Students often deal with tremendous psychological stress and pressure, and hence, Student Counselling Cell helps them cope with the pressure and anxiety and reach their highest potential. The main goal of student counselling is to provide the students with a safe and comfortable environment to discuss their problems regarding their academic and social life. Student counselling mainly helps adolescents to cope up with academic pressure and other stresses.
Appropriate counselling will ensure that students function properly and learn valuable life lessons and maintain interpersonal relationships.
What is the necessity for student counselling?
The main reason why student counselling is required in every educational institute is due to the stress and anxiety a student feels. In India, students undergo a great deal of pressure during their board examinations and other important course examinations. Not just in case of examinations, they deal with peer pressure that may mentally, physically and psychologically traumatise them. In addition to these, parents sometimes have high expectations from their wards that often pressure the students to achieve better than their peers. This can lead to severe anxiety, depression or other mental health problems.
In India, the world of academics is highly competitive with a strict syllabus, long classroom hours and often complex learning. The country is still restricted to traditional textbook-focused knowledge, which often overlooks the quality of education and focuses on quantity. The system is more oriented towards teaching a high amount of information rather than applications based learning and not fostering the student’s creativity.
Due to the immense pressure that students feel, the country has faced many losses of lives. Students often think that they are unable to stand up to their parent's expectations, and the only way out is losing vitality. It is an extremely grave situation, and hence, there is a high significance of student counselling in every school and college. It is important to listen to the children and help them out with their academic as well as personal problems. Apart from that, the expensive affair of a commercialised education system has immensely contributed to a student’s mental health problems.
It’s high time to realise the necessity and importance of student counselling to provide students with a stress-free experience in an educational institute.
What are the benefits of student counselling?
The various reasons why student counselling is important are as listed:
1. Students deal with immense psychological pressure leading to serious mental health problems in an educational setting. Student counselling will help them protect, overcome these problems and continue functioning positively.
2. The main goal of counselling is to provide students with a safe and secure environment where they can share their problems.
3. Counselling help students to cope up with challenging circumstances like getting used to a complex subject and socialising with peers.
4. Through counselling, they obtain problem-solving techniques that will benefit them in their life.
5. This help students maintain healthy relationships with their fellow students, teachers and even family.
6. They can interact with diverse people in a variety of settings
7. Students understand and empathise with other people better
8. Student counselling helps people become more aware of their goals and aspirations
9. They make better decisions in their lives
10. They are better equipped psychologically for challenging times
11. Counselling will assist students in talking honestly and openly about their problems
12. They learn and understand what life and the best way to live it is
13. Counselling aids the person in becoming a better individual
14. Students are able to get their issues resolved through professional student counselling
15. They pick up on social cues and learn to handle difficult scenarios
16. They become better and more comfortable at socialising
17. With counselling, students are able to lead a healthy life
Who can become a student counsellor?
There are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled for becoming a student counsellor.
1. The person must have a Master’s degree in the related field
2. The person must understand child psychology
3. Some colleges/schools demand experience before hiring.
Educational and professional counsellors understand and are familiar with student psychology and behaviour. They understand the mental stress of students and the many questions they may have about their careers and future. The main urgency for student counselling is to discuss the various possibilities for students in their careers. This will help them explore and broaden their horizons in terms of career options. Student counsellors will explain to the student about their career options that suit their interests as well as financial situation.
Can a teacher become a student counsellor?
The answer is yes! A teacher doesn’t just teach a subject but is also responsible for a child’s holistic development. Hence, they must understand the necessity for counselling students before they begin teaching.
Teachers have the power to enlighten and inspire a student. They have an understanding of the student's strengths and weaknesses and identify their hidden talents and skills. Teachers have the power and ability to shape the lives of their students—teachers aid in developing the student's personalities and help them become better people.
When a student is away from home and in the academic institution, a teacher helps them cope up with an unfamiliar environment. They provide the students with constructive criticism and are willing to listen and understand their point of view. Great teachers who serve as counsellors can encourage students to open up, socialise and explain to them their career options by pointing out their strengths. For students, it is critical to feel comfortable and safe around teachers as student counsellors. They are responsible for the positive and holistic development of the student.
What are the main qualities required in a teacher for becoming a Student Counsellor?
1. Trustworthiness:
It is extremely significant for teachers to develop a friendly and honest relationship with their students. You should interact, and your students should feel at ease in telling you their troubles. Teachers as student counsellors should ensure that their students trust them and they put effort into resolving their issues.
2. A good listener:
It is extremely important to listen to students and their issues. To listen, you need to allow your students to express themselves and their opinions. This will help the students in gaining self-confidence as well as feel they have someone to talk to. A teacher then should help the student overcome any challenging situations.
3. Remain calm and composed:
Emotions can interfere in a lot of decisions. As a counsellor, you must not let emotions interfere with your advice and decisions. You should maintain emotional consistency in your interactions as well as guidance. It is advised to keep a neutral mood when listening to your students and understand their issues calmly. Your personal problems and mood should not affect your interaction with your students.
4. Must be non-judgmental:
As a counsellor, you should be non-judgmental and empathise with your students. You should put their health, whether physical or mental, as a priority. When giving advice, you should not sound judgmental or too opinionated. If you do, your students might not feel comfortable sharing their problems with you and even feel they are not being understood.
5. Maintain confidentiality:
The most important and the most ethical quality for becoming a student counsellor is to maintain absolute confidentiality. It is extremely unethical to disclose any information that your students share with you. A teacher serving as a student counsellor is someone a student can trust. Students should be able to rely and depend on you. You'll receive credibility by keeping the information discreet. If a student is able to trust you, they will come forward and share their troubles with you.
Conclusion
Due to various stress and pressure, every student require counsellors to aid them to resolve their problems. If students cannot convey their feelings to parents or friends, they can open up to the counsellors without hesitation. In India, both parents and their wards value academic achievements, which can put a lot of pressure on the student, sometimes leading to negative health impacts. Hence, proper and appropriate counselling will help the student cope up with various stress, strain and anxiety and even help them choose the best-suited career path. Teachers can definitely serve as student counsellors. However, there are certain qualities that they need to imbibe in themselves. They need to be patient, a good listener and remain composed. It is important to understand that student counselling is not just for the student’s academic problems but also for their holistic personality development.
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