Frequently Asked Questions
Counselling and psychotherapy are collaborative processes that help individuals understand and address personal, emotional, academic, interpersonal and mental health concerns. They provide a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space to explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences, develop effective coping strategies, and work toward personal goals.
Counselling often focuses on current concerns, life challenges, and specific goals, such as stress, relationship difficulties, adjustment issues, academic concerns, or decision-making. Psychotherapy typically involves a deeper exploration of thoughts, emotions, behaviours and long-standing patterns that may contribute to distress. It may be helpful for more persistent or complex difficulties. In practice, there is considerable overlap between counselling and psychotherapy, and the approach used will depend on your individual needs and goals. If needed, you may also be referred to another mental health professional or healthcare provider who can best support your needs.
No. All registered students (undergraduate and postgraduate), employees of the institute and their registered dependents can avail the service free of cost. The expenditure involved if you wish to see the psychiatrist is also borne by the service.
You can book an appointment through the website homepage and choose between offline sessions and online Single Session Therapy (SST) for initial support. If you are experiencing significant distress and would like to speak with a counsellor sooner, you may walk in to the CMHW office during working hours (10:00 AM-9:00 PM, Monday-Friday). For urgent concerns outside office hours, please visit the Health Centre, where arrangements can be made to connect you with an on-call counsellor.
CMHW offers the following facilities:
- • Offline counselling sessions
- • Online Single Session Therapy (SST)
- • 24x7 telephonic mental health support through Tele-MANAS (Government of India helpline)
Apart from the above CMHW also provides clinical facilities such as psychiatrists and cyber support.
Offline counselling refers to face-to-face sessions with a counsellor at the CMHW's office. These sessions are accessible between 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM (Monday-Friday) for better convenience and support.
Online Single Session Therapy (SST) refers to a one-time, focused therapy session conducted online with a qualified counsellor. These sessions aim to address immediate concerns and provide coping strategies, and are available by appointment.
An anonymous referral allows you to share concerns about someone who may be experiencing emotional distress, mental health difficulties, or other challenges affecting their well-being, without revealing your identity. If a referral is received, the CMHW team may reach out to the individual to inform them about available support services and offer appropriate support. If there is an immediate concern about someone's safety or well-being, please contact the Health Centre or the Head, CMHW directly rather than relying solely on an anonymous referral.
You can talk to a counsellor about any concern that is affecting your emotional well-being, daily functioning, relationships, academic or work life. Some common concerns include:
- • Stress, anxiety, or low mood
- • Academic or workplace challenges
- • Relationship and family difficulties
- • Adjustment to a new environment or life changes
- • Loneliness, homesickness, or social concerns
- • Self-esteem and confidence issues
- • Grief, loss, or other difficult life experiences
- • Emotional distress, overwhelming feelings, or mental health concerns
You do not need to be in a crisis to seek counselling. If something is bothering you or affecting your well-being, you are welcome to reach out for support.
Tele MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) is India's 24/7, free tele-mental health initiative providing accessible counseling, consultation, e-prescriptions, and referrals via a toll-free helpline (14416) and app, aiming to offer comprehensive mental health care to all citizens, especially vulnerable groups, in multiple languages. It's a digital extension of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) designed to bridge gaps in mental healthcare.
MindCheck is a mental wellness and self-reflection mobile application developed by the TRANSiT Lab in association with CMHW at IIT Kanpur. Designed to provide a quiet space for daily self-reflection rather than diagnosis, the app helps users stay in touch with their overall well-being.
Key features include:
• Guided mental wellness check-ins
• Mood tracking and journaling
• Self-assessment questionnaires and cognitive games
• Wellbeing trends tracking
• Quick access to institute support resources (such as CMHW counselling, YourDOST, TreadWill, and Health Centre emergency contacts)
It operates as a Progressive Web App (PWA) that can be accessed via a browser link and added directly to your mobile home screen.
The CMHW has one permanent psychiatrist Dr. Alok Bajpai who will be available in the Health Centre from
4 PM to 6 PM on Tuesday/Thursday and 3 PM to 6 PM on Saturday and anyone can visit him.
Apart from this they are also one visiting psychiatrists Dr. Rohan Kumar and one refrral psychiatrist Dr. Sanjay Mahendru
Campus Community is informed about psychiatrist visits in advance through email. The visits are kept at regular intervals throughout the semester.
Cyber Support is a service provided by CMHW to help individuals who are facing issues related to cyberbullying, online harassment, or any other cyber-related problems. The service aims to provide support and guidance to individuals in dealing with such issues effectively and safely.
Yes, CMHW can provide support and guidance for individuals struggling with addiction. Our counsellors are trained to help individuals understand the underlying causes of their addiction and develop strategies to overcome it. We also have de-addiction clinic fortnightly Thursdays 6 PM. to 7 PM. at Health Centre.
To know more about de-addiciton clinic you can visit our page De-addicition Clinic
Psychologists have training in Psychology and provide counseling and psychotherapy for a wide range of emotional, personal, interpersonal, and academic concerns. Clinical Psychologists have specialized training in the assessment, diagnosis, and psychological treatment of mental health conditions. They may also conduct psychological assessments when required. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health. They can assess and diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe medications when needed and work collaboratively with psychologists and clinical psychologists. You do not need to decide which professional to see. Based on your concerns, CMHW will help connect you with the most appropriate professional.
Counsellors are trained to listen with empathy, respect, and without judgment. People seek counselling for many different reasons and there is no concern that is too small or too unusual to discuss. The purpose of counselling is not to judge, criticize or tell you what to do. Instead, counsellors work with you to better understand your experiences, explore possible solutions, and support you in making decisions that are right for you. Many people seek counselling at different points in their lives, and reaching out for support is a normal and positive step toward improving well-being.
Counselling is a confidential service. Information shared during counselling is not disclosed to others without your knowledge and consent. There are, however, exceptional circumstances where confidentiality may need to be limited to protect your safety or the safety of others, or when disclosure is required by law. Examples include situations involving a risk of serious harm to yourself or others, concerns about abuse or neglect, or compliance with legal requirements. Whenever possible, the counsellor will discuss the situation with you before sharing any information and will disclose only what is necessary.
No. Counselling is a completely confidential service and does not go on your academic or personal record. The counsellor will keep brief notes for their own use, but these are not part of any official record and are destroyed after a certain period of time.
If you want to approach us regarding a friend, you are most welcome. We'll try our best to help you in helping your friend
CMHW offers the following academic help facilities:
- • Academic Mentors
- • Central Academic Directory
- • AM classes
Academic Mentors are senior students selected to assist you with specific courses. They hold regular remedial sessions and can help clear doubts regarding course material and exam preparation.
You can access the Central Academic Directory via the Resources tab in the menu. This repository contains notes, past papers, and books curated by our team.
AM classes are remedial sessions conducted by Academic Mentors to help students grasp difficult concepts and prepare for exams effectively. Remedial classes are just a help provided when there is difficulty in grasping the concepts in college lectures. They may not cover the entire syllabus (only the difficult parts) and are sometimes not as regular as college lectures.
For first-year courses, the list of student names is available on the team page under Academic Mentors tab . For all other courses, you may contact any team member listed on the team page under Core Team Members, Academics tab, and they will connect you with a suitable Academic Mentor (AM)
Anytime, when the mentor is free. It depends on mutual understanding between the mentor and student. The mentor can be contacted via phone or other means, and unless he/she is in the middle of something very important, he/she is willing to help out
For students who are not proficient in English, we offer English Communication Classes (ECC), which are conducted as one-on-one mentoring sessions with a professional language instructor. These sessions are designed to help students build confidence, improve communication skills, and become more comfortable with the language at their own pace.
In addition, we ensure a calm, supportive, and non-judgmental environment where students are encouraged to learn without pressure. Our mentors focus on making students feel relaxed, understood, and emotionally supported throughout the learning process.
To avail ECC you may contact any team member listed on the team page
Not at all! It is always possible to miss out on certain concepts while in class or during self study and the academic load may make us all feel pressurized at times. Therefore, asking for help doesn't undermine your intelligence or your capabilities, but only demonstrates your willingness to learn.
No, CMHW does not handle or assist with grade updates. For any concerns related to grades, students are advised to contact their respective academic department or the concerned faculty.
The Student Benevolence Fund (SBF) is designed to provide financial assistance to students facing emergency financial hardships, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder their education or well-being.
You can apply by reaching out to the Head of CMHW or the Associate Dean of Student Affairs. The application process is confidential.
The criteria for receiving the SBF scholarship include :
- • Parental Income
- • CPI
- • Student should not be getting financial support from any other source
You can get Merit-cum-Means scholarship, Sports scholarship, various Donor Departmental scholarships, and Basic Mess & Pocket Allowance for further information you can visit SSPC website .