Departmental Profile

The Department of Psychology and Counselling was established on 12th September, 2012 as a constituent unit of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Assam Don Bosco University with the aim of giving opportunity to the budding counselors to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The aim of the course is not only to impart counselling as an educational course but also guide students for their overall personal development and extend their services to the community.

Don Bosco University is the only University in the entire North East providing the Counseling course at post graduate level. The Department is offering a 2 year modular course to students with an optimum blend of theory, practice, and research. This aims at producing counselors who are efficient, culturally sensitive and committed to the science of psychological counselling and its application to real-world situations. The course prepares qualified counselors in the area of children, youth and education, marriage and family, trauma and addiction. Graduates are ideally placed to render their services in educational institutions, the voluntary sector, non-governmental organizations and government departments, particularly those dealing with health, education, vocational training, family, women, children and youth, correctional settings, community development, disaster management, communal harmony and promotion of culture, conflict management and other such areas.

The programme is committed to the advancement of scientific knowledge through research and practice in counselling skills and techniques completed within two years. It provides students wide range of opportunities for exploring various new directions and avenues. Apart from academic teaching the course provides students exposure into real-life counselling setting through field work, observation visits, workshops, lecture, supervised internship in various hospitals and organisations.

The department organises workshops, lectures from time to time in order to facilitate cognitive and academic excellence amongst the students. Students are encouraged to engage in culturally relevant and psychologically appropriate psychotherapeutic interventions that emphasizes normal, personal, interpersonal functioning and address dysfunction from a strength- based perspective, consider role of developmental issue, environment and context in individuals’ lives.

Degrees Offered:

• BA (Honours) Psychology
• M. Sc Psychology (Psychological Counselling)
• PhD

Counselling Unit:

The Department of Psychology and Counselling is running the counselling unit of the university which is offering counselling services to the students of the university in order to help the students with their problems and difficulties thereby attempting to promote positive mental health. Apart from counselling the aim of this unit is also to reduce the misconceptions associated with counselling and seeking help amongst the student of the university. Through counselling the unit aims to foster student friendly environment in the campus. The unit also aims to extend its services in the community setting on various mental health issues by conducting awareness programmes.

The counselling service is provided to the students from Monday to Friday by the faculty members in Room NO. 318 (A). Visiting counsellors are also invited to conduct special programmes for the students of the university.

Fieldwork Agencies & Recruiters:

• CID, Ulubari, Guwahati dealing with family issues
• Missionary of Charity, Lankeshwar, Guwahati dealing with patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, mental retardation, learning disability, depression etc.
• NIPCCD, Khanapara, Guwahati dealing with children and women
• Assam Sishu Kalyan Sadan, Jalukbari, Guwahati dealing with children
• Sishu Sarothi, Birubari, Guwahati dealing with special children.
• MIND India, Chandmari, Guwahati dealing with children and adolescent counselling
• Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur
• Nazareth Hospital, Shillong
• Regional Institute of Medical Science, Imphal
• North-East Network, Shillong
• Shillong Civil Hospital
• TAMAHAR, Bangalore
• ASHADEEP, Guwahati
• Royal Global School, Guwahati
• Indian Council for Child Welfare
• Missionaries of Charity, Lankeshwar, Guwahati
• Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong
• Hezukhu Memorial District Hospital, South West Point, Nagaland

Workshops & Lectures Conducted (till 2014)

• Workshop on Research Methodology
• Workshop on Rorschach Inkblot Test
• Workshop on Individual and Group Counselling Skills
• Workshop on Personal Growth
• Workshop on Pervasive Developmental Disorder
• Workshop on Art and Play Therapy
• Workshop on Cognitive- Behavioural Therapy
• Lecture on Addiction and Trauma with special reference to assessment