Priya: "I don't know if I want to stay married"

The case (fictional)

Priya is 31. Four years ago she moved from Pune to Toronto after an arranged marriage to Arjun, a software engineer. She trained as a dentist in India and now works as a dental assistant while studying for the Canadian licensing exams.

She refers herself to a community counselling service, saying, "I don't know if I want to stay married." Arjun's parents moved in with them last year. Her mother-in-law criticises her cooking and asks when they will have children; Arjun "keeps the peace" by saying nothing. Priya feels lonely, cries in the car on the way to work, has lost interest in studying and sleeps badly.

Her own parents tell her that divorce would shame the family and that she must adjust. She mentions that Arjun "sometimes checks my phone and decides how much money I can spend", but says he has never hit her.

When she booked, she asked the receptionist whether her husband could find out she was coming. She says she wants "someone neutral to talk to", and is not sure counselling is "for people like me".