Advocacy

• The outcomes of the ‘SIMHA whole school program’ were presented at the 2 day National Workshop/‘Chintan Shivir’ organized by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in November, 2017.
• In 2018, SIMHA team was represented in the committee for curriculum development on the theme of ‘Mental Health’ for the ‘School Health Programme’ under the aegis of Ayushman Bharat by Ministry of Human Resource and Development and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Capacity building

SIMHA COVID response initiative

• Shared learning spaces for teachers during the pandemic
• Webinars for school leaders, teachers, and counsellors on transitioning to online learning and ensuring self-care
• Consultation with leaders of organizations working with schools in low resource contexts to explore possibilities of collaboration among existing initiatives and organizations to support emotional well-being of children and adolescents in schools in low resource contexts in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
• Back to School Programme (June - September, 2020): To support schools in implementing programmes and activities to promote mental health and well-being of all students and stakeholders, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Fostering Well-being and Resilience amongst Adolescents: During and after the Covid-19 Pandemic (August, 2020). In collaboration with the Adolescent Health division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) SIMHA organized a two part Webinar-series for State Programme Officers of the RKSK across all States of India. The sessions covered various aspects of adolescent mental health concerns, assessment and intervention.
• Fostering Resilience and Well-being Programme (September - October 2020): A mental health promotion and prevention initiative, drawn from the WHO Whole School Approach to facilitate teaching-learning, foster resilience, and enhance wellbeing of school students.
• Circle of Care Campaign (October 2020): To celebrate World Mental Health Day an online campaign followed by an online event was hosted to showcase school initiatives from across the country on mental health promotion and prevention.

SIMHA Programmes

Peer learning project in collaboration with The Adhyayan foundation (March, 2021): SIMHA facilitated sessions on Mental Health related topics like Depression, loneliness, and substance use with students from Delhi and Goa.

Strengthening Self-care and Psycho-social Support (March, 2021): A 2-part webinar series for school leaders and teachers to discuss the impact of stress and burnout and the strategies for self-care and psycho-social support within the school system.

The Adolescent Mental Health Promotion Programme-In collaboration with the National Health Mission, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu (March-April, 2021): A 3 part webinar series in Tamil aimed at sensitizing counsellors of RKSK and ICTC working with young people, to the mental health needs of young people and empowering them to support adolescents and young people at-risk.

SIMHA Reach:

• Webinars in English, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, and Marathi.
• States: 25 states and 4 union territories
• Cities: Over 100 cities, districts and towns
• Schools and boards: CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, IB, ISC, State boards
• International reach: Across India and other countries such as Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Nepal, Australia and Indonesia.
• Over 4500 school teachers; 1000 school leaders; 500 counsellors and 1000+ program and community leaders.

Research and publications

• Duggal, C. & Bagasrawala, L. (2020). Promoting Well-Being and Resilience of Young People During COVID-19: An Initiative with Schools. In L. S. S. Manickam (Ed.), COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and responses of psychologists from India (pp.63-75). Thiruvananthapuram: The Editor.
• Duggal, C., & Bagasrawala, L. (2019). Adolescent and youth mental health in India: Status and needs. In S. Bharat & G. Sethi (Eds.) Health and Wellbeing of India's Young People: Challenges and Prospects. New Delhi: Springer. ISBN:978-9811365928
• Duggal, C., & Bagasrawala, L. (2019). Adolescent and youth mental health in India: Policies and programmes. In S. Bharat & G. Sethi (Eds.) Health and Wellbeing of India's Young People: Challenges and Prospects. New Delhi: Springer. ISBN:978-9811365928
• Duggal, C., & Bagasrawala, L. (2018). The Critical Role of Schools in Adolescent Mental Health Care: Organizing Systems and Developing Pathways. In S. Deb (Ed.), Positive Schooling and Child Development: International Perspectives. Springer. ISBN 978-981-13-0077-6
• Duggal, C. & Bagasrawala, L. (2017). Report on the mental health initiatives by the TISS- UNFPA Centre of Excellence on Adolescents and Youth (April-September 2017).