ADMISSION HELPLINE
Mental health as a concept is gaining prominence in the Indian context rapidly. Till the past decade this was an area of prejudice and stigma, but open dialogue, conversations, and narratives on the holistic domains of health (of which mental health is a major part) have taken over the discursive space. This is reflected in several fields ranging from academic curriculum to popular culture portrayals (movies, novels, web series, documentaries, and the likes).
In the context of university settings, students are caught up in multiple pressures from academic progression, career uncertainty, peer, parental and societal expectations and so on. All of these have a profound effect on their mental, physical, and emotional health. Over and above these, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought in its wake many changes which eventually affect the students’ performance and overall well-being. Against this background and considering the advice of the Hon’ble Chancellor, an institutional mechanism is operationalized to address these critical issues affecting the students through the formation of the ‘Royal Centre for Wellbeing’ (RCFW).
An external clinical psychologist, Ms. Bhaswati Saikia (RCI certified and licensed) is the consultant professional for the cell. The Clinical Psychologist provides face to face individual sessions with the students seeking help. This unit is exclusively for RGU students and can also be accessed by faculty members if need be. The Clinical Psychologist is professionally qualified and competent to handle general issues (Ex- anxiety, stress, depression, body-image related, eating disorders, social isolation, anger-management, sexuality, career, identity, self-esteem based, and so on) as well as specific issues (mental health conditions that students would seek help for such as family, peer-group, or romantic relationships).
In addition to the services of the external professional, in-house counseling is also provided by faculty members from the Department of Psychology with a commitment to helping students to prioritize their mental health, seek help when necessary, and begin on a path to greater resilience, growth, and fulfilment. The idea is to empower students by allowing them to reach their full academic and personal potential.
The sessions are scheduled for students upon receiving a request from faculty mentors (through the mentor-mentee system in the university) from respective departments. Students may also write individually to schedule sessions to the SPOC (Ms. Joyeeta Bhattacharjee) of the RCFW. Faculty coordinators may also reach out to the SPOC to schedule sessions depending on the needs of the students. All the above are conducted once students voluntarily seek support/help regarding mental health.
Ms. Bhaswati Saikia (External Clinical Psychologist)
bhaswatisaikia.myra@gmail.com
Dr. Durba Dutta (Coordinator, Mentor- Mentee System, Department of Economics),
durba.dutta@rgi.edu.in
Dr. Mahuya Deb (In-house Counsellor, Department of Psychology)
mdeb1@rgu.ac