Around 20% of the Indian population suffers from mental illness. Despite that, only a handful of people come forward to seek help. Sakal Sobat Boluya is an initiative started by the Sakal Media Group, through Sakal We Are In This Together (WAITT), that shows the value and importance of mental wellbeing. It creates awareness for treating mental illness and equipping people to deal with difficulties faced in everyday life. Talking about feelings and opening up is a great way to feel lighter and better. As an acknowledgement to that, the first step taken by the Sakal Media Group was to launch a helpline- Sakal Sobat Boluya (Let us Talk with Sakal). It is a 24-hour mental health helpline where trained professionals become empathetic listeners. The initiative has 12 available therapists, for anyone, from any corner of India to reach out about concerns regarding mental health.
By now, professionals from Sakal Sobat Boluya would have handled more than 9,000 calls. Out of these, 60.9% callers belonged to the urban region, 31.6% callers were from the semi-urban areas, 7.6% callers were a part of the rural region. This shows that people from different walks of life have benefitted from this helpline greatly. The helpline number is 020-71171669.
Why is one-on-one counselling important?
A person listening empathetically, when someone calls one to feel good is not enough. Going beyond and dwelling on it some more is required. For such cases, the person must go through counselling sessions. Mental health counselling is not a short process. The different areas of psychological counselling available under WAITT
- Marriage and relationship counselling
Essentially, marriage counselling has two parts, pre-marital counselling and post-marital counselling. It helps clear any irrational blocks that someone might have regarding finding a partner. An important aspect of pre-marital counselling is to understand why one gets married, making sure that the individual is ready to get married. In post-marital counselling sessions, the counsellor works with clients who have difficulties in communication, intimacy, parenting, decision making and other issues such as extended family conflicts, decisions regarding separation or divorce etc. Apart from marriage, romantic relationships can be another viewpoint. It is but natural to have few conflicts within these relationships. There are skilled professionals for relationship counselling available. Their area of expertise is teen relationship counselling, adult relationship counselling, counselling for toxic or abusive relationships etc. - Domestic abuse counselling
Domestic abuse is something that people are not comfortable talking about; it could be due to societal pressure or inner conflict. Domestic abuse counselling focuses on pulling the survivor out of trauma and guiding them to defend themselves in future. A common misconception is that domestic abuse can happen only between married couples. However, it is also between any family member in a domestic environment. The different types of domestic abuse are verbal, economic, emotional, sexual and spiritual as well. The areas of specialization of the domestic abuse counsellor are- individual counselling for the survivor, individual counselling for the abuser, couple counselling sessions for domestic abuse and anger management sessions. - Child counselling
Childhood experiences shape Adulthood. During child counselling, behavioural issues are addressed. The counsellor helps out with achieving developmental milestones of a child, anger/tantrum issues, psychological disorders in children, emotional distress etc. The counsellor uses various techniques in sessions such as play therapy, art therapy, story-telling, narration etc. - Infertility counselling
Keeping in mind the psychological impact of infertility, WAITT has launched a specific branch of ‘Infertility Counselling’ where only the best counsellors in the field are available. The counselling sessions will guide one through releasing the stress around infertility. The counsellors take a detailed case history and work accordingly, which ensures successful progress! - Other mental health concerns
Apart from the areas mentioned above, counselling for several issues hampering individual productivity, proving problematic for an individual’s ‘self’ (self-esteem, self-confidence etc). The counsellors and therapists are highly educated and trained in the field of psychology, so book an appointment without any hesitation!
Mental well-being is an area that requires massive focus and adequate measures to help people cope up with the current pressures today. And to help communities to get through these troubling times, Sakal has started a series of workshops/one-on-one counseling sessions by experts in various fields, holistic self-care, inspirational talks by our readers, and positive quotes to help motivate people and encourage them to help one another, and the campaign is called #WeAreInThisTogether. Start a campaign in collaboration with WAITT. The campaign is customized based on the brand mission and core values. Choose from a vast list of mental health experts and creative art therapists, encouraging employees in the brand to participate, support and contribute. WAITT has completed one successful year with more than 350 outreach programs, webinars, podcasts, empowering blogs, online courses, therapy sessions and more! WAITT is grateful to everyone who reached out and believed in the vision. It does not stop here since there is more to come, available on the websites and social media pages soon. With WAITT, an opportunity to support the most pressing problems across the country and impact thousands of lives is available. If any company or foundation is looking to make a difference today, this is a great chance to partner up.
Sakal Media Group which started in 1932, is the largest independently owned media house committed to being the voice of the common citizen across Maharashtra. Our initiative to serve society through Sakal Social Foundation was started soon after the publishing business was established. Our vision of being a channel to mobilize communities to support each other and build resilience during times of need. We, at the Sakal Media Group, have always been at the forefront to take up issues collectively experienced by society at large and fight for them with our immense resources and our enormous and extensive reach.