• A mother who was coping with her teenage son’s post-traumatic stress disorder after heart surgery travelled from Konnagar to Puddapukur thrice a week to do a course in psychological counselling

• A PhD student in Belgium who has previously worked with refugees in her home country would log in online for the same course

Thirty-five students from diverse backgrounds completed a one-year diploma course in psychological counselling from Carring Minds International and were conferred their certificates at the institute in Paddapukur.

Some of them enrolled themselves to be able to cope with personal crises and some to join the workforce professionally.

The course, recognised by Jadavpur University and offered by Akademia, the academic wing of Carring Minds International, intends to equip more counselling professionals who will be able to join the workforce.

“There is still a dearth of trained counsellors in our country. The stigma attached to mental health has reduced considerably from what it was earlier but still, it is a long way. We need more certified counsellors for more people to be both convinced of the need for counselling and get access to it,” said Minu Budhia, psychotherapist, founder, Carring Minds International.

“Mental health should become a dining table conversation in every household instead of brushing it under the carpet or being in denial mode about the need for it,” she said.

Kathy Giles-Diaz, the US consul general in Calcutta, handed over the certificates last week.

Giles-Diaz told the graduates that it could be really hard taking time out to study and do a certificate course, which could be a first, second or even third career for many of them.

“Mental health issues touch every single family. For too long mental health issues have been hidden and people don’t want to talk about them but people need counsellors and people need to come out into the open. So you becoming counsellors and helping people be able to deal with mental health issues is so important,” Giles-Diaz said.

For the mother from Konnagar, the course has equipped her to cope with her son’s aggression in a much better way, she said. “There are occasions when he would pick up a chair and fling it across the room. I have spent hours talking to him to understand his mental state,” the mother told Metro.

“The course has helped me to help him and also address my own crisis. Earlier, I would get depressed, too, but now I am mentally a stronger person,” she said.