IIT Guwahati initiates mental well-being measures
A special session was conducted on the topic of mental health which was also attended by the parents of students.
The year 2023 saw the arrival of the new batch of students at IIT Guwahati, with a total of 2200 students being admitted under various programmes. Notably, the institute held a unique session to guide these students on effectively balancing their academic and personal life, ensuring a stress-free experience. Attended by students, parents, and siblings, the session aimed to provide comprehensive support to the incoming students.
The college will not mandate counselling for all newly admitted BTech students to give mental support and help them settle into the new environment. This process will also help them to identify the few students who might need help at the first stage itself. Six experts are available at the institute to assist students in need, including two psychiatrists and four counsellors. Students will receive counselling support every working day from 9 am to 8 pm. If necessary, they can visit with the counsellors after class.
The institute has started a “know your neighbour” programme to give students enough social support and a sense of community. At the hostel level, ice-breaking activities will be conducted in the form of an interactive session with new students. The Centre for Holistic Wellbeing’s student counsellors will oversee this.
“Earlier, group counselling was conducted in IIT-G but many students felt shy and did not want to admit the problems they were suffering from. This time counsellors will interact with each student individually,” said Prof. Anamika Barua, dean of students’ affairs. The initial step will be a conversation with a counsellor, and if the counsellor determines it is necessary, some of the pupils may also receive assistance from psychiatrists. The programme involves one-on-one counselling and is aimed at assuring the students’ mental health, she later added.
