Counselling is a process between an individual and the counsellor that helps the individual to overcome difficulties in life and change maladaptive or unhealthy emotional, behavioural, or cognitive responses. Counselling can lead to a more adaptive pattern of thoughts and behaviour and a satisfactory change in the individual. Thus, counselling is an enabling process that provides alternative ways to think, feel, and behave more healthily.

When a person experiences negative emotions such as sadness, hopelessness, frequent worrying, and difficulty in daily functioning for a significant period and cannot cope with it, or if the person wants to improve the way he/she feels, thinks, or behaves at any given point of time, he/she can visit the counsellor. Some of the concerns with which people visit CWCS are prolonged sadness, worry, anxiety, indecisiveness, anger, lethargy, procrastination, academic difficulties, adjustment issues, relationship issues, grief and loss, family conflicts and so on.

Only the CWCS counsellors would be in the know of this. For all those who seek counselling, confidentiality is maintained regarding their information, which is not disclosed to any person, group, or authority without his/her consent. In cases of emergency such as, when there is a threat to the life of self or others, the principle of shared confidentiality will operate in the interest of the person(s) concerned. In such situations, only necessary information shall be passed on to the preassigned university authorities (Registrar, Chief Proctor, Director U-Hall, and doctor on-duty if required) so that the necessary measures can be taken to ensure the well-being of concerned individuals.

Counselling is a process in which the individual and the counsellor work towards a common goal, which is beneficial for the individual. This can lead to a satisfactory and beneficial change in the thoughts, feelings, and behaviour of the individual. It can enable her/him to cope with unmanageable situations in the best way possible. The process helps to enhance the overall well-being of the individual.

Any concern or experience, from an everyday concern to a unique circumstance or situation (like a COVID-19 crisis), can constitute a reason to seek help from a Counsellor. Counselling addresses concerns across many life-stage events and circumstances.

Common reasons why people seek out Counselling include:
Anxiety and stress

• Low mood, mood swings, depression
• Academic difficulties
• Relationship difficulties (e.g., frequent fights, breakup, long-distance relationship, cheating, etc.)
•  Grief and loss.
• Life transition and adjustment issues.
• Personal growth and understanding.
• Career confusion
• Addictive behaviours.
• Sexuality and gender identity.
• Separation or divorce of parents.
• Loneliness.
• Violence and abuse in the relationship.
• Workplace stress, etc.

The duration of the Counselling process differs for each individual. It depends on the complexity of the concerns that the individual has and his/her participation in the process. Usually, the process can involve 2-8 sessions. It can increase depending on the severity of the concerns of the individual.

To schedule an appointment with a CWCS counsellor, you may please send an email. If it is an emergency, we suggest you call us on the helpline or send an email with “URGENT” written in the subject line of your email so that immediate attention could be given to you. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown and impossibility of conducting in-person sessions, CWCS is offering telecounselling and video sessions over Skype. The contact details are shared below.

Email ID: cwcs@jgu.edu.in

24X7 Helpline Number: +918396907312

CWCS Skype ID: jgucwcs@gmail.com

The CWCS operates from Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m to 10 p.m. It is located between the University Health Centre and the Creche. To attend to any/all mental health emergencies, a 24X7 helpline is available to access round the clock support.

There is no fee. The Counselling service is provided free of charge by JGU for its students, faculty, and staff members.

No. Counsellors are not authorized to prescribe medications. Only a medical doctor could prescribe medication. Based on the counsellor’s assessment, if needed, the individual may be referred to a psychiatrist for evaluation and further treatment. This is done with the consent of the individual.

Yes, we will try to accommodate your request as much as possible, depending on the availability of the appointment slots of the respective counsellor. Appointments are given based on the appointment queue.

Yes, we will certainly accommodate your request, subject to the availability and schedule of the counsellor.

No, not at all. Seeing a Counsellor is about making a positive choice to get the help that you need. And the sooner you do that, the better when something is relatively minor so that it can be resolved quickly and not grow into a more pressing concern.

An urgent need occurs when an individual’s coping skills are no longer effective in helping them to manage a situation. Urgent situations are potentially life-altering but not life-threatening. Students with urgent needs may want immediate support. Students can also request an urgent appointment which is scheduled within the 24 hours of the request. These appointments focus on helping the student to resolve/cope with the acute situation and assess safety concerns.

Emergencies are life-threatening situations that will be immediately attended by the counsellor. An emergency might involve:

• Persistent thoughts and/or plans to hurt themselves or someone else
• Engaging in life-threatening behaviour
• Physical or sexual assault
• An episode of mania or psychosis
  
  

The counsellor will help a distressed student to get the care they need by assessing the safety concerns. They will help students to make a plan for getting through the night, the weekend, or if indicated, the counsellor will facilitate hospitalization.

Yes. Following professional practice, CWCS maintains records of sessions and keeps all identifying information of clients. Individual Counsellors make notes about sessions. All interactions between clients and counsellors, such as counselling sessions and assessment reports, are kept confidential and not shared with anyone.

Yes, anything discussed within the Counselling session will remain private and confidential. The purpose of confidentiality in psychological counselling is to encourage you to discuss candidly all the problems you are experiencing and to not withhold information out of concern that it might prove embarrassing to you.

CWCS clients’ records are not part of any other University record. We do not share information about you with anyone (parents, professors, deans, friends or hostel wardens), including the fact that you have received counselling, without your written permission. In most situations, information about your treatment can only be released to others if you sign a written Release of Information form.

While we place a high value on safeguarding the confidentiality, there are some instances in which laws and policies of the University may obligate or allow us to release information to others without either your consent or authorization:

• If a client files a complaint or lawsuit which involves counsellors, then the counsellor may disclose relevant information regarding that student to defend against that suit.
• If a counsellor knows or has reason to suspect, that a child under 18 or that a vulnerable adult is abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, legal custodian, caregiver, or any other person responsible for the child’s or adult’s welfare, the law requires that they make a report.
• If a counsellor believes that there is a clear and immediate probability of physical harm to the client, to other individuals, or society, they may be required to disclose information to take protective action, including communicating the information to the potential victim, Registrar,
  
  

Chief Proctor, Director U-Hall, family member(s); or they may seek hospitalization of the client. If such a situation arises, every effort will be made to discuss it with the client before taking any action thoroughly, and the information shared will be limited to only that information necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the client and other concerned individuals.

Please feel free to discuss any concerns about confidentiality with your counsellor

If you are worried about a friend, partner, or relative, you are welcome to arrange a single consultation session to discuss your concerns. We can explore all possible options together.

In the event of the counsellor leaving the organization, his or her clients would be handed over to the other existing counsellor or a new counsellor. Enough care would be taken to ensure the handover is as smooth as possible.

YourDOST, is India’s first and the largest online mental health and emotional wellness Platform. Their platform brings you expert advice from 900+ Experts, with complete privacy, confidentiality, neutrality, and anonymity. JGU has collaborated with YourDOST to further its mission to ensure the emotional wellness of everyone on our campus. YourDOST’s services are offered in addition to our existing activities at the CWCS.

The Following Services are Offered by YourDOST:

1. Access to  24    x 7     x 365 unlimited one-to-one chat-based counseling through professionals (psychologists, counselors, career coaches) for instant help.

2. Audio/Video sessions are available for users who would like to avail such support.

3. Access to the discussion forums and 2000+ articles dealing with relevant issues.

4. Access to discussion forum for JGU for its students / staff members / faculties to help each other.

5. On site Sessions (Seminar/webinar/workshop) to create awareness on important mental health and well-being issues conducted in the campus.

Please note that none of the Counseling sessions you take on the platform are shared with anyone, including the University.

No. JGU has underwritten all costs concerning the services. Any student or member of the JGU community using their services need not pay anything to YourDOST.

To   use   this   service,   all   you need   to   do   is   visit YourDOST   at http://bit.ly/YourDOST at JGU. Make sure you sign up using your official JGU email id (ending with @jgu.edu.in), or you are on the University/hostel WiFi when you are registering for the first time. This will enable them to verify that you are from JGU, and will ensure you get unlimited and free access to all their services.

If   you   face   any   difficulty   in registering   for   their   services,   please   write   to campus@yourdost.com or contact their customer support number 080-47097654 for assistance. 

To receive support from YourDOST’s experts, you may please access the following channels:

• Online chat counseling at bit.ly/YDatJGUChat
• Book an appointment for Telephonic or Video sessions at bit.ly/YDatJGUBookAppointment