“Don’t give advice to your students,” this was the mantra our faculty learned from the Basic Skills of Counseling conducted by Dr.Parvathy Varma, the director of Psychological Counseling Center.

Thirty-five MSME faculty members attended the session on May 14, 2019, to learn about issues that today’s students are facing and how to help them navigate this unsettling terrain. Dr.Parvathy outlined several problems that may cause distresses among our students and how faculty members could observe and identify those who are in distress and offer assistance.

During the session, many members were eager to share anecdotes and how they have dealt with these problems, while Dr.Parvathy gave suggestions based on her expertise. “Our care, concern, and assistance will often be enough to help the student,” Dr.Parvathy explained and encouraged us to continue the dialogue with students and seek help when needed.

Guideline of the role of Faculty and Staff to help Emotionally Distressed Students (http://msme.cc/help)

To learn more about MSME’s Psychological Counseling Center, contact counseling@msme.au.edu