Mental Health counselling for Adolescents in India

Project Update: Mental Health Counseling for Adolescents

This project is concentrated in low-income schools of East Ahmedabad namely – Bapunagar, Rakhial, Gomtipur and Saraspur. These are economically backward areas, majorly consisting of ultra poor communities. Parents of these children are predominantly labourers who also encourage these children to work with them after school hours as labourers. Majority of the parents are illiterates and do not have the capability to understand or guide their children during mental distress

Thus, awareness meetings to approach the adolescents at the school level were held as per schedule.

Strategies applied at school level :

The plan for the implementation of work was submitted to the school Principal after getting the permission to work. As per the plan, group meetings related to the academic issues were held immediately with the same group as a larger section of the students are found facing academic problems as compared to the other issues. The adolescents then willingly approached the counsellor. Individual, group or parental counselling sessions were designed as per their need and area of concern. A total of 4 group meetings covering 183 girls were held in the identified school - Vidyanagar Girls High School

The process followed in the school, with the cooperation received and limitations faced is briefed below.

Approach: 

A meeting with school Principal was held and the objectives to carry out the mental health programme with adolescents were discussed, thereby getting immediate permission to start with the work. 

Planning: 

The plan for the implementation of work was submitted to the Principal which is as follows:

1. To conduct mental health awareness meeting with adolescents studying in Std. 9^th to 12^th.
2. To conduct group meeting related to academic issues with adolescents studying in Std. 9^th to 12^th.
3. To conduct counselling sessions with adolescents and parental counselling sessions where need arose.
4. Teacher’s training programme.

Process of work:   

• Meeting with the school teachers was held to brief them about the program. 

• The date and timings were confirmed to conduct awareness meetings from Std.9^th to Std.12^th. 

• Organized awareness and group meetings from std. 9^th to std.12^th. 

• Individual counselling sessions were done with adolescents who were willing to come over. Follow-up sessions were held and it's still continued. 

• Adolescents falling under category of academic problems were informally assessed to rule out their areas of difficulties. 

• A detailed categorization of academic difficulties was done and accordingly individual and group counselling work was done. 

• Groups were segregated into different sub categories viz academic issues, emotional/behavioural/personal issues and family issues. 

• No particular limitations were faced in the process of work here. 

THANK YOU!

MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLING FOR ADOLESCENTS: ACTIVITY REPORT (JULY TO SEPTEMBER 2018) 

Work Area:

Bapunagar, Rakhiyal, Gomtipur, Saraspur and Ramolareas in East Ahmedabad, Gujarat 

Objectives :

v  To identify psychological problems prevailing among adolescents.

v  To intervene with adolescents so that they develop better coping skills to lead a better quality of life.

v  To provide psycho-education to parents where need arises.

v  To train teachers of schools in Bapunagar in providing support to adolescents.

v  To hold hands of teachers and monitor their performance. 

Awareness Meetings

Awareness raising meetings with adolescents were held at the community and school level. These meetings primarily focused on their day-to-day issues that have to be faced by them effectively with more strength and courage. The counsellor made efforts to identify the problems of the adolescents by noting their shared responses during the awareness meetings. 

36 awareness meetings were conducted at the community level covering 855 adolescents. 

                   AREA                          NO. OF MEETINGS HELD           TOTAL ADOLESCENTS COVERED

~ Community                                                    36                                                                  973

~ School                                                           04                                                                  224

TOTAL                                                              40                                                                1197

Number of cases handled 

A total of 90 cases were handled over the quarter. Of these, 8 cases approached the Centre, while 82 cases were handled by AWAG’s counsellor at the school level.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS OF THE CASES 

To summarize the total of 90 adolescent cases that were intervened with... 

• 87 cases (97%) fall under counselling category and 3 cases (3%) fall under psychiatric category.
• Out of the 87 counselling cases, 79 cases (91%) face academic problems, 7 cases (8%) face emotional / behavioural/ personal problems and 1 case (1%) are affected by family issues.
• Adolescents at the secondary stage (age group ranging from 16-22 years) seem to face more problems. Majority of them are going to school followed by school dropouts. Most dropouts are from Std.8 and 10.
• Out of 3 cases, 1 case were ruled out as Mild Depression Disorder, 1 case as ?Psychosis ?Mild Depression Disorder with Psychosis, and 1 case as Tension Headache. These psychiatric cases were given individual as well as parental counselling sessions.