APAC training

Follow up Counseling Toolkit Training workshop for APAC ART counsellors:

We are doing counselling training for the first batch of 15 counsellors from different APAC funded HIV projects in Tamil Nadu. The training is on Follow Up counselling toolkit. This training is for 6 days and the counsellors are learning different tools they could use while working with clients.The toolkit consists of 6 handbooks, 6 flipcharts and a video CD.

                                                    Batch Details

        Batch 1                                                                                        Batch 2

Date         :       16/08/2010 to 20/08/2010                       Date            :      30/8/2010 to4/9/2010     

Venue      :      Chennai                                                   Venue          :      Tiruchi

Partcipants:      15                                                          Participants:       17

Learning to use the video

Using this video in explaining a concept

Lots of doubts to be clarified

Lecture sessions

Group work needs facilitation

Using the trigger video

We drummed to energise and we felt great

Child centered approaches - workshop

Child centered approaches - workshop

For who?

For counsellors, teachers or anyone working with children closely.

About the training:  

The workshop will focus on Story telling, Art, Drama, Play and on Developmental Milestones of Children from the age group of 5 to 15 years. The main focus of learning these approaches is to intergrate them while working with the child. Story telling focused on helping children tell their own stories and also taught the different methods of story telling to children. Almost all the sessions are activity based which enables the participants to involve vigorously. The art session consisted of many exercises and activities using colours pencils, water paints and charcoal pencil, and crayons which give the participants the opportunity to express powerful emotions. More emphasis is laid on how a child can often say more in pictures rather than to articulate through words and focused on  how through art  a child is able to represent a thought or feeling through an image and in certain  cases a fear or trauma could be resolved.  

In certain instances a child who is diagnosed to have HIV and is on ART medication , could be motivated to print the painted thumbs in chart paper forming a aquarium  or draw stars in sky etc as soon as they take the medicines every day and this eventually would help in the intake of the medicines every day and improves the adherence level. The drama exercises are conducted by Ms. Chandra.  We do  numerous theatre exercises, activities and role plays and the level of energy gets very high during these sessions.  Developmental milestones of the children were also covered during the sessions. Case studies with regard to problems of the children were discussed in group and possible interventions using different approaches were established during the group sessions. All the participants usually enjoy getting their hands dirty by painting, making clay models, making finger puppets, doing theatre exercises, playing a wide variety of games etc.,

Everyone gets in touch with and discovers the child within. We take around 15 participants for this training. As all the participants work with children, during the training many issues which they face come up. We discuss these issues and try to find child centered ways of intervention like stories, drawing, drama etc.

The feedback we received from this training has always been rated a great training. 

Overall a great training. We enjoy doing this as much as all our participants enjoy participating.

Arts based therapy Sessions - Announcement

Center for Counselling, Chennai

044-42080810

Arts Based group therapy sessions

Background

About the group sessions

Background:

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community(LGBT/ GLBT) constitutes around 5 % of the general population according to certain studies. Modern or post colonial India is still awakening to the fact that the LGBT community very much exists and are struggling to assert their basic and fundamental human rights.

The Delhi High court reading down of Section 377, on July 2^nd 2009 clearly states that consenting adults(over 18 years old) of the same gender should not be criminalised for loving or having a relationship.

Even then we see people living alternate sexual lives being treated with despise or ridiculed. My work shows that majority of my clients suffer from low to really low self esteem, varying degrees of guilt, some level of clinical depression and an over riding feeling of anxiety and panic. Having to lead a double life by acting something for the sake of their families and the community and being a different person in a gay friendly environment takes a toll on them emotionally and this in turn affects several aspects of their life.

One huge sacrifice for a typical gay/ bisexual person to satisfy their family very often is to get married and this in turn leads to more guilt and suffering not only to themselves but also to the other person and their family. I have found the need to work with parents and support persons of the LGBT community in order to help them come to accept the sexuality of their children or friends.

Studies show that LGBT population are more likely to be treated for anxiety, panic disorder, depression, poor self esteem, eating disorders or to develop alcohol/ drug dependency when compared to the general population (Cochran, Mays, Alegria, Ortega, and Takeuchi, 2007).

Violence, discrimination is a part of every day life for most of the LGBT community. Gay and lesbian adolescents report attempted suicide at least twice the rate of their heterosexual adolescents (Russell & Joyner, 2001). The average high school student may hear anti gay remarks at school as many as 25 times a day (Callahan, 2001)

Group therapy sessions:

Center for Counselling announces an opportunity for members of the LGBT community to come for arts based group sessions. Each session will be for 90 minutes.

The theme for the sessions are Improving perception of oneself(improving self esteem, confidence) Caring for self Improving self expression

We will complete 20 sessions. Beginning May 17^th 2010 until July 31^st 2010.

We will use creative writing, creative movement,  story circle, drum circle, drawing, painting, collages etc. all from a therapeutic perspective.

The sessions are free. We are going to take 8 to a maximum of 10 participants, so please get in touch if you wish to take part or recommend friends who might benefit.

For time and Venue  information please contact us at: 9884700104/ 9884100135

Arts based therapy Sessions at Sahodoran

From March 15 to the 26th, Center for Counselling conducted a series of arts based therapy sessions for a group of employees of Sahodoran, an organization working for gay men in Chennai.

We completed 10 therapy sessions - daily Monday through Friday with a group consisting of gay men and one transgendered woman. The group sessions featured group activities and projects, all designed to help participants explore their inner selves and how they interact with the people around them. The group sessions proved to be very popular and the participants want us to continue sessions atleast once a month.

We used a lot of games, exercises, movement, writing, drawing, painting and collage making.

Peer Counselling training

Peer Counselling training was organised by Shakthi Center with funding from LLH Norway, started on 27th Dec and we finished 14 Feb 2010. We completed 6 weekends of counselling training. The training was attended by 10 participants who are going to be volunteers on the telephone helpline that will be set up by Shakthi Resource Center. This training was for the LGBT population in and around Chennai.

At the end of this training we are expected to have a counselling training manual and a group of trained peer counsellors to work with people with issues from the LGBT community.

Certificate Course on Counselling

Center for Counselling and Training, Chennai

announces a 100 hour certificate course on counselling.

This counselling training is focused on the practical aspects of counselling.

The classes are 12 consecutive weekends.(Saturdays & Sundays 2 to 6 PM)

The course begins on 12 June until 29 Aug 2010.

The dates of training are:

June - 12, 13, 19, 20,26,27

July - 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31

Aug - 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21,22,28,29

Who will benefit?

Those who have a certificate or degree in counselling but need help in actually working with the client.

Or

Anyone who is interested in counselling as a profession and is thinking about doing a degree/ diploma in counselling

Who will get the certificate?

Attendance of a minimum of 90 hours is required for the certificate,

Completing all the assignments and

Passing all the assessment criteria

How much? And what does this cover?

The course fee is RS 6000/ participant.

This includes a certificate on passing assessment criteria,

tea all days of training, and training material.

For Registration and more details

Contact - Jonathan +91- 9884700106

centerforcounselling@gmail.com

Report on all the LGBT related work Jan to Dec 2009

A list of activities in relation to the LGBT community, 2009

Date & Month Events

January 5th 2009- Meeting organised by Sangama and hosted by Center for Counselling to discuss setting up a Human Rights commission for S E Asia

Jan 2009- Series of meetings with Shakti center and intensive discussions on the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care for SRS at CFC office

January 31st to April - 8 Tamil group sessions and 8 English group sessions were completed

Feb 2nd - Discussions on Peer counselling training with Mr. Aniruddh Sakthi center

Feb 23rd- Discussions on collaboration with Sakthi center

April 6th - Meeting organised by Sangama and hosted by Center for Counselling to discuss issues of violence among transgenders. This was conducted due to the highly published articles of alleged forced sex change operations by TGs to get young boys into prostitution. Plenty of heated debates and a decision to sensitise the general community on issues relating to TGs as well as within the TG community to reduce the hierarchy within the zamath.

April to May- Series of meetings, interviews to discuss pride events in June was mostly held at our office

June 18th- Meeting at the US consulate as a mark of respect to all those working on the LGBT issues. The evening was hosted by the UN Consul General at his home. All key people working on LGBT issues in Chennai were present.

June 20th- Participated in the panel discussion has happened at Spaces regarding LGBT issues.

June 21st THE HINDU had published an interview of Ms. Magdalene Jeyarathnam, founder/Director of Center for counselling. Chennai suddenly woke up to so much of media coverage on LGBT issues. There was an interview on page 2 and a photo of the panel discussion on page 3
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=469300&id=1460622733#/photo.php?pid=532090&id=1460622733&fbid=1191804802861

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=469300&id=1460622733#/photo.php?pid=532062&id=1460622733&fbid=1191779682233

June 22nd- The feature film “Milk” has been screened followed by a reception at Amethyst.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=848234&id=1460622733

June 26th- The first support group session was conducted for the parents of LGBT community at our office. Very moving for everyone. Active participation by the family and LGBT folks

June 28th Participation in the PRIDE MARCH event

June 29th Got quoted twice on front page of New Indian Express another major newspaper which gave a lot of attention to the LGBT issues. This picture is on facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=469300&id=1460622733

July Pride party at our office


August 16th Thinakaran had a super article on respecting transgendered folks written well by Vaidehi
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=469300&id=1460622733#/photo.php?pid=531861&id=1460622733&fbid=1191743081318

August 28th- Meeting at Women’s development center, Gurukul – The mainstream Lutheran church had gathered people to sensitise their pastors and bring out a statement regarding including the LGBT folks in mainstream church. I got Teja and Gabriel to share in that event and their sharing made a huge impact in the statement that they came up with.

August 29th- The Support group session was conducted for the parents of LGBT community

September 21st- The Psychodrama group session was conduted for the LGBT community by Dr. Herb Propper.

November 12th and 13th - A consultation on Sexuality and Faith at Asha Nivas. Ms. Magdalene Jeyarathnam, founder/Director of Center for counselling has done a paper presentation on the issues of LGBT, she also co-moderated a Panel Discussion with gay men and one transgendered woman.

November 14th- NDTV HINDU has interviewed Ms. Magdalene Jeyarathnam, founder/Director of Center for counselling regarding LGBT issues

Dec 5th and 6th - National Council of Churches had organised a 2 day Theological Round Table conference on sexuality and Churches. Magdalene Jeyarathnam presented a paper and actively participated in the debates and discussions which helped the NCCI to come up with a good policy statement

December 26th and 27th - Peer counselling training has started for the members of the LGBT community. The training will be conducted only over the weekends.