Dear Parents,

Greetings from the Counsellor's Desk @ BVRTSE.

Hope you are feeling settled and comfortable with the new routine of online schooling. The students seem to be productively engaged with their teachers and their new agendas.

The pandemic has forced us into e-schooling and though it seems not the best way to learn, we are now in the “New Normal”. These repeated lockdowns and their extensions and the lack of clarity in the news, has ruffled our feathers as we have had to adjust and adapt, often with very little notice. Though I would like to believe that most of us have been fortunate and have coped decently well, yet some of us are left feeling frustrated, disengaged, bored and extremely physically and mentally exhausted.

We do understand the importance of being mentally sound. In the last few month there have been several incidents to entrench the importance of being healthy in the mind. YET, many of us hesitate to go to a counsellor for fear of being judged as “pagal” or we have been told off by close family and friends stating “your life is awesome, what’s the problem?”, which discourages us from reaching out to get the needed help.

Could this be your internal response for the simple question, “How are you?”

So, what is counselling? And how does it help?

Counseling is a talk therapy that allows a person to share his/her difficult feelings and problems in a confidential environment.

Anyone, no matter what age, gender or cultural background can use counselling to deal with their struggles or personal concerns (family conflict, marital difficulty, relationship issues, work difficulty, loss, identity, parenting or self-related concern like anger, assertiveness, low self-confidence and the like).

It is a technique to EMPOWER individuals through rationalizing of their thoughts & feelings. A counselor provides a safe and confidential environment and hears you non-judgmentally to understand why you feel a certain way and then help you identify negative thought patterns and replace them with positive thoughts.

Listed here are some of the benefits of counselling:

• See your thoughts from a different perspective.
• Greater degree of self-awareness
• Feel less alone with your problems
• Find it easier to cope in everyday life
• Share the Burden of Your Emotions

Now the next logical question could be, “Is Counselling Really Effective?”

“A client receiving psychotherapy is better off than 79% of clients who do not.”- Dr. Robert Rosenthal, Harvard University.

Counselling helps to build resilient coping mechanisms after there is acceptance of the problem. Both the client and the counselor need to make a consistent effort to build, relearn new and healthy ways to deal and see the world. This means that it is not magic to make life perfect instantly. Yet, once learned we may be able to face similar or newer challenges of life in a better manner.

With the new e-school environment, the lack of socializing, the closing of entertainment attractions and following a new set of social rules has had an impact on all of us. Added to this, is the anxiety of norms and safety measures of when school and offices, or malls & shops will open.

Fortunately, we are all in this together. So, reach out and ask for help rather than suffering in silence. It will only give you the much-needed sense to relief.

Together we can make it happen!!

#CounsellingHelps #MentalWellness #EffectiveTherapy #TalkTherapy #Anxiety #NewNormal #Covid-19 #StayIndoors #StaySafe #ParentingTip

Best Regards,
Sheetal Vohra