Bhubaneswar: State public universities have started engaging mental health counsellors for students after cases of suicide were reported from different higher educational institutions in Odisha.

Recently, the premier Utkal University appointed a dedicated counsellor for its students. Though it had a dedicated cell for holding counselling services for students, it did not have a dedicated psychologist. “For the holistic development of students, we need to focus on their mental health. To address mental health-related issues, we engaged a counsellor recently who visits each department and conducts the counselling,” said Jagneshwar Dandapat, vice-chancellor of Utkal University.

Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, has a mental health counselling cell at the university. Two assistant professors from the applied psychology department of the institute are holding the counselling sessions and workshops in different departments, official sources said.

Sambalpur University vice-chancellor Bidhu Bhusan Mishra said they do not have any post for mental health counselling, but they request the psychiatrists from VIMSAR, Burla, to hold counselling sessions for university students.

Earlier, most state public universities and colleges did not conduct any mental health counselling sessions for students. But after a girl student from a degree college in Balasore district self-immolated, higher educational institutions became aware of the requirement for counselling, said a university professor.

Prominent educational institutions such as KIIT deemed to be university, NIT Rourkela, IIT Bhubaneswar, and SOA deemed to be university have comprehensive mental health support systems in their institutions.

NIT-Rourkela has its institute counselling services (ICS) to tackle a range of issues, including sleep disorders, performance anxiety, exam stress, substance abuse, relationship difficulties, and parental pressure. This is managed by a team of psychologists and psychiatrists.

KIIT University has established a support network that combines counselling, wellness, and grievance redressal services. This includes a 24X7 helpline and control room, offering immediate assistance through phone calls and WhatsApp.

SOA University has a dedicated counselling cell led by a senior clinical psychologist and regularly hosts lectures by experienced psychiatrists from their affiliated hospitals.

IIT Bhubaneswar has integrated wellness into its curriculum by introducing a mandatory one-credit course on ‘Happiness and Life Skills’ for undergraduate students. The institute has also set up a counselling services team (CST), where each faculty-student advisor pair is responsible for around 20 students.