Archive · 10 Oct 2026
Counsellor Says Asking for Student Mental Health Help Is Strength
College can bring new experiences, but it can also feel stressful or lonely.
Dr Sonam Dullat says students do not have to wait until they are in crisis to ask for help.
Counselling can help with everyday challenges as well as serious distress.
Students may worry about being judged or about whether conversations are private.
Colleges can explain what counselling involves and make it easier to find support.
Friends can listen and help someone connect with a counsellor, but they are not counsellors themselves.
Teachers can notice changes and ask how a student is doing without trying to diagnose them.
Asking for help is a sensible way to understand and manage a problem, not a weakness.
Dr Sonam Dullat says greater familiarity with mental health terms can help students describe their experiences and seek support.
Students may hesitate because they feel they should cope alone, fear judgement or are unsure about confidentiality.
Colleges can make counselling more familiar through orientation, mentoring, faculty interactions and student activities.
Peers can listen and guide students to professional help, but should not act as counsellors or replace them.
Changes such as withdrawal, frequent absences or reduced participation can prompt a sensitive check-in, but do not establish a diagnosis.
- Who
- Dr Sonam Dullat, Senior Manager (Student Counsellor) at the Thapar Institute Counselling Cell.
- What
- She discusses student mental health, counselling, peer support and ways colleges can make wellbeing support accessible.
- When
- In an interview published for World Mental Health Day; no publication date is provided.
- Where
- Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology is the campus context discussed.
- Why
- To encourage students to seek help without waiting for a crisis and to explain how colleges and peers can support them.
- Interviewee
- Dr Sonam Dullat, Senior Manager (Student Counsellor)
- Counselling service
- Thapar Institute Counselling Cell (TICC)
- Experience
- Over 19 years in counselling psychology
- Training
- Certified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy therapist and Mental Health First Aider with suicide-prevention training
- Common student challenges
- Academic pressure, loneliness, relationship difficulties and uncertainty
- Peer support role
- Listen, encourage help-seeking and connect peers with professional support
- Possible signs to check in about
- Withdrawal, frequent absences, reduced participation or loss of interest