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 10 group meetings covering 191 girls and 193 boys were held in the identified school - Asarwa Vidyalaya.

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 FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

ACTIVITY REPORT (JULY TO SEPTEMBER 2017)

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.

The awareness meetings conducted in community are listed below:

                   AREA                           NO. OF MEETINGS HELD            TOTAL ADOLESCENTS COVERED

~ Community                                                   36                                                                   993

~ School                                                          12                                                                   384

TOTAL                                                            46                                                                  1377

Number of cases handled

A total of 111 cases were handled over the quarter. Of these, 12 cases approached the centre, while 99 cases were handled by AWAG’s counsellor at the school level.

TOTAL CASES = 74 GIRLS & 37 BOYS

These adolescents were provided with both counselling and medical help. Detailed assessment, intervention and follow up sessions were held as per requirement.

Summary of findings of the Cases

 To summarize the total of 111 adolescent cases that were intervened with... 

• 105 cases (95%) fall under counselling category and 6 cases (5%) fall under psychiatric category.
• Out of the 105 counselling cases, 91 cases (87%) face academic problems, 11 cases (10%) face emotional / behavioural/ personal problems and 3 cases (3%) 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 the 6 psychiatric cases, 2 cases were ruled out as Mild Depression Disorder, I case as Schizophrenia, another 2 cases as Tension Headache and 1 case as Bipolar Disorder. These psychiatric cases were given individual as well as parental counselling sessions.