Children’s mental health and wellbeing- Understanding counselling practices at schools (Part 1.1)

- There is a strong need to balance academic excellence and quality of life at school. Currently, due to various factors, the schools and parents are focused more on academic than the quality of life. Various studies are being undertaken to understand ‘holistic development’ of children at school as well as home.

A field research was undertaken titled 'Children’s mental health: Towards an understanding of school counselling practices’, and soon after that, another study was done on ‘Wellbeing policies’. This field intervention was done in five schools of Mysore, Karnataka, India. And the mentor for the field research (first study) on children’s mental health was Mrs Rajashree, a faculty member and Education program head at Azim Premji University, Bangalore.

Image source:

The child’s wellbeing and mental health are very crucial for the child’s success at school as well as life. In today’s scenario around the world, particularly in urban centres, children are not getting adequate care- due to many factors such as nuclear families, both parents working, and social media etc. We were very curious to understand how a counsellor in a school can help children to overcome any hurdles they might face in their school life and outside school life. In this field research, I engaged in a mix of schools who had appointed counsellors, and also schools who had not appointed counsellors. This way we had an opportunity to understand the child’s mental health support in both kinds of school settings.

According to (American school counsellor association, N.A), school counsellors are certified/licensed educators who improve student success by implementing a comprehensive school counselling program. School counsellors are vital members of the education team and maximize student success. School counselling program entails counsellors, to apply academic achievement strategies, manage emotions and apply interpersonal skills, guide and plan for higher education, one to one counselling to all the students, and many more.

How does counselling support benefits students- it is an effective source of support for students, enabling them to function better both in and outside of the school, enhancing their resilience and giving them resources to manage challenges life throws at them, students gain a better understanding of themselves and the situations facing them and strategies to cope with change (Cathedral school, N.A).

The purpose of this study was to understand how school counsellors are helping the schools and parents to empower children’s wellbeing and mental health. During this study I spent a full day at schools, looking at the day to day affairs of the counsellors. Few schools had full-time counsellors, and few had part-time counsellors.

The period of study was from August 2015 to December 2015, the study tools were designed at Azim Premji University, and the field engagement was from 17^thNovember 2015 to 24^th December 2015. After the study, a comprehensive report was submitted as a student work for the course of M.A Education, Semester: III (2014 – 2016 Batch) at Azim Premji University, Bangalore. The final report was submitted on 20^th March 2016.

We are starting an article series on wellbeing and we would love to share with you the entire study in bits and pieces. This is our first article on this series.

Written by: Maaz Mohammed AQ

(Note: This work was done as a student course work. We do not entertain to use this data for professional or legal use. The founder of Credence Learning Foundation himself is a general counsellor trained at Banjara Academy, Bangalore. During this time of the study, the researcher himself was a certified counsellor. Additionally, the researcher worked at an American MNC before joining the MA Education course. This research work is being referred for the series on wellbeing).

How Going Bookless Transforms Student Learning:

- Eyes on the class, Not the Page: The Case for Bookless Teaching Let’s be honest: there’s a massive difference between a teacher who is locked into a textbook and one who is fully locked into the classroom. When we teach with our eyes glued to a page, we’re often just managing a script; but when we put the book down, the classroom instantly shifts from a formal lecture into a living, breathing conversation. It takes a little courage to step away from the safety net of printed chapters, but the payoff in raw student connection and active memory recall is unmatched. Going "bookless" in a classroom—whether you're the student or the teacher—is a bold move that shifts the energy from passive reading to active engagement. While books are incredible resources, stepping away from them during a live session offers some unique psychological and social advantages. 1. Heightened Active Listening When there isn’t a text to follow along with, the brain is forced to process informatio...

Seven key differences between Parenting in India and Dutch:

- A Dutch mother, Ivana, recently shared her experiences living in Mumbai for nine years, highlighting seven key differences between parenting in India. She emphasises that neither approach is "better" or "worse," but rather they involve different trade-offs. Key Differences in Parenting: According to her viral reflections on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWJv7RLDM-z/), the primary contrasts include: * Community vs. Solo Marathon: In the Netherlands, parenting often feels like a "solo marathon". In Mumbai, she experiences a "real village" where family, neighbours, and the building community are always available to help. * Independence vs. Interdependence: Dutch culture raises children to be "fierceley independent," such as cycling to school alone at age eight. Indian parenting focuses on interdependence and being part of a larger, supportive system. * Child-Friendly Public Spaces: She notes that children in India are acce...

The man who had never occupied a school desk spent nearly 11 years trying to build a classroom large enough for an entire republic:

Snippets: - In 1948, Azad appointed the University Education Commission under S Radhakrishnan. Its work helped shape the University Grants Commission, constituted in 1953, and later given statutory status in 1956. - Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's story is one of self-learning, nation-building, and institutions like IITs and AIIMS that he helped set up, that continue to shape generations of Indians. - Azad served as India's education minister from August 1947 until his death in February 1958. During his tenure, India established IIT Kharagpur, the UGC, the University and Secondary Education Commissions, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) etc - During his tenure, the central education budget rose from roughly Rs 2 crore to more than Rs 30 crore. - Azad did not see higher education as the privilege of the elites. He described basic education as the birthright of every individual and pressed for free and compulsory schooling, adult literacy, teacher training and greater...

Click to read: We have together 850+ Articles, Videos and Resources:

Click below topic you want to read: ⬇️ Download Credence App if not yet downloaded: Browse, read through your area of interest and share the app with your connections.

Who is Sir Hajee Ismail Sait of Bangalore:

- Fukhr-ut-Tojjar Sir Hajee Ismail Sait: A Legacy of Business and Philanthropy Fukhr-ut-Tojjar Sir Hajee Ismail Sait (1859-1934) was a prominent Indian businessman, philanthropist, and community leader who left an indelible mark on South India. He was an Indian banker, businessman and community leader who served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council . Born in Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu, Sait's entrepreneurial journey began early, driven by a strong work ethic and a keen business acumen. A Business Empire Takes Shape Sait's first venture, the "English Warehouse," proved to be a resounding success, catering to the needs of the British community in Bangalore. His entrepreneurial spirit, however, did not limit him to a single venture. He diversified into a wide range of businesses, including mines, and manufacturing units. His astute business decisions saw him rise to become one of the wealthiest merchants in South India. Very quickly, Ismail Sait built on the succ...

Looking Deeper: How to Measure a School’s Holistic Success Before Admission:

- # Beyond the Billboard: Why It’s Time to Stop Judging Schools by Their Toppers Every spring, city streets and newspaper pages light up with the same familiar sights: massive, gloss-printed billboards featuring a handful of smiling students who scored a 99% or clinched top ranks. For decades, these billboards have served as the ultimate marketing tool for educational institutions, and parents routinely queue up for admissions based entirely on these extreme outliers. But if we look past the flashing lights of the top 1%, a critical question remains: **What about the rest of the school?** When we judge an institution solely by its toppers, we mistake individual genius for institutional excellence. To understand the true health, equity, and capability of a school, both parents and educators need to change the metric of success. ## The Illusion of the Outlier Toppers are, by definition, statistical outliers. Often, these students possess a high degree of intrinsic motivation, strong...

The New Town called Fraser Town in 1914- amazing story of Bangalore's top locality-

- This information and the photo collection of Bangalore will fascinate you. The New Town called Fraser Town in 1914. The Plague was responsible for creation of Malleshwaram and Basavanagudi near Bengalooru Pete. Likewise Fraser Town was one of the new towns created in a older area called Mootoocherry near the St. John's Church to decongest the Cantonment due to the plague. Pictures from Plague-proof Town Planning by J H Stephens 1914 & THE ‘UNINTENDED’ CITY: A Case for Re-reading the Spatialization of a Princely City through the 1898 Plague Epidemic. Pic 1. Distant view of the town and the principal approach. Pic 2 . View of a block of buildings in erection. Pic 3. Near View of Two Compound Cottages in Fraser Town Source: Received the information through whatsapp

The Science of a Meltdown: Why Kids Can’t Listen Until They Feel Safe:

- # Connect Before You Correct: The Golden Rule Every Parent and Teacher Needs We’ve all been there. Your child slams their backpack on the floor and snaps at you when you ask about their day. Or, a student in your third-period class loudly pushes their chair back and refuses to open their notebook, crossing their arms in open defiance. In those high-stress moments, our adult brains instantly flip into **fix-it mode**. We want to correct the behavior, enforce the rules, and demand respect. *“Pick that backpack up right now.” “Open your book or you’re going to the office.”* But when we lead with correction, we usually end up in a power struggle. Why? Because a child whose nervous system is overwhelmed cannot process logic, rules, or lessons. To guide a child out of a meltdown or a moment of defiance, we have to use a simple but profound sequence: ** We must connect before we correct .** ## The Brain Science Behind the Behavior To understand why this works, it helps to understand ho...

Every Child’s Mind Can Grow: How We Learned to Protect and Nurture Young Minds:

- For a long time, people believed that children were born with a set amount of intelligence that could never really change. If a child struggled to learn, it was often assumed to be something they were simply born with. Psychologist J. McVicker Hunt changed that mindset forever. He showed the world that a young child’s brain is not set in stone—it is flexible, growing, and deeply affected by the world around them. What a child hears, sees, and experiences in their earliest years can completely shape how their mind develops. ## What Happens When Young Minds Miss Out ? Hunt paid close attention to what happens when children grow up in tough environments without enough learning tools, books, or warm, interactive attention. He discovered that children raised without these basic early opportunities fell far behind in thinking and learning skills—not because they weren't capable, but because their brains were starving for stimulation. The most vital part of his discovery, however, was ...

REOPENING THE SCHOOL- SOME SUGGESTIONS (Suggestions via- IIEP_UNESCO):

- The COVID19 pandemic has led to another crisis of reasonable ideas in order to resolve all sorts of emerging issues in front. Educational plannings in times of crisis seem to be another challenge because of the judgmental dilemma about the importance of education as well as health. However, focusing on balancing the importance of both the aspects- education and health is focal. What and how implementable plannings could be done is the big question to be responded by most of the concerned authorities and stakeholders. Currently, school founders, principals, administrators and concerned heads are considering many ways to win this situation. There are very key areas which the school leaders should consider- Finance, Infrastructure and Human resources. Here we are discussing some ideas and suggestions that have been addressed regarding the reopening of the schools (Please refer the full resource from UNESCO at the end of this article). Image source: ChristopherSalem 1. F...

Edu Research & Insights

Search This Blog