Samosa and chai trained in the hostel, recreational events that engage student residents outside of the usual social scale and daily stalls for animals, art or yoga therapy on campus – these will be some of the new activities that Student Wellness does. Center (SWC) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay for the psychological well-being of students.
In contrast to the current structure of SWC which focuses on serving the counseling needs of students, the institute plans to bring an effective approach by making such activities regular on campus.
The administration also approved a new SWC co-chairman position who will be responsible for proactively looking for ways to help students continuously cope with stress of any kind and allow more opportunities for them to come together.
The director of the institution, Prof. Shireesh Kedare, said, “Currently, the SWC with psychologists is there to serve the counseling needs of the students. We want to get past this and take a faster approach.”
Speaking about the various activities that can be part of this program, Prof. Kedare said, “We can do many things with students that force them to leave their hostel rooms or their studies and engage with each other. Although there may be events in all the hostels that allow students to interact more. Some of these events can include faculty members who remember the need for an informal approach, for example, a Samosa Chai host or dinner and a dinner hosted by the faculty among all. “
The Prime Minister’s Institute of Technology has recently released a report on its five-year review (2018-2022) carried out by an external agency in two phases in a period of several months in 2023.
Acknowledging the rapid expansion, including the large number of students, the review identified some concerns including mental health support.
Among the specific areas that need further attention, the review report recommended providing an accessible approach to dealing with occupational stress.
As the report suggested changes in the placement process, considering the high levels of stress at the time, Prof Kedare spoke about the ‘Recharge Zone’, a unique campaign to reduce the stress of students in the latest season (December 2023), which offered stress-buster channels such as animal-therapy, i -foot-spa, art and yoga for students to destress.
On World Mental Health Day celebrated on October 11, the center hosted Vice Admiral Dr. Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, who spoke about the importance of mental health. “The idea was to talk openly about the topic of mental health and aspects related to it that are considered forbidden,” said Prof. Cedar.
As a prelude to this event, the center through SWC has organized a “mental health week” that includes a variety of activities from sound bathing, dance movements to animal-assisted therapy, art therapy that allows for creativity and a series of psychological support for a complete recreation among all.