Student Counseling provides psychological services and professional counseling to IISER students as well as consultation to faculty and staff. Our clinical services include evaluation; time limited psychotherapy, referrals and medication management. In addition to individual appointments, Student Counseling Services offers outreach programs on topics such as stress reduction, time management, study skills and cultural adjustment. Finally, we collaborate with other institute departments to improve student well-being at IISER; we understand that you want to gain as much from your time at IISER Bhopal as is possible, both academically and socially. This website aims to provide you with information on the support options available to you if you are experiencing academic/ personal/ psychological/ financial concerns. The Counseling Service is here to help you achieve this when difficulties of such a nature develop and interfere with your life.

People come for counseling because of any reason that might be troubling them, although they may not know why. Counseling Service provides a confidential environment where you can explore and express aspects of yourself that may be painful or uncomfortable. Our counselor will listen to you and help you in gaining your own insights and making and acting on your own choices, enabling you to work towards relating and living in a more satisfying and resourceful way.

Some Common Concerns of Students:

• Academic Pressure (Lack of Concentration and Motivation for sSudies, Underachievement, Backlogs, Exam Stress, Unhealthy Competition)
• Loneliness and Homesickness
• Adjustment Difficulties
• Peer Pressure
• Relationship Issues
• Family Problems
• Procrastination
• Cyber Bullying
• Behavioral Problems (Anger Outbursts, Disobedience, Lying etc)
• Low Confidence and Self Esteem
• Suicidal Thoughts
• Depression, Anxiety and other Mental Health Problems)
• Substance Abuse

Overcoming the ‘Homesick Feeling’:
Adjusting to a new environment and moving away from home could raise concerns like homesickness, living with roommates, peer pressure, social acceptance, dealing with parents or even shaping your career. These issues at times cause stress and anxiety, ranging from mild to an uncomfortable feeling, you may definitely need help to reach a manageable level to empower yourself, to have control in testing situations. Come to the center. Of course it is natural to miss the previous living style and home, but now you have to face the change and challenge for your growth and future.

A Message for Staff
Staff members have a direct link to observe students and their behavior. Many students do turn to their professors for support and help in conflicting or disturbing times. The staff member cannot provide professional counseling despite handling the psychological emergency. They can help the distressed students by guiding them to the center to get help. Before the referral the student can be made aware of the center as “a place offering assistance” so that the student gets over the inhibition of going to the “Counseling Center”. Counseling is effective when the recipient is willing and agrees to seek help. How do I contact the Counseling Service team?
You can contact the team members by seeing us in person, making a telephone call or mail-anything you are comfortable with.

• What is counseling?
  Counseling is not all about giving advice. It is quite different from the general opinion held by people. Going for a counseling session in no way indicates that you are helpless or incapable of solving your problems. By talking about your problems or concerns with a counselor you will deepen your understanding of your problem and develop the means to deal with them. We are happy to talk over any of your problems and with your agreement.
  You can come to us for academic problems, emotional issues, career awareness and financial difficulties. These may include stress related problems, exam anxiety, personal problems and career related queries. Counseling Center (CC) provides essential services to each student in achieving self realization by enabling him to dynamically understand himself in relation to his social and psychological world.

• What do I say? What will the counselor think of me?
  It doesn’t really matter how you present your problem. You can say whatever you like. The counselor will help you explore the matter and will keep referring to you to clarify his/her understanding.
  Sometimes there is silence, sometimes you might find yourself saying things you had not expected to say. Many of our problems arise just because we are human. We all make mistakes and have to learn from them, and it is normal to need several goes before we get something right. Something goes wrong just we are in a muddle for reasons we don’t fully understand or because we are actually are suffering some form of mental distress which is distorting our view of reality.

• What if I still feel ashamed of my problems? If I have had counseling, does it go on my record?
  Counselors do accept that it is natural to want to appear successful and that most of us feel some shame when we have problems and so don’t want to advertise our difficulties. This is one of the reasons we place a great emphasis on confidentiality. The center makes appropriate referrals when professional assistance can no longer be fruitful. Protects the confidentiality and releases personal data only according to prescribed laws or institute polices. The information shared and records maintained are kept safe and confidential, unless such disclosure is necessary to protect you or another person.

• What sort of people goes for counseling?
  All sorts of people go for counseling and this does n t mean that they are “mad” or “weak”. On the contrary, people who do come for counseling are showing a willingness to deal with their problems rather than running away from them. Sometimes it can be hard to cope with all of the changes that happen during your teenage years. If you are having trouble dealing with certain situations or emotions, you might find counseling to be a helpful way of sorting things out.