Putting theory and research to work A master’s programme in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Counselling, offered by a college in Bangalore, stands out for several reasons. Kavitha K reports
If your portrait of the current crop of twenty-somethings is one that is low on empathy and high on traits like entitlement and narcissism — typical of a ‘Money-Me-Now’ Generation, you should hear about this course in Pschyosocial Rehabilitation and Counselling offered by a college in Bangalore, and the heart-warming response it’s been receiving from youngsters across India. Among the very few hands-on programmes in Rehabili-tation and Counselling in the country, the course offered by the Richmond Fellowship Post Graduate College for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (RFPG), affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), stands out because it is taught by psychiatrists, practising counsellors and clinical psychologists. The students of RFPG College train in facilities such as the National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Medico-Pastoral Association, Freedom Foundation, and Spandana in Bangalore; SCARF-Banyan in Chennai; Chellamuthu Trust in Madurai, etc. Scope and prospects “There is a huge shortage of professionals, trained care-givers and counsellors in the field of mental health. There are less than 4,000 practising psychiatrists in India,” observes Geetha P Menon, lecturer, RFPG College. (See Box on ‘Scary Stats’.) A master’s degree is usually required to become a practising counsellor. Job opportunities for counsellors should be good because job openings are expected to exceed the number of graduates from counselling programmes. Considering the number of people who require psycho-social rehabilitation, the potential is enormous and the need for such training is on the rise. Opportunities exist in *Government and/or state hospitals *Institutes of mental health *Private psychiatric nursing homes/ hospitals *Halfway homes *Daycare centres for mentally challenged and mentally ill patients *Rehabilitation facilities for alcohol/ substance abuse patients *Counselling opportunities in agencies working for disadvantaged groups such as children in distress, differently abled persons etc. *Counselling centres *Faculty in colleges; students can also opt for research courses in select institutions. What the course offers The two-year, full-time course (MSc) in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Counsel-ling, according to Menon, prepares the student to: *Counsel individuals to maximise their independence so that they can cope with personal, social and vocational difficulties that result from birth defects, illness, disease, accidents, or the stress of daily life. *Coordinate activities for residents of care and treatment facilities such as daycare centres, half-way homes and long-stay centres. *Assess client needs and design and implement rehabilitation programmes that may include personal and vocational counselling, training and job placement. The curriculum, which gives equal weightage to practicals and theory, is demanding. “There’s nothing exotic about a career in counselling,” says Prof M Sreedhara Murthy, visiting faculty and member of the college governing council. The first year of the PG course at RFPG College has 4 papers: *Health & Mental Health *Pschyo-Social Foundation of Human Behaviour *Psychosocial Rehabilitation *Research & Statistics Subjects in the second year include: *Psychological Counselling *Family, Group and Community Intervention *Psychosocial Counselling for Special Groups such as people with HIV, adolescents, those battling substance abuse, etc. Disaster management is also an important component of this paper. *Rehabilitation, Administration & Legislation The student spends almost 50 per cent of the course time in practical work, and the rest in class. Assessed annually, he/ she also has three internal assessments to clear before completing the course. The student learns to monitor and record clients’ progress, prepare and maintain records and case files, confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programmes and plans for accessing needed services can be developed. All the while, the student is supervised and mentored. Eligibility & admission Application forms are being issued now. Last date for submission of filled in applications is August 21, 2010. Selection for the new batch is on August 27, 2010. The academic session commences in October. To apply, the candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised college in India with not less than 50 per cent aggregate marks in the final examination, excluding marks in languages. The candidate must pass a written test, which is in a Multiple Choice Questions format, and clear the interview. A pre-requisite for admission to the programme is a deep and serious interest in the field of mental health. For more details, contact: ‘Chetana’, No. 40-1/4, 6th Cross, Vajpeyam Gardens, Ashok-nagar, Banashankari 1st Stage, Bangalore-560050. Ph: 080-26672983/ 26676134. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.rfpgcollege.org http://www.deccanherald.com/content/87824/putting-theory-research-work.html -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
