Bengaluru: Helpline to deal with exam stress

BENGALURU: With the exam season kicking in soon, it is natural that many students face pre-exam blues in forms of confusions, pressure to live up to their kin’s expectations, making the right decisions and so on. A team of 25 counsellors have come together under a single umbrella to launch a national helpline number for students to help them out in tense situations.

Named ‘Disha’, an initiative launched by Narayana Group, it aims to aid students in identifying their direction and fighting their mental demons in a healthy and efficient manner in collaboration with the parents and teachers.

Counsellors take the role of ‘Development Coaches’ to facilitate students in groups and in individual sessions to mentor, counsel, and guide the students.
The initiative has tested its pilot successfully in residential campuses under the host group before making the same accessible to all across the nation, officials said.

“Students often face various mental blocks including a lack of self-esteem and confidence, relationship issues and family problems. This transition phase for the children weigh on their shoulders heavily. Anything from the rigour and responsibility towards education or uncertainty about goals to new pattern of education affect them,” said Puneet Kothapa, Director, Narayana Group.

The team claims to have handled over 2,000 individual cases and conducted more than 500 group sessions for students of Narayana Junior Colleges. “The Development Coaches spend quality time with the students to understand the root of their concerns and help them in finding the answers they seek,” the team clarified.

The national helpline can be reached at 1800-41-91-828.