Parents have become more open to counselling when their children show behavioural problems, hyperactivity or anxiety, said teachers of several schools.
Earlier, even when teachers would identify warning signals in students, many parents would resist going to a counsellor. This appears to have changed after children returned to school following two years of being confined to their homes in the pandemic.
In the past two years, there has been an over-exposure to screens and communication between parents and children has suffered, making parents seek external help, said principals of at least two schools.
Children returned to school in April but there is a section of students who seem more aggressive than before, suffer from greater lapse in concentration, remain absent from school for long periods and display adjustment problems.
It is easy for teachers to identify warning signals because, unlike parents, they observe children in large groups.
“Parents are more open to advice from teachers and, if required, they are taking them to the counsellor. They are beginning to understand that there is a problem that has to be addressed,” said Suman Sood, director, BD Memorial School.
Sood said that they ask parents to share the reports of the counsellor with the school so that teachers can help the child accordingly.
In one school, there has been an instance of a student in the primary section spitting on other children. The parents took the child to a counsellor.
In another instance, a senior student was having adjustment issues and thought she was “friendless” because she is new in the school. She was staying away from school for prolonged periods.
“Earlier, when schools would raise a concern with parents they would not accept it because they could not correlate it with the child’s behaviour at home. This is because parents would observe them for a limited period at home. In the last two years, they have been with them and observed them, which is making it more relatable for them,” said psychiatrist Sanjay Garg.
Going to the school counsellor is slowly becoming less of a taboo.
“Earlier, parents were hesitant to take the child to the counsellor. But now, some of them are telling us that we should ask a student to go to the counsellor,” said Jessica Gomes Surana, principal, Loreto Convent Entally.
Gomes Surana said that they feel external help would help the child open up.
Over-exposure to the screen had added to the communication gap between parents and their children in many cases.
“Parents are questioning themselves and when they cannot find answers they think it is best to see a counsellor who would help bridge the gap,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.
Counsellors, too, said that the number of referrals from schools has gone up and the concerns are varied from academic to developmental.
“There have been changes in the last two years and parents are struggling with the children, which has made them more accepting of problems,” said psychotherapist Farishta Dastur Mukerji.