Most students who attended a recent mental health workshop at a school said they wanted more such counselling sessions.
Students of Classes VI to XII said in their feedback that they had felt “relieved and got an opportunity to talk about their anxieties”.
National High School Calcutta conducted sessions in which counsellors set aside time for students to express their apprehensions and
anxieties.
“The counsellors were allotted a period when they spoke to the children. When we took feedback, 90% of the students were satisfied and wanted more such sessions,” said Mousumi Saha, principal of National English School.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has announced a student mental health and well-being initiative for October and November. It will engage students and teachers across its affiliated schools in discussions on mental health and resilience.
The council has asked each school to conduct 40- to 45-minute sessions every week for students of Classes VI to XII in their respective classrooms. The key findings are to be documented.
At National High School, students of Classes VI and VII wanted to understand the difference between pharmaceutical drugs and substances used recreationally. They also wanted to know how drugs affect the brain.
“Children expressed their anxieties; some of them shared why they feel socially awkward. Some of them had questions which they wanted to be answered,” Saha said.
Some students also said they felt more comfortable talking to a friend than to their parents when they were stressed. “When a period is designated towards counselling, it is far more impactful than teachers casually talking about mental health during class periods,” Saha said.
Several other schools are also conducting sessions in which students discuss bullying, peer pressure, academic pressure and the stress of performing well.
Children sometimes speak to counsellors privately because they do not want others to know what they are going through, a principal said.
Several schools said there was a need to hold similar sessions for parents, as many problems that surface in school stem from home.
“We plan to speak to the parents so that they understand their children and their needs,” said Gargi Banerjee, principal of Sri Sri Academy.