Mental Health and Well-Being Cell

Introduction

Over the years, besides the focus on mental disorders, the focus has shifted to mental health and well-being. In contrast to mental disorders, the concept of mental health and mental well-being is important for everyone in society. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of mental well being that enables people to cope with the stress of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well and contribute to their community”. It is a state that is fundamental to our ability to think, feel, interact, work and enjoy life. A complete state of mental health emphasises not just the mere absence of mental illness but an effort towards flourishing. It is a condition denoting good mental and physical health, the state of being free from illness and distress and importantly, of functioning well in one’s personal, academic/occupational and social life, with purpose, meaning and engagement. Accordingly, it can be said that since the beginning, the WHO has integrated the concept of well-being into its definition of health.
The transition from school to college has its own unique developmental characteristics and challenges within the higher educational ecosystem. The youth in their higher education years’ experience a vulnerability to dynamic influences from the home, peer group, institutional environment (e.g. choice of subject, course, faculty) and the macrosystem of the community that interact with changes in abilities for social skills, emotion regulation and communication that impact identity development. There is an urgent need to offer guidance, emotional support, and meaningful social connectedness during the students’ years in educational pursuits. The mental health and well being cell will help youth to discover their values, strengths within their preferred academic stream or areas of interest and aptitude, and optimize their skills for adjustment outside the structured environment of an educational institution’ teaching learning process.

Cell Constitution

As per the guidelines of the Supreme Court that all educational institutions shall adopt and implement a uniform mental health policy and drawing cues from the UMMEED Draft Guidelines, the MANODARPAN initiative and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, a mental Health and well-being cell (MHWC) has been created. The cell is committed to create a compassionate, inclusive, and supportive campus environment that prioritizes emotional and psychological well-being. The cell provides a safe, confidential and judgement-free space for students, faculty and staff to seek guidance and support in managing stress, anxiety, academic pressure or personal concerns. The cell reflects college’s vision of nurturing not only intellectual growth but also emotional resilience, empathy and holistic development.
The cell would carry out the following activities/functions in the College.

• Facilitate and implement the ‘Students’ Mental Health and Well-being Policy, 2025.
• Ensure compliance with various directions, directives, advisories of Education, UGC, and Supreme Court etc.
• Ensure a campus environment free from harassment, bullying, ragging and discrimination.
• Organizing awareness and capacity building programmes for all the stakeholders.
• Address grievances related to mental well-being in a time-bound manner.
• Ensure effective functioning of counselling services at the institute level.
• Maintain confidential records of counselling interventions, training and awareness programmes.

To implement the Mental Health and Well-being Policy and create a positive ecosystem within the institution, a “Mental Health and Well-being Monitoring Committee” has been constituted for academic year 2026-27.
The composition of committee is as follows.

“TAKING CARE OF YOUR MIND IS NOT A WEAKNESS – IT’S THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS STRENGTH.”

Tele MANAS App
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Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Helpline
Himachal Pradesh TeleMANAS Helpline: 1-8008914416/ 14416 104 (24X7)