Inspiration & Counselling Can Improve Mental Health Of Youth
A two-day training program for capacity building of teachers (TOT) is being organized for mental health enhancement of Peer Educators
“The inspiration and proper counseling of teachers can not only improve the mental health of youth but also help them progress in life and become something. Under the financial project supported by SIFSA, focusing on health promotion, mental health, and life skills among youth, a two-day Training of Trainers (TOT) program for capacity building of teachers for mental health enhancement was inaugurated by the Mission Director of the National Health Mission and the Executive Director of SIFSA, Dr. Pinky Joval, Dr. Joval said that open dialogue and mutual trust between teachers and students are essential. This project is being implemented in selected degree colleges/universities of 17 districts of the state. She said that the confidentiality of the shared matters by students will be maintained through mutual trust. Along with counseling students, empathy should be shown. Where mature people get various kinds of support, the same is not the case with the youth. She said that our generation grew up in joint families where there were many people to support them, but nowadays, this is not the case with youth.
Dr. Joval said that today’s environment has changed, and therefore it is our responsibility to ensure the mental well-being of youth. She suggested that visual and video mediums are better for understanding and gave examples of several popular films and TV serials that have had a profound impact not only on the youth but also on adults. She said that in the era of the internet, there is an abundance of information, but we need to educate youth about its proper usage.
It is noteworthy that mental health is an important component of a person’s health. Youth of Uttar Pradesh represent the future of the state, and their mental health is an important determinant of their personal success and the collective prosperity of our society. Due to biological, psychological, and significant social changes in youth, they are more sensitive to mental health issues.
The main objective of this project is to raise awareness among the youth of the state about mental health issues and develop a conducive environment. Dr. Rinku Srivastava of SIFSA stated that after this training, Peer Educator training will be conducted as a continuous activity in their college. Trained Peer Educators will work as a vital link between teachers and youth, discussing mental health issues.
During the year 2022-23, a one-day sensitization workshop was organized for nominated faculty and members of the District Mental Health Program (DMHP) team, totaling 226 participants, by State Nodal Mental Health, Dr. AK Shrivastava, at the college/university level.
A two-day training program for capacity building of teachers (TOT) is being organized for mental health enhancement of Peer Educators.
On the first day of the two-day training program, officials from SIFSA, KGMC, NHM, and District Mental Health Program provided information on various topics. Teachers from 27 colleges and universities from several districts of the state participated in the training program. The objective of this training program, run under the financially supported project by SIFSA, is to raise awareness among the youth of the state about mental health issues and develop a conducive environment. Teachers receiving training will conduct Peer Educator training as a continuous activity in their colleges and universities.
During the training program on Thursday, Professor Sujit Kumar Car of the Mental Health Department of KGMC interacted with participating teachers about the major problems facing youth. Then, in his presentation, he explained the importance of dialogue with various dimensions. Dr. Ankita Saroj and Professor Sujit Kumar Car of KGMC explained the need for effective dialogue and its methods in their presentation.
Dr. AK Shrivastava, State Nodal Mental Health, briefed the participants about the district mental health program in detail. Daya Singh and Danish Khan of UNICEF explained social and behavioral change and its impact on mental health. The workshop was conducted by UNICEF advisor Dr. Ashish Kumar and SIFSA’s Meenu Shukla.” The workshop was co-ordinated by Sharanam Sewa Samiti and its Secretary Sharaf Abbas.
