P. Sampath Rao, principal of HKE Society’s Homoeopathic College, has stressed the need for medical professionals to be trained in counselling. He said that this would help improve the quality of treatment.
He was presiding over the inauguration of a seven-day orientation and teaching programme in psychology for students.
The orientation was organised by the Directorate for Distance Education at Kuvempu University, the Manasa Educational Foundation for Mental Health and the Jalihal Gowramma Sanganabasayya Hiremath Pratishtan here on Monday.
“The mind is the epicentre of all diseases. If the right treatment is provided to the mind through counselling, most diseases can be controlled and treated effectively,” he said. Dr. Rao called education ‘a continuous process’. Age has nothing to do with the drive to acquire knowledge, he said.
Psychiatrist R. Venkatreddy, who was honoured along with senior mental health specialist N.G. Ghanate, said that counselling had become an integral part of society. The role of counsellors was getting more specific and imperative.
Today’s youth is pressured to perform or perish, particularly those working in the IT sector.
“Counsellors have a wide range of employment opportunities,” the psychiatrist said, adding that industries in many sectors now insisted on hiring counsellors to treat their employees.
Convener of the Manasa Research Centre here S.S. Hiremath welcomed.
