Kerala Latin Catholic Dioceses’ Guidance & Counseling Service Providers’ Meet

Kerala Latin Catholic Dioceses’ Guidance & Counseling Service Providers’ Meet

St.Joseph’s Guidance and Counselling Centre      Bishop Jerome Institute Campus, Kollam, 691001

Dear Rev.Father/ Sister

Greetings from SJGCC, Diocese of Quilon!

            We are pleased to inform you that SJGCC (St.Joseph’s Guidance & Counseling Centre, Diocese of Kollam) is organizing an informal   Kerala Latin Catholic Dioceses’ Guidance & Counseling Services Providers’ meet on 3^rd May 2012 at SJGCC Hall, Bishop Jerome Institute Campus, Kollam. Meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Train timings of arrival & departure is given in the next page so that you may plan your journey.

The purpose of the meet is to bring counselors involved in counseling and guidance services, to share their experiences, challenges and identify community driven therapeutic approaches to deal with specific problems in our healing ministry. Being the first meet each representative of a Counseling Centre is encouraged to make a presentation in the meeting. LCD projector will be provided for those who wish to use the same. Please bring your brochures and related public awareness materials for display if any. Participation of lay persons involved in the services is most welcome.

To meet the expenses a registration fee of Rs.100.00 per participant will be collected.

Please feel free to contact us if you require any further information regarding this meet. Please confirm your participation by calling us on 0474-2745691 or 9497534141. If you can please sent us a brief report in advance to sjgccentre@gmail.com. Kindly pass this mail to persons involved in this service in your Diocese.

Contact person:

Mr.Bijo Joseph

Counselor, SJGCC, Kollam

Mob: 9497534141

Thanking you,

Yours Sincerely,

Rev.Dr.Jose Puthenveed

Director, SJGCC

Tentative Program

Arrival & registration (9 am)

Meeting : 10.a.m.

Agenda

Prayer Song

Welcome

Self Introduction

Tea break

Presentation of activities of Counseling Centres

(PowerPoint presentation facilities will be provided)

Lunch break

Group Discussion

Departure: 3.45 pm

Train Timings From Kollam R. Station

Arrival 

Trivandrum-Vanchinad   -   8.15 am

Trivandrm-Intercity         -   8.40 am

Mumbai-Kanyakumari     -  8.50 am

Departure

Nizamudeen          - 3.20 pm

Gandhidam            - 4.20 pm

Banglore                 - 5.10 pm

N.B.

Please get down at railway station and take any bus going towards Kannanellore and get down at Chemmamukku stop. From there you can see BJI campus. Paying minimum fare you can take an auto. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

10^th May 2012

Dear Friends,

All Kerala Latin Catholic Diocesan Counselling Services’ providers meet held on May 3, 2012 at St. Joseph’s Guidance and Counselling Centre, Bishop Jerome Institute Campus, Kollam, Kerala deliberated on various psychosocial issues affecting the Latin Catholic communities from the perspective of guidance & counselling services’ providers. It was resolved at the meeting that the recommendations be communicated among the diocesan bishops, generals and provincials serving the Latin Catholic communities. I am happy to send you a copy of the recommendations.

Thanking You,

Yours Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Jose Puthenveed

Director, St. Joseph’s Guidance & Counselling Centre, Kollam

Recommendations to Latin Catholic Church Hierarchy, Generals & Provincials.

Introduction

The world we live in is marked by violence, suicide, skyrocketing divorce rates, abortion, domestic violence…and the list can go on and on. And it builds on itself and perpetuates a cycle of abuse and despair. In Kerala, divorce rates are alarmingly increasing; we see its reflection in the catholic community with daily more and more petitions filed in marriage tribunals. So also Alcoholism is taking a toll on lives, breakdown of family, relationship, disease, domestic violence, neglect of women and children. Studies done in a few dioceses indicate a significant increase in suicide rates and religious communities are not exempt from these tragedies. Among school children many psychosocial problems are unattended due to lack of professionally trained counsellors.The youth in our community are falling victims to porn addiction, substance abuse besides alcohol. Many of our people are suffering from

stress - related problems and depression. People suffer internally, but do not know where or whom to turn to for help.

The participants recognized the good work done by many priests and sisters and lay people in the guidance and counseling services in the Dioceses but expressed univocally that they are just a drop in the ocean of maladies people suffer from. This pressing and urgent need has called us forth to come together today, the 3^rd of May, 2012. Impelled by the urgency and the need of the hour to respond to our people’s wide range of social, emotional, behavioural, mental health or family problems, we the participants in today’s meeting representing the Latin Catholic Counselling Services Providers would like to make the following recommendations:

1)      Start Centres with proper infrastructure facilities and professionally trained personnel for counselling and guidance services.

2)    Promote a network of counselling service providers in the Latin Dioceses of Kerala and to enable them to share and exchange their particular resources and expertise.

3)     Encourage religious congregations serving the Latin Dioceses to develop Counselling Centres of their own with qualified professionals.

4)  Enourage schools, hospitals situated in the Dioceses to open up counselling services with professionally trained hands and to have an on-going program involving principals, teachers and parents.

5)      Encourage priests and religious men and women to create awareness among people on the need of seeking help from Counselling Centres.

6)      Initiate community diocesan mental health programs at parish level by training BCC Educational & Social Samithi leaders with necessary skills to tackle most of the problems at the local level under the supervision of Diocesan Counselling Centres.

7)      Organize follow-up counselling sessions for couples who have attended pre-marital courses after a year.

8)      To include “hands-on” field experience of life under supervision of Guidance and Counselling professionals during the formation of future priests and nuns in school counselling & family counselling services, conducting awareness programmes, research and evaluation.

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VAZHITHIRIVU -2012

VAZHITHIRIVU – 2012

Under the auspices of St. Joseph’s Guidance and Counseling centre, Kollam, a two day’s motivational and guidance program for children and adolescents were organized at the Counseling centre. The first day’s program was held on 25^th April from 9.00 A.M. to 4 P.M. for children studying from 5^th to 8^th standard. On the second day, i.e.,26th April, the program was organized for students of 9^th  to 12^th standard.

The Director of the centre, Rev. Dr. Jose Puthenveed inaugurated the programme and SJGCC psychotherapists: Mr. Bijo Joseph, Dr. Sindha H. Mendez, Mr. A.G. Maxwell, Mr. John P. Fernandez, Ms. Poonam Fernandez, Dr. Biju Terrence and Mr. Saju animated the sessions and interacted with the participants. Abilities and talents of were encouraged. Shortcomings in the mental health field were tested scientifically and therapy suggested.