A Workshop on “Promoting Mental Health Practices and Psychological Assessment for School Children” was held at Grads International School. The workshop was conducted by Clinical Psychologists from the Department of Psychology and Mental Health, Gautam Buddha University. This workshop was organised on the occasion of Mental Health Awareness Week (May 15 to May 21).
Mental Health Awareness aims to increase people’s awareness and understanding of mental wellbeing and tackling issues like anxiety and depression by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a big problem.
Prof. Dr. A.P Singh – HOD Department of Psychology , Gautam Buddha University was the honourable chief guest and he conducted the workshop along with his team of clinical psychologists and special educators. Dr. A. P. Sing was honoured with a scroll of honour for his contribution to the society for the mental health by the Principal Mrs. Aditi Basu Roy.
Prof. Singh explained why mental health should be given the same importance as physical health. He said that mental health helps us function properly in our everyday life.
Dr A.P. Singh stated that behavioural issues such as anger, theft, lying, restlessness, anxiety, or any uncontrolled emotion that lasts for a long time should not be neglected.
A survey regarding Good Mental health carried out in 2022 for children between the age of 5 to 16 showed that 1 out of every 6 children was impacted.
Dr A.P Singh said that divergent behaviour needs to be analysed and handled medically and it is crucial to seek the help of a psychologist/ psychiatrist or mental health professional. He pointed out that as Health Cards are mandatory for assessing the physical health of children, Mental and Cognitive Ability Card should be made essential to assess the IQ, intellectual ability, aptitude and the areas in which the child can excel.
This practice he said would prevent the development of inferiority complex in children that is often seen when all children are made to attempt the same Olympiads or high level examinations without the pre-assessment of their mental ability.
Absence from school, non -participation in activities, staying alone are some of the indicators of anxiety.
The team shared Breathe- Hold – Release, Mindfulness, and Scattered counting technique with the children. These techniques help to ground us and relieve us from our overwhelming thoughts. They emphasized the need of expressing gratitude.
The team also spoke to children about managing Academic stress by preparing a To Do list, applying Graded technique and giving Self Rewards. They spoke about the importance of healthy diet , exercise and proper sleep for maintaining sound mental health.
The clinical psychologists also provided Tips for teachers that would help them in identifying changing behaviour in children and finding out the Why’s related to the behaviour. Yelling and throwing tantrums or throwing things can have hidden meanings as the child may be overwhelmed by emotions, scared and might be seeking help from an adult.
The team also carried out a detailed mental health assessment of children and provided them with their reports.
All the team members of Clinical Psychology along with their HOD Prof. Dr. A. P. Singh were felicitated by the Principal Aditi Basu Roy.
