Importance of psychological counselling in educational institutions ~ Group Discussion Ideas

Table of Contents

Points to speak:

Many students struggle with several issues such as anxiety, self-esteem issues, trouble with forming friendships etc. Guidance and support are very important to help them overcome these problems. So, educational institutions should have mental health professionals to help students.
In 2020, on an average 34 students committed suicide every day due to several reasons such as exam pressure, relationship issues etc. So, it is very important to provide support for them in educational institutions. Counsellors can help them to cope up with the pressures and can help in improving their mental health. If the student suffers from mental health issues such as severe depressions, counsellors will take steps to get them treated by psychiatrists.
Covid pandemic affected the mental health of many people. As schools and colleges were shut down for a long time, many students felt isolated and that caused an even more negative impact on mental health. As schools and colleges have reopened, students need help to adapt to the new normal.
In general, a few teachers punish students, who are not scoring well in exams but they do not even try to understand whether they have any learning disabilities. This causes self-esteem issues in students. Psychologists can detect these learning disabilities and can detect these issues and can collaborate with teachers to draft teaching strategies that are suitable for students with learning disabilities.
Some students have behavioural problems such as ADHD, autism etc. It is very important to detect these issues as early as possible to help them overcome the issues and to improve their quality of life. So, educational institutions should have psychologists.
Consulting psychologists outside may force students to skip classes. Having psychologists in educational institutions can help students in attending classes while taking counselling.
Counsellors can guide students in improving emotional intelligence. They will guide them about the basic issues students will face at any point in time such as exam pressure, bullying etc. and will tell them ways to cope up with these things. They may even teach them important things such as time management skills, goal setting skills etc., which will help students in achieving academic success.
Some students do not even understand what they are going through, they may not even know how to ask for help. Having a counsellor at their educational institution will help them a lot in understanding their issues. Moreover, they will learn how to ask for advice and help.

The present situation in India:

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a School mental health program (SMHP) for the well-being of school children. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have made it compulsory to have counsellors in CBSE schools.
In November 2021, the central government started working on a program to train teachers in identifying stress and mental health issues in students.
Over the past few years, many schools and colleges are hiring mental health professionals to support students. But still many schools and colleges do not have mental health professionals, they are just providing awareness programs.
There is a severe shortage of mental health professionals in India.

Conclusion:

Educational institutions must have psychological counsellors to support students in managing their mental health. After the pandemic, several students are facing mental health issues due to isolation. So, now the need for counsellors is more than ever. Having psychological counselling at schools and colleges will help improve the students’ quality of life and thereby will help them in achieving academic success.

Your Turn…

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