ONLINE GROUP SESSIONS FOR CHILDREN DURING LOCKDOWN - All Saturdays

We are conducting online sessions for children who feel stuck and confined at home during this lockdown. Many reports say that children could get bored, exhausted and sometimes even depressed during this lockdown. Psychiatrist Diego Figuera, Madrid also says that there is a big risk of boredom to turn into apathy as there is lack of physical movement and varieties in the day to day activities among the children. 

To help the children connect to their problems, give voice to their emotions, and to learn techniques to heal we are organizing these sessions. Main focus is on to help the children engage during lock-down, behavior management, relationship issues, improve concentration /focus, anger and aggression management, goal setting, increasing social skills and increasing self esteem. 

Training for teachers from Directorate of Social Defence

Training for teachers at THHV, Potheri - 5 Feb 2009

Center for Counselling conducted a training session on life skills for the teachers from the Government homes. There were 27 teachers present. The experience of teachers varied from recent appointees 2 weeks ago to those appointed for many years, those who got promotions into becoming teachers from house masters etc.

What was very interesting in this training was to note how everyone struggled to get hold of this job. We conducted various exercises to help understand and learn self esteem, decision making, critical analysis, empathy, creativity etc. 

List of activities:

1. Election campaign - The objective of this activity was that everyone promotes themselves by explaining all the positive qualities they have. This activity helped me explain self esteem very clearly. Each participant was given a chart and asked to make a campaign poster. This helped in explaining creativity as a skill.
2. Gifts from the heart - The objective was to teach empathy as a skill. All participants gave and received gifts. This exercise helped participants put themselves in the role of the receiver and choose a gift that was most suitable for the receiver. Explaining critical analysis and decision making was also through these exercises.
3. Karupu than ennaku pedicha coloru -   Right now, Center for Counselling is running a short campaign on explaining that no matter what the skin color is, you are important. Who you are and how you are is more important than the color of the skin. Children of the Kellys home have sent in poems, short stories, paintings, charcoal sketches and are making collages on the theme.

We had a very interesting election campaign and had an opportunity to hear all the positive qualities that each teacher had. Overall, the session was very well received and everyone participated enthusiastically.