IIT Guwahati Introduces Mandatory Mental Health Counselling For Students Amid Concerns Over Their Wellbeing

The 2023 batch of students has been welcomed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, with a total of 2,200 students enrolling in various programmes at the institute.

In order to help students manage their personal and academic lives in a stress-free and efficient manner, the institute organised a special session on mental health awareness.

This session was attended by the students, their siblings, and their parents. It was aimed at providing information on the mental health support system available at the institute through the Centre for Holistic Wellbeing.

To ensure that newly-admitted BTech students receive the necessary mental support and are familiarised with available resources, mandatory counseling sessions will be provided. These sessions will also help identify students who may require support at an early stage.

The institute has a team of professionals, including four counsellors and two psychiatrists, who are available to assist students in need.

Counseling support is available on all working days from 9 am to 8 pm, and students can schedule appointments with the counsellors outside of class hours if necessary.

The institute has launched a ‘know your neighbours’ campaign to provide students with social support and create a sense of community.

Interactive ice-breaking sessions will be organised at the hostel level, facilitated by student counsellors from the Centre for Holistic Wellbeing.

To keep students engaged in their free time, various activities involving sports and cultural events will be organised. This will include motivational talks and the screening of documentaries, a report in The Indian Express has said.