“Engage modules are taught in both Nepali and English. That made a real difference for me — the case studies felt rooted in our communities.”
Pramila Tamang
Diploma in Counselling Skills
“I now lead a psychosocial team in Surkhet. The supervised practice hours at IPSW were the closest thing to a real clinic I had encountered.”
Bibek Adhikari
MSW Mental Health, Alumni
“Engage is more than fieldwork — it is a way of holding the work. My instructors taught me to listen before I intervene.”
Sushila Gurung
BA Applied Psychology
“The Explore programme pairs you with a supervisor from day one. My research on stigma in Lalitpur is now informing provincial policy.”
Niraj Maharjan
PhD Researcher, Public Mental Health
Upcoming
Events,workshops&opendays.
Join us in person or online — CPD workshops, research seminars, admissions open days and more.
Aug22025
Open Day
IPSW Open Day — Intake 2025/26
Tour the campus, meet faculty and current students, and learn about our Psychology and Social Work programmes. Admissions team will be available for one-to-one consultations.
10:00 AM – 2:00 PMIPSW Campus, Sanepa, Lalitpur23 seats left
Almost full
Jul192025
Workshop
Trauma-Informed Practice in Schools
A full-day CPD workshop for school counsellors, teachers and mental health workers. Covers ACEs, window of tolerance and practical classroom-level interventions.
9:00 AM – 5:00 PMIPSW Research Commons, Lalitpur7 seats left
Jul262025
Webinar Online
Mental Health Policy in Nepal: Where Are We Now?
Dr. Kabir Thapa in conversation with policy-makers and practitioners on Nepal's Mental Health Policy 2080 — what it promises, what it lacks, and what practitioners can do.
4:00 PM – 5:30 PMOnline (Zoom)112 seats left
Aug142025
Seminar
Mixed Methods Research in Community Settings
A graduate seminar led by Dr. Kabir Thapa exploring how to design rigorous mixed-methods studies in Nepal's complex social and linguistic landscape.
2:00 PM – 4:30 PMIPSW Research Commons, Lalitpur14 seats left
Alumni
WhereIPSWgraduatesgonext.
Over 900 alumni work across hospitals, NGOs, schools and universities — from Kathmandu to Karnali.
BSW 2024
Sanjana Karki
Karnali Province
Psychosocial Officer
Save the Children Nepal
“IPSW gave me the tools — but more than that, it gave me the courage to walk into communities I had never seen and ask the right questions.”
Led psychosocial recovery groups for 780 earthquake-affected families in Jajarkot
MA Clinical Psychology 2023
Aayush Shrestha
Lalitpur
Clinical Psychologist
Patan Hospital
“My supervisor at IPSW was also my clinical supervisor at the hospital. That continuity of relationship shaped everything.”
Co-authored 2 peer-reviewed papers on adolescent help-seeking before graduation
MSW 2021
Bibek Adhikari
Surkhet
Head of Psychosocial Programmes
Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation Nepal
“The supervised practice hours were the closest thing to a real clinic I had encountered before qualifying. Nothing surprised me after that.”
Now manages a team of 12 psychosocial staff across Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces
900+
Alumni worldwide
38
Districts of practice
92%
Employed within 6 months
12+
Countries
Faculty
Practitioners.Researchers.Mentors.
Meet a few of the faculty who teach, supervise and walk alongside our students — in seminar rooms and out in the field.
Dr. Pratima Sharma
Director & Professor of Clinical Psychology
- Trauma-informed care
- Public mental health
Dr. Rajesh Bhattarai
Head of Social Work
- Community organising
- Rights-based practice
Asst. Prof. Sabina Rai
Programme Lead, Counselling
- Person-centred therapy
- Adolescent mental health
Dr. Kabir Thapa
Research Lead, Public Mental Health
- Epidemiology
- Mixed methods
Insights
Notesfromthefieldandthelab.
Essays, research updates and reflections from IPSW faculty and students.
PracticeMarch 18, 2025 7 min
Rebuilding After Jajarkot: Notes from a Psychosocial Field Team
What does meaningful psychosocial recovery look like six months after a major earthquake? Lessons from our field teams in Karnali.
Read article
Research·9 min
Why Young Nepalis Don't Seek Help — and What Has to Change
Findings from a 612-respondent study across Lalitpur and Bharatpur reveal a complex picture of stigma, family duty and digital coping.
Practice·6 min
Supervision Is Practice: Reflections from a Year of Live Cases
Asst. Prof. Sabina Rai on holding space for trainee counsellors — and why supervision is the quiet engine of ethical practice.
Social Impact·8 min
What Women's Collectives Taught Us About Social Work
A reflective essay from BSW students on facilitating savings groups and survivor circles in Kailali and Kanchanpur.
Gallery
InsideIPSWNepal.
A glimpse of campus life, fieldwork and community practice.
In collaboration with
Partner organisations across Nepal & South Asia
- Tribhuvan University
- Kathmandu University
- Patan Academy of Health Sciences
- WHO Nepal
- UNICEF Nepal
- Sangath South Asia
- Possible Health
- Nepal Red Cross Society
Stay connected with IPSW Nepal.
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Start your journey
Begin your journey with IPSW Nepal.
Whether you are starting an undergraduate degree, returning for a postgraduate qualification, or pursuing CPD as a practitioner — we would be glad to walk you through the right route.