Thiruvananthapuram: Help is on the way for mentally distressed school students. The Career Guidance and Adolescent Counselling Cell of the Higher Secondary Directorate will select some 2,500 students from higher secondary schools to act as peer leaders to identify students who need counselling.
This is part of improving the mental distress managements in schools, Mr C.M. Azeem, coordinator, told Deccan Chronicle. One boy and girl each from 1,250 schools would be trained to act as peer leaders, he said.
The counselling cell had set up Souhrida clubs in these schools five years ago for adolescent counselling and health care. It has been effectively conducting counselling sessions in reproductive health and mental distress. There were plans to extend the club to more schools, Mr Azeem said.
The peer leaders can easily identify students who have mental distress, suicide tendencies and even drug addiction, Mr Azeem said. Bengaluru-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) will undertake a study on the scope of changes in the Souhrida clubs.
There have been instances when timely interventions by teacher coordinators averted suicides, Mr Azeem said.
