Students’ mental health on Panjab University’s mind

Panjab University is also set to appoint a yoga instructor for the varsity soon for which the interviews will be held on February 17 and officials hope to hire the instructor by the end of this month

Amid renewed focus on providing a supportive environment to its students, Panjab University (PU) is set to appoint a second mental health counsellor to help students deal with anxiety and stress.

The psychiatrist will assess serious cases, which can later be followed up by the two mental health counsellors. (iStock)

An advertisement for the position has been issued by the dean students welfare (DSW) office, with applications due by February 28. The four-hour-a-day position is initially until May 2025 but may be extended after approval from the vice-chancellor (V-C).

Speaking about this, DSW Amit Chauhan said, “We had earlier also aimed to hire two counsellors but for our first advertisement only one candidate was found to be suitable. There won’t be any preference as such for male or female candidates and we plan to finish the hiring by March.”

While the varsity will have two mental health counsellors, a senior official said that they are also looking to hire a psychiatrist on a part time basis who can work with the counsellors. As per a senior official, serious cases can be assessed by the psychiatrist while later the cases can be followed up by the two mental health counsellors. In PU’s budget for the next session, officials are aiming to earmark funds for this.

Improved accessibility

Pulkita Wadhwa, PU’s recently appointed counsellor, has already improved accessibility. “Sometimes talking about problems on the phone can be a bit much, so Google Forms is an easier way for students to get in touch with us,” Wadhwa said. She is available at the DSW building, Student Centre, from 2 pm to 6 pm on weekdays.

Talking about what problems the students generally face, she said settling in the city is a big task for students in their first and second year. She has met with students from some southern states and from Bengal as well who face a cultural issue settling into the varsity. There are some cases of parental trauma as well which have come up, while loneliness is something that many PU students complain about while she is mostly working on helping students deal with anxiety, she added.

At the recently held Rose Fest in PU, Wadhwa had also set up a stall on mental health. Along with some students from the psychology department, they got around 80 questionnaires filled by students to assess them on various parameters. Those with symptoms of anxiety or depression will be called for further appointments. They are also organising hostel outreach programmes and holding programmes on awareness against drug abuse.

PU is also set to appoint a yoga instructor for the varsity soon. Interviews will be held on February 17 and officials hope to hire a yoga instructor by the end of this month.