ST JOSEPH COLLEGE OF COMMERCE

1. About the Counseling Cell

Counseling is a collaborative and therapeutic process that offers individuals a secure space to address various challenges and life experiences. Rooted in empathy, understanding, and trust, counseling guides students toward self-awareness, insight, and personal growth. The establishment of a confidential environment is central, encouraging students to openly express thoughts and emotions with the assurance of privacy. This confidentiality fosters trust between the student and counselor, forming a foundation for effective communication and healing. The primary goal of counseling is to empower individuals to navigate their lives more effectively. Through collaborative dialogue, students gain insights into thought patterns, behaviors, and emotional responses, catalyzing positive change and informed decision-making with healthier coping mechanisms.

The counseling cell, an integral part of SJCC, is a student support service intended to help students adapt and make the best of their learning environment. It is common knowledge that when students have problems that are resolved, it reflects in their attendance, academic performance and ultimately in their personality development. The cell therefore attempts to provide a nurturing environment wherein each student is empowered to face life challenges and move ahead to achieve their academic and personal goals.

2. Aims and Objectives of the cell

● Offer professional counseling services to all SJCC students experiencing a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties thereby ensuring student retention, widening student participation, and improving academic achievement.

● Provide front-line diagnostic assessment, support and referral for students with acute and chronic mental health difficulties, including students at risk of suicide and harm to self or others.

● Help students develop into socially aware and sensitive individuals through personal development and self-awareness by helping them understand their strengths and capabilities.

The cell has three full time counselors who interact with and render their support to the students to deal with their academic , social and personal challenges. Every class is assigned a counselor to ensure their academic and personal well-being. Students have free access to the dedicated counselors at any time white in college. The counseling cell functions from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekdays and 0:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturdays.

3. Major Activities

Personal Counseling
Students take appointments with the counselor for one-on-one personal counseling sessions and work closely on overcoming their problems. Students come with issues related to peer pressure, transition into college life, adjustment issues, emotional issues like fear, anger, grief, and anxiety, family issues, relationship issues, academic issues like performance, attendance and inappropriate behaviour, low self-esteem, trauma and other psychological distress.

Group Counseling
The counselors meet the students in groups of 5-6 as part of the outreach program organized by BEMBALA. These sessions provide them with a space for self-discovery by learning from each other, recognising and embracing their strengths and capabilities and accepting their shortcomings. This also gives the counselors a chance to build rapport with the students and create awareness about the counseling process and various concerns that students at their age may have. Group sessions are conducted in the first year for UG and PG students.

Student Support Services
In addition, class mentors and teachers refer students to counselors when they feel that the student requires emotional support. Counselors also recommend teachers to give special attention to students who require help. Family members are also met by the counselors when the need arises.
The counseling team has also extended their services to students in times of emergencies when they have been taken to the hospital from college, to provide strength and support.

Psychological Well-Being Programme
Psychological Well-Being classes: As part of their curriculum, all the first-year students have a mandatory course on Psychological Well-Being during their first semester which is a 2 credit paper. These sessions were designed to help students become more aware of themselves, and others around them, using a lot of reflective activities and exercises- individual and group.

ANIMUM ‘23
As part of the golden jubilee celebrations and keeping in mind the core objective of character formation, the counseling cell conceptualized a national-level short film festival in 2023 and conducted the second edition of the same on the 7th of October 2023.
The theme for the film festival was ‘My Mental Health, My Right’. This festival saw an overwhelming response with participants from different parts of the country. The event also saw eminent personalities as part of the Jury and dignitaries. The festival aimed to spread mental health awareness and generate some good quality short films on mental health. The festival successfully compiled an album of short films on various mental health concerns.

SAMAGRA (St. Joseph’s Holistic Wellness Center)
The counselors at SJCC have been actively involved in the activities of SAMAGRA. Counselors regularly attend monthly meetings at the Samagra offices. During these meetings and discussions, various concerns have been raised and discussed to improve the quality of mental health services provided at SJCC. These discussions have been highly insightful with case presentations, book reviews and group interactions. The SJCC team has helped build resources for the SAMAGRA website by contributing psychoeducational videos and blogs and articles.