Rupa, 20-year-old (name changed on request) was depressed – she was faring badly in academics and was taunted by friends and teachers for her poor performance. Rupa’s parents didn’t know how to get her out of the rut and suggested she attend counselling sessions.
“Teenagers mostly approach counsellors with problems related to academic pressure and family issues. Most of them don’t know how to handle issues they face in school as well as in their social life. Adolescents especially require continuous advice and guidance,” says Aparna S. Gharpure, counsellor at a school.
Students feel parents need to make an extra effort to connect with the kids. “Ignoring a child will lead to him or her indulging in wrongful activities. Teenagers will not always know what is right and wrong,” says S. Mrinalini, student of media studies.
“Though I have not attended counselling sessions, I have heard from friends that it has helped them in a positive way. Sometimes teenagers don’t want to discuss issues with their parents and this is where counselling plays an important role. It can even save a youngster’s life at times of extreme depression,” says 17-year-old. S. Anjali.
One of the reasons why youngsters seem to need the help of a counsellor is that parents don’t have as much time to devote to them due to their hectic professional life.
“As a parent, it is my responsibility to ensure that I guide them in the right way and at the same time understand their problems. These days, the thought process of youngsters has changed with the kind of exposure to television and other media,” says working mother Vijayalakshmi Narayanan.
According to Aparna, “The habit of confiding in parents must be instilled from a very young age. Only then children will be able to maintain the same closeness when they hit adolescence.”
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