Supporting Children & Parents' Mental Health Through Online Counselling

Alka Verma Nov 05, 2020

Rina Mehta, a resident of Gurgaon and a mother of twins has a weekly ritual of visiting her therapist every Wednesday evening has come to a halt. At times, even the kids were taken for a few important sessions, that has stopped too. Instead, now she finds herself opening another tab on her laptop on the same Wednesday evening where her counsellor greets her with a warm smile.

This pandemic has completely shrunk and changed the world around us. Everything we need or want is delivered to our doorstep and has been very useful in the times when we are unable to go out, which also includes mental healthcare. Owing to this 6 months+ lockdown, the awareness around the mental health seems to be expanding faster than ever and therefore we can see parents and students have reached out for help through online counselling which has helped them dealt with all the uncertainty around us. The focus of counselling has shifted from a safety valve to a life necessity in today’s time.

For most parents, this COVID-19 pandemic has been the most troublesome experience would be an understatement. Both parents & kids are dealing with their share of issues. The combination of financial pressure, health concerns and most importantly keeping their kids engaged at home when they cannot be taken out as much as they used to is taking a toll on their mental health, on the other hand, the potential long-term consequences of parental stress & anxiety, virtual classes & restrictive outdoors are making them cranky and are only beginning to understand the implications of this.

Online virtual classes cause a multitude of effects on students mental and social health. So these young minds are altering to be more digitally focused which results in irritation, anxiety and various other mental health issues which becomes a barrier for them to fulfil their academic goals. As a result, more and more parents are encouraging their kids to go for online counselling since we’re still at risk when we go out and are motivating their kids to use this time to work on all their insecurities and embrace the ‘new normal’.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 50% of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24 and being a country which has more than 50% of their population lying in this age group is a matter of concern. Thanks to technology which has actually made children and parents talk and address their issues, comfortably reach out to the counsellors through video calls and this have led to a remarkable change in realizing the seriousness and importance of mental health in today’s time.