Vice Chancellor of Calicut University M. Abdul Salam has said ‘Horticulture Therapy’ has the potential to help those who are undergoing treatment for mental ailments for years and to bring them back to mainstream society.
Inaugurating the concluding ceremony of the block placement programme organised by the students of PG Diploma in Counselling under the university’s Department of Life-Long Learning at the Government Mental Hospital in Kuthiravattom on Thursday, the VC said the university, with the help of the department and the Psychology National Service Scheme, could do a lot of work using the creativity of the inmates of the hospital.
This could help them face the life with confidence.
Channel services
The university should channel services through three streams — education, research, and community service, the VC said.
Lead the movement
The PG Diploma students who had completed two months counselling in the hospital could lead the movement from the forefront, he added.
The other departments of the university such as music, psychology, NSS, Arts, vocational rehabilitation, medicine and nursing, communications and management, IT, languages, behavioural science and counselling, nutrition, and printing technology, could coordinate with the PG Diploma students to make humanitarian interventions for rehabilitating the inmates of the hospital, Prof. Salam added.
Superintendant of the Hospital Saritha R.L presided over the function.
