Childline to begin counselling

PUNE: Dnyana Devi Childline, the 24x7 helpline for children in distress supported by the union ministry of woman and child development, will now start a counseling facility for parents, teachers and troubled children.
The facility, which is slated to start in a month's time, is the result of long-standing demands from various sections of society, said Anuradha Sahasrabuddhe, director, Dnyana Devi Childline.
"I'm often invited as a resource person for training and sensitisation programmes for parents, teachers and the police, on issues pertaining to child rights. Several people come up to me and ask for a face-to-face counseling service which would address issues specific to them. Besides, many parents call up on the helpline meant for children and urge our staff to start a counseling service," she said.
So be it troubled children from various age groups, parents who find it difficult to reach out to their kids, or teachers who would like to know how to handle their young charges better, the counseling service will cover different aspects of dealing with children. "Nuclear families, the chaos and confusion caused by a society in transition, and a lack of elders in the house to advice parents, make it difficult for them to communicate with their children. At times, a child who misbehaves at school or seems disinterested in studies could simply be suffering from a nutritional deficiency. In other cases, parents don't realise that their own disturbed marital equation is affecting the child in various ways," Sahasrabuddhe said.
The counseling service which will initially start on an appointment basis, will have Sahasrabuddhe - a trained nutritionist - counselors, and Childline staff. "Our volunteers will especially be able to help in cases of severe abuse, where investigation is required. We will also have a ready database of paediatricians, psychiatrists and marital counselors if required. Parenting issues are inter-connected and depend on many factors like the quality of relationship shared by the parents, mental and physical well-being of the child and so on. This is where referring them to experts would help," said Sahsrabuddhe.
The helpline, which deals with various cases, including child-trafficking, child marriages, child labour, and campaigns for child rights in schools, recently completed ten years. Details of the counseling service are available at the Childline office (phone: 25540156) between 11 am and 6:30 pm.