Students’ Review of IITB’s Student Wellness Centre (SWC)

Introduction to SWC

The Student Wellness Centre (SWC) at IIT Bombay was established in 1987 to help students navigate academic, social, and emotional issues. Having a dedicated centre catering to students’ mental health in IIT Bombay has been a crucial initiative by the institute for ensuring its students’ well-being. Such issues may include academic stress, difficulties in interpersonal relationships (with family, friends, or peers), feelings of discrimination or isolation, challenges in transitioning to the IIT Bombay environment, and problems related to the work atmosphere. These challenges often impact the emotional and social well-being of students, contributing to stress, loneliness, and anxiety. The SWC was institutionalized to help students better understand and address these challenges.

The SWC is located on the third floor of the Main Building and comprises a chairperson, vice chairperson, 5 full-time counsellors, 3 part-time counsellors, and a psychometrician¹ at the time the article was published. Students can also be referred to the psychiatrists at IITB Hospital as and when required². SWC provides free individual counselling sessions for a duration of approximately 45 minutes each and students can book appointments for Monday-Friday between 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM by logging in through their LDAP accounts on the SWC website. Apart from these counselling sessions at the SWC office, SWC counsellors also visit some student hostels to conduct counselling sessions and outreach programs (usually in common areas such as the hostel mess, common room, or the warden’s office) to facilitate student-counsellor interaction and walk-ins for students who might find that more comfortable. The SWC is also staffed with a linguistically diverse team, well-prepared to assist students.

Additionally, SWC maintains the website Bandhu, a self-help website, and has a tie-up with TalktoAngel, an online mental health counselling platform where IIT Bombay students can avail of free online counselling sessions 24*7. SWC offers a reimbursement policy for a few hospitals and external counselling centers in the city as well, where students can attend offline counselling sessions (more details below). Furthermore, SWC has a psychometrician to perform psychological assessments as per requirements for diagnosis. It also conducts mental health-related workshops like the Harmony Hangouts and Vartalap sessions throughout the year. 

In this article, Insight explores how effective the SWC has been in helping the institute’s student population deal with issues of various kinds and ensure their overall well-being. For this, we present the results of a survey that we conducted which includes the responses of 600 participants and also the comments by the SWC Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, In-charge and Lead of Outreach and Training whom we interviewed. We also highlight the experiences of 13 students who had volunteered to be interviewed. The survey results and interview testimonials present students’ experiences with the SWC and its counsellors, while also identifying strengths and areas for growth and improvement.

Disclaimer: The findings presented below are based on an institute-wide survey and student interviews. They may not fully represent the entire institute population and reflect only the perspectives of respondents. Caution is advised in generalizing these results.

Survey Results

The survey (which was circulated in September 2024) was filled by 600 students (70.2% of which were male, 29% female, and the rest non-binary), with 397 respondents being undergraduate students and 203 being postgraduate. 

1. On Counselling Services

The survey results revealed that total 124 respondents (20.66%) have attended a counselling session provided by the Student Wellness Centre (SWC). 

1. Responses of students who have attended a session at SWC (124 out of 600 respondents):

Responses to an optional multiple answer question indicated that among the students who sought help from SWC, 64.5% attended for problems related to interpersonal relationships, 53.7% sought help for academic-related issues, while 31.4% attended sessions after getting feelings of isolation.

Regarding the process of scheduling appointments, 44.4% (of the 124) respondents received a slot for a session within 2-3 days of booking. These sessions were offered in both offline and online modes. Please refer to the section below for more details on the appointment booking experience of students based on the interviews we conducted. 

We received feedback that shed light on areas that needed improvement. Among the 124 respondents who attended counselling sessions, 81 answered an optional multiple answer question about the problems faced in the process.

They were also asked an optional survey questions about the impact of the counselling sessions and their decision to seek external help as well:

Another statistic worth pointing out is that as much as 46% of the 121 students who availed of SWC services were recommended to take psychological assessments by their counsellor, which vary depending on what needs to be gauged about the student’s state of mind.

Psychometric tests, along with a psychometrician as part of the team, are usually not available in the counselling centres of most IITs and other Indian institutes.

In terms of overall feedback, the SWC received the following ratings out of a maximum of 5 with a minimum of 1:

• Average rating for events/workshops: 2.86
• Average rating for counsellor empathy and understanding: 3.77
• Average rating for counsellor background/experience related to student issues: 3.44
• Average rating for overall experience: 3.27

2. Responses of students who have never attended a session at SWC (476 out of 600 respondents):

The 245 respondents who answered “yes” to the above question were asked a multiple answer question regarding reasons for not reaching out to SWC, and if they ended up seeking external help. In response, 51% felt that their issues were not severe enough to justify a visit. 27.3% were concerned about a potential lack of anonymity due to the appointment booking process, which currently involves the use of LDAP ID. Furthermore, 27.8% felt ashamed or embarrassed to discuss their problems with a counsellor, which highlights the need for better awareness and clearing the stigma behind seeking professional help on matters concerning mental health. Our aim with this article is also to encourage students to seek support whenever required. We hope our article leads to a better understanding of and improved experiences with the support provided by the institute through SWC and other available avenues.

Note:
It is important to summarize that from the survey of a total of 600 students, 369 students (124 + 245 students, that make up 61.5% of the total respondents) have felt the need to seek professional mental health support. Out of these 369, 161 students (43.63%) received that support, either through SWC or external counsellors.

2. On Outreach Services

Apart from in-person counselling, the Student Wellness Centre also offers outreach services such as organising events on mental well being, and having counsellors in student hostels. Only 9.2% respondents of the survey had attended events organised by SWC, while 51.3% respondents were aware of these events, but had not attended them.

Student Experiences and Admin Comments

1. On Counselling Services

Counsellor Context and Understanding

These charts indicate an overall satisfactory experience of students when it comes to the counsellors’ empathy, understanding and background. Many of our interviewees echoed the same sentiment, as can be gauged through the following quotes.

“My counsellor was pretty good, I bonded pretty well over the 2 sessions. She happened to have gone through a similar thing which made it easy for me to trust her, that’s why I bonded.”

“I have only interacted with one counsellor so far, they really make it a safe space. I never felt awkward.”

“Apply their [the counsellors’] advice like medicine. I can see a lot of changes and growth in myself and my work. It’s good for me.”

However, some interviewees and survey respondents had a different experience and expressed concerns that their counsellors lacked sufficient context to address certain student issues.

“Though the counsellor was good at communicating, I feel they lacked context. When I told them the root cause of my problems were related to career concerns, they were taken aback. They need to know how student life in general works, in order to relate with you. Though the counsellor tried to understand and give good suggestions, she lacked context.”

Of the 245 students who felt the need to seek professional help but didn’t visit SWC, 63 (25.7%)  had the perception that the counsellors at SWC won’t be able to help them out. Among  the 124 students who attended sessions, 40 respondents mentioned that the advice provided by the counsellor wasn’t useful for their concerns.

When asked about the same, the SWC In-charge clarified that academic counselling is not something SWC can provide; students are referred to professors for the same. Similarly, she added, career issues are beyond the scope of SWC, but the counsellors do focus on helping students manage stress. Whenever a new counsellor joins the centre, an orientation is organised for them to acquaint them with life at IITB and the potential ‘pain points’ of students. Additionally, SWC also consults some senior students who give them information about student life. We were also informed by the SWC that academic and career counselling will be taken up under SWC’s new initiative – the IITB Flourishing Hub (more details below). 

Scheduling Appointments and Follow-ups

Regarding the waiting period between appointment booking and the session itself, 44.4% respondents indicated a waiting period of upto 2-3 days, whereas the remaining 55.6% experienced a waiting period of about a week or more. Here is what some of our interviewees had to say:

“They took 10 days. In the second year, when I booked, they gave me a pretty late session so I felt discouraged to go and felt hopeless.”

“The first time, they gave a reply for a session that was to happen a week later. The second time, I had to mail them 3 times to even get a reply. I went and met them in the office, still a large delay in getting a slot.”

The Training and Outreach Lead of SWC and the SWC Incharge mentioned that they struggle with a manpower crunch and with getting counsellors qualified enough to deal with the problems of IIT Bombay students. They also added that SWC always reaches out to all students who approach them; emergency cases are given priority sessions through the walk-in option.

Further, 21 responses (out of 124) from the survey remarked that it was not easy to get a follow-up session at SWC.

“If you’re taking sessions and they see that you’re doing well momentarily, they decide to let you go because they need to cater to so many other people also. When you go outside [avail external counselling services], you decide when to stop seeing them, not them.”

“I never went for any sessions after that [their first session]. The only mail I received from SWC was after 4-5 months. Radio silence in communication for that entire duration. The mail was from the counsellor herself to ask if I wanted to talk to her again. Such a delay can be really detrimental to someone who urgently needs help.”

Interviewees mentioned that in cases where there were large time gaps between sessions, they felt inclined to discontinue due to loss of motivation. While the SWC does give these students the options of 24*7 online counselling (with TalktoAngel) and in-person counselling at some external counselling centres with certain reimbursement policies, Insight feels that these alternatives may not always be a viable substitute to in-person counselling accessible inside the campus. 

When Insight inquired about systems in place for follow-ups, the SWC told us that it is on the counsellors to provide follow up slots but attending them/requesting an earlier or later session is the students’ responsibility. They added that discontinuation of sessions is either post discussion with the student or from the student’s side. Even after discontinuation, the student can always reach out to the counsellor again to restart sessions. For severe cases, counsellors also reach out for follow ups.

Still, as student experiences suggest, there is room for further improvement in this process. Introducing a formal follow-up system or designating a person to check in with students could help ensure that those who discontinue sessions remain supported, contributing to the overall well-being of all students involved.

Confidentiality

The official SWC website states that confidentiality is maintained in case of individual counselling sessions. Insight inquired about the exact scope of this clause in conversation with the SWC In-charge. She confirmed that anything discussed in the counselling sessions is not shared with anyone else, but in cases where there is a possibility of abuse, self-harm, or harm to others, there is a need to bring shared confidentiality in place. 

“In these three cases, we have to apply the shared confidentiality clause because it becomes a matter of life, and physical life precedes emotional health…. Even in that case, what is discussed in the session is not shared with the relevant authorities, just the counsellor’s observation and pertinent information that is required – that is shared…. It is post discussion with the student, where we talk to the student, we tell them that this is the support that we feel is required, and that’s why we need to involve these [other] people..”

— In-charge, SWC

A question regarding confidentiality was included in the survey which was conducted, the results of which are as follows:

Most of the students in our interviews and through the survey did not express any problems with confidentiality.

“My counsellor is very helpful, she understood all my issues clearly. So far, I haven’t encountered any issues with confidentiality.”

However, few of our interviewees reported that the issues that they discussed with SWC’s counsellors ended up being disclosed to third parties who, according to them, were not pertinent to their cases. One of them, when asked about confidentiality, expressed the following:

“Their [SWC’s] approach is more towards ensuring that the institute is not blamed and less towards helping out the students, this is what I feel”

They saw this as a confidentiality breach on the part of SWC, but in our conversation with the SWC Chairperson, she clarified that the students are made to fill a form that cites a shared confidentiality clause. The clause states that in cases of emergency, certain stakeholders can be informed. 

But an inconsistency with the above was found in one of the student testimonials:

“The issues which I had shared with my counsellor at SWC were discussed with a friend of mine who also went to SWC a few months later. I only found out about this breach of confidentiality from my friend much later, after I had discontinued sessions.”

When Insight subsequently brought this up with SWC, they strongly refuted it based on their 8–9 years of experience and internal policy. The Chairpersons added that they have never come across any such instance. They welcome students to report such instances directly (by writing to chairperson.swc@iitb.ac.in) to ensure transparency and address any anomalies. They also informed us that a grievance portal is planned to be added to the SWC website, where students can directly report any such issues. Further, the SWC is considering codifying its confidentiality policy and publishing it publicly to reinforce trust and clarity.

2. On Related Services and Outreach

With regards to providing counselling services in student hostels, 73.7% of the respondents do not recall any instances of counsellors coming to their hostels. Insight inquired about the status of the in-hostel counselling services with the SWC In-charge. She cited logistical difficulties such as the shortage of staff as the reason for it. According to her, the purpose of having counsellors in the hostels is to facilitate walk-ins, allowing students to seek help in a more comfortable environment. She added that, as of now,counsellors are available in the hostels four days a week during regular office hours, unless they are required to be in the main building. Counsellors are currently available in H10, H11, H16, and H18. The SWC is in the process of expanding their team. With additional staff, they’ll be able to improve visibility and accessibility.

The SWC, apart from the individual counselling sessions, also conducts talks like the ‘Vartalap’ sessions with external speakers – usually conducted once a month. These are discussions on various topics that might be of interest to students like developing confidence and relationship tips. The Lead of Outreach and Training, Ms. Hima Anaredy, mentioned that they plan to invite alums as guest speakers for Vartalap sessions in the future to talk about the challenges they faced while they were students, along with stress mitigation techniques. Apart from this, ‘Harmony Hangouts’ sessions happen once a week in hostels wherein the counsellors visit hostels and conduct workshops for available students on a plethora of skills like overcoming procrastination and negative thoughts. 

Some of the student experiences that we gathered from our interviews are as follows:

“I attended the speaker sessions. Attendance was low, but the speaker was nice and enthusiastic.”

“I felt my concerns belittled when the counsellor asked us to ‘play with our problems by writing them on balloons’ in the session. In almost an hour long session, I was expecting my problems to be heard and to receive practical advice on them, but all I got was a scripted monologue and a selfie which she insisted on ‘for their records.”

During a discussion about these workshops, the SWC Incharge told us,

“Vartalap, Harmony Hangouts aren’t just about mental health, they are also about life training. They teach you how to adjust, how to not procrastinate, etc. It is skill building. Attending them doesn’t mean you have an issue.”

More on SWC’s functioning and recent initiatives

Through our conversations with the SWC Incharge and the Outreach and Training Lead, we found out that the centre employs a multi-linguistic team equipped to cater to students from different linguistic and regional backgrounds. There are counsellors fluent in English, Hindi, and Marathi. Counsellors well-versed in Hindi can help attend to students from the eastern and northern parts of the country. For students from southern parts of the country, there are counsellors proficient in Tamil and Malayalam and also ones who understand Telugu and Kannada.

She added that the SWC also undertakes training of student mentors (DAMP, ISMP, ISCP, etc.) along with training of hostel managers and wardens. They plan to also introduce training for all stakeholders pertaining to students to identify if/when students need help, but it is still in the nascent stage.

Started during the placement season of 2023 and continued in 2024 due to positive reception, ‘Recharge Zone’ conducted by the SWC strived to help students destress through pet therapy, foot spa, art, and yoga.

To address the ongoing stigma around mental health in academic institutions, SWC is enhancing outreach efforts that normalize seeking help and reinforce mental wellness as a collective goal, not an individual weakness. Through the interview, we also learned that there are plans to further expand the number and kind of outreach initiatives that the SWC conducts in order to invite more students to discuss mental health and find the confidence to reach out and improve. For instance, an event called ‘Happy Hours’ or ‘Wellness Mela’ is in the works. It’s supposed to be a half-day event for first-year students with an emphasis on sports to promote engagement in physical activities. The SWC team also plans to introduce faculty and PhD student-centric initiatives. 

On 12th September 2024, the Dean of Student Affairs announced (via a student notices email) that a new service will be provided by SWC to further support the mental health and well-being of students, wherein the institute will reimburse the charges for in-person counselling sessions received from external counselling centres located near our campus. The email stated that the IIT Bombay administration recognises the need for an additional option for support, since some students may not feel comfortable engaging in online counselling or seeking in-person counselling with the on-campus SWC counsellors. Thus, such a collaboration with some external centres can offer greater flexibility and access to care.

As per the terms of this initiative, a referral from IITB Hospital or SWC is not required to avail these services, but it is mandatory for students to avail a self-service slip beforehand. The reimbursement cap for these services is Rs 8000 per year, with the cap for the first consultation being Rs 1250 and subsequent sessions capped at Rs 1000 each (any additional amount has to be borne by the student). So far, the list of consultation centres available for this service includes multiple centres across Powai and Mulund. According to the aforementioned email, the institute will continue its effort to add more external counsellors to the existing list. (To know more, visit https://www.iitb.ac.in/swc/en/external-counselling.)

In October, there were several events organized by SWC, starting with the ‘Fun Fest’ organized in the new playground near Hostel 15. The two-day event scheduled on the first weekend of October had a lot of physical activities planned in collaboration with Great Rocksport Pvt Ltd, such as sport climbing, body zorbing and commando nets. Subsequently, as part of its Mental Health Week initiatives, the SWC organized a five-day series of events in the New SAC building from 7 to 11 October, featuring art therapy and animal-assisted therapy (AAT), yoga, sound baths, dance movement therapy, and a drum circle session. These programs were overseen by counselling professionals to support students’ mental health and were well-received by the participants. Read more about it in our Mental Health Day on Campus article.

When asked about the motivation behind these events and programs, the SWC In-charge replied:

“The intention was to de-stigmatise the word ‘therapy’ – since usually it is thought of as a one-on-one session behind closed doors. But during mental health week, we wanted to show that it can be addressed in different ways. Such kinds of activities can help relax your mind and lead to a more holistic development.”

As part of its growth, SWC intends to improve accessibility and organize more outreach initiatives for first-year students. In her message to all students of IIT Bombay, the In-charge had the following to say:

“Students should reach out early, and not wait for an annoyance to become a problem. And SWC is not just about counselling, students can think of it as skill building, and learning how to handle stress.”

We also found out from the SWC Chairperson and Vice Chairperson that in addition to counselling and outreach, the SWC is launching a new vertical called the IIT Bombay flourishing hub with the support of IITB alumni. Initiated by the batch of 1998, it aims to expand to other alumni batches to secure additional funding and support. The hub aims to reach all students to ensure that students thrive during their time at IIT Bombay. It will focus on broad well-being domains like pressure management and resilience-building. The hub’s initiatives will include workshops, alumni interactions, the appointment of student wellness champions, and identifying wellness spaces for relaxation and meditation. The hub plans to host life coaches, academic counsellors, career counsellors, and meditation coaches..

Conclusion

Since its inception, SWC has helped a lot of students deal with their mental health issues and buoyed their spirits during their time at IIT Bombay. Free counselling services and the various workshops/events undertaken by the SWC in such a competitive and dynamic academic landscape are beneficial to the student community. In addition to the ongoing services, the team at the SWC is also in the process of introducing new initiatives to attend to the needs of the students.

With this article, we hope to draw attention towards certain aspects of the centre that can be reformed to further ensure the well-being of the students. More student representation in SWC (apart from collaborations with student mentors) like in the case of IIT Kanpur’s Institute Counselling Service could potentially strengthen the existing feedback mechanism. New initiatives such as group therapy and peer counselling which have proved useful in foreign universities like Harvard and MIT can be explored to address some of the problems. Additionally, codifying the confidentiality policy and making it public, such as in the case of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) of Stanford University, along with stricter compliance would be highly advantageous for alleviating students’ privacy concerns.

We also encourage students to engage with SWC and the institute regarding mental health concerns and seek help as soon as possible. If we are more cognizant of the importance of emotional and mental well-being, we can move towards creating a healthier campus environment. 

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¹ A person (such as a clinical psychologist) who is skilled in the administration and interpretation of objective psychological tests, in order to gather information about how people think, feel, behave and react

 ² Psychiatrists are not available at SWC

Editorial Credits: Kabir Singh, Jayesh Kamath, Taniishq Kadam, Vaidehi Jha, Ayush Agarwal

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