In this fast paced world, application based counselling is the need of the hour. Accessible throughout the day, in any place you are, all you need is an internet connection to install the application and once that is done, the world can now access mental health seeking, across countries. Considering the youth life which is largely technology driven, Jain (Deemed-to-be University) students guidance and counseling center - Vishwas considered collaboration with a technology driven mental health provider called “LeanOnMe”. The objective on considering the collaboration is that, campus counselors presence may not be sufficient enough for a student to access help when needed.
Based in Bangalore, LeanOnMe deals with emotional wellness of individuals as a priority. They provide counselling and advisory services via the app on the weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm, which is expected to expand into a 24/7 service. The sessions are expected to increase the counseling network, already provided by Vishwas. The service is considered on a pilot basis with limited user application and based on students’ feedback, the reach can be made wider.
An orientation session was conducted for students to help them understand the use of the chat app by the team of Lean on me on 28, January 2017 at Center for Management Studies, Jain (Deemed-to-be University).
Attended by close to 100 students from a multicultural degree background ranging from journalism to management, the program was aimed at introducing the idea of LeanOnMe to the students. The panel included four people, who were from the core team of the organization, and Dr. Uma Warrier who represented the Student Guidance and Counselling Center, Vishwas. The session was presided over by Mrs. Jennyfer who gave a quick summary on how to use the app, followed by talks by Mrs. Latha Jacob and Mrs. Mary Paul, experts in the field of Counselling for the last 3 decades, who spoke about the value of a counselling session and demystified certain myths associated with seeking help for mental health. The session was followed by a Q and A session where the students spoke about the technical aspects of the app and also about the different nature of problems that could be addressed in sessions.
The students mentioned that they found the session to be extremely informative and they were looking forward to passing on the information of services to their peers, in order to take the first step towards seeking help. They also mentioned that the session helped them understand the concept of online counselling in a better way.
