The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : MSSW to extend counselling service

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 03, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

MSSW to extend counselling service

Staff reporter

Children with learning and behavioural disorders to benefit Children with learning and behaviour disorders to benefit

Chennai: The counselling cell of the Madras School of Social Work has started extending its services to the public from this academic year.

The centre offers a wide range of services including counselling for children with learning or behavioural disorders, marital discord, corporate employees suffering from stress or even adolescents with inter-personal problems. The college also expects patients to be referred by non-governmental organisations, the police and family courts.

"Although the centre has been functioning on a small level for the last two years, we have decided to appoint a full-time counsellor and expand our services," said Fathima Vasanth, Principal of Madras School of Social Work. Trained staff at the college would also counsel.

Ms. Vasanth said that counselling at the right time could be of great help to people suffering from depression. In case psychiatric treatment, medication or hospitalisation is required, the centre will offer referral services. "These days adolescents often fall in love and when it fails, they think it is the end of the world and want to commit suicide. Intervention through counselling would definitely help," she explained. The college, which is soon to become autonomous, would start more such outreach programmes.

Nominal fees would be charged for counselling for corporate clients and the poor would get free services. The centre functions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be contacted at 28195126.

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